Sharkmaine Chronicles

I Lied.

2012-02-14T00:30:00.002+08:00

I told you I'm not going to meddle (read: mess) with your blog.

Im sorry. :(

Forgiven?

lol.

Happy 1st Valentines!

- D

Your Girlfriend is a Gumiho..uh wait, no, she's a Traveler.

2012-02-07T12:25:00.000+08:00

source.

She daydreams her workday away on the beach, with the waves crashing through her feet and the fine sand on her palms. Next day, she's jumping cliffs on her thoughts (and she doesn't even know how to swim) while she's slaving to save up for her next big adventure.

Date a girl who travels. Date the girl who loves the sun rays kissing her skin while she's out exploring. She who wanders away to see the beauty of a place in her perspective, be it a paradise or the ruins, she will see the pretty even in the ugly.

Date the girl who got struck with the wanderlust. She will fumble through her maps and might get lost sometimes but that's where the adventure starts. Date a girl who travels, she will wear out the sole of your shoes from walking distances but she will fill your soul more than you can imagine.

Join her as she stress herself away in drafting an itinerary but ends up not entirely sticking to it -- because she's spontaneous like that. She will always be up to trying new and different things (even the one that scares her), so be there to join her. You may have tried it before but it will be a different experience with her.

Suggest her places you can go, watch the sparkle in her eyes as she gets hyped up and research about it. She will tell it over and over again how excited she is until your date of departure. She will be restless and might not be able to sleep the night before, ask her if she packed her things and nothing is missed, she will be relieved. She will also experience post-weekend depressions afterwards. Do cheer her up.

Date a girl who travels. She's a lakwatsera, but she's yours. She will be more than happy to take you places and explore what it has to offer. She will take you to peaks, to the bluest waters, cheapest eateries, to places that will make you appreciate life more. Time will seem to fly faster as you have fun. Savor every moment, take a lot of photos, don't hold back every laugh, tear up if it gets too much. These are the things that she will show you. A part of her life and a part of the world. You'll get tired from the long bus rides, have pressure in your ears, get bad service, try bad food but it will all be worth it. You will sleep at night from a day's exhaustion but will be filled with contentment because traveling with her is not just being with her but it's your own adventure as well, only shared.

She will keep your spirit alive. She'll make marks in your lifeline that you will never forget. You will grow with the world as you both travel. You will always have something to look forward to, be it your next destination or her stories from her trips because she will never run out of it.

Date a girl who travels. She will take you for the adventure of your life.

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Why Should You Date a Traveler?

I have tried to put up a few reasons on my post above but I got curious as well so I asked D instead,
"What did you get from dating a Traveler?"

Here's what he gave me:

"Di ko lam kung ang mga sasabihin ko ay dahil sa ikaw ay isang travel blogger or simply just cause you're awesome. :)

You appreciate/see beauty even when there's chaos/every kind of pollution surrounding you. I think you, being a nomad (yes, he calls me a nomad already and hates the fact that I'm a fair-skinned nomad haha!), exposed ka with every walks of life. Na-appreciate mo yung mga simpleng bagay. At pag nakakita ka ng isang magandang bagay, it easily outweighs every cons.

SIGURO dahil sa pagiging travel-er-ist mo, nadevelop pagka-cowboy mo. Maybe its just me, pero I think pag nagtravel ko sa iba't ibang lugar, its only natural na tikman mo delicacies nila. May it be fine-dining or streetfoods. (And I eat, a lot.)

Tas what I always like pag nagttravel ka, yung energy mo. Kahit you're so far away, ramdam ko kasiyahan mo. It's really nice everytime I see/feel that you're euphoric. Travelling does that to you.

Syempre, pag ang partner mo sa buhay e travel blogger, dapat kada balik may pasalubong/souvenir, or better yet, long hugs. (Cheesy!) Pag bumibisita ka sa ibang lugar, kahit hinde pa ako nakapunta dun, feeling ko nakapunta nako.

Dating a traveler + blogger makes you adventurous, discover your Dora side. Syempre di naman pwede siya lang ng siya ang magttravel. Mas masaya kung as a couple you travel. Not only you grow/mature/develop as you travel, you also learn new things about your partner. Kung mas prefer nya ang e-fan room kesa sa aircon. Kung mas prefer nya ang window side kesa sa aisle side. Little things that can only be discovered on the spot. :) (This part up to the end just made me smile.)

What's fun having a nomad, meron kang nilu-look forward to na event. Laging merong bago. Sa inyo, sa kwentuhan nyo, sa lugar na bibisitahin nyo, laging meron. Di mauubusan. :)

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And now it's the month of Love again (I still don't like Valentines Day that much, haha!), why not try dating a traveler? I can assure you it'll be fun. :)

Go date a Traveler, but not me, I'm already someone's Traveler date. ♡ Happy Hearts' Month!

This is my entry to this month's Pinoy Travel Bloggers’s Blog Carnival hosted by Lauren Gaile with the theme "Why You Should Date a Traveler".

2012 is My Travel Year, Again!

2012-02-06T12:28:00.003+08:00

January 2011

My Lakbayan grade is D!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

Last year was a like a banana peeling process. Things got bad, I got broken, I wandered off and the rest of happies was history. First half of my 2011 was spent going places and I got hooked. The wandering became the fuel of the young and the restless me. After a year, I got eager to see my Lakbayan grade again.

Drumrolls pleaaaaase.....

My Lakbayan grade is C!
How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!
Created by Eugene Villar.

I am now a C!! This is nothing compared to those who travel so often but I'm on my way! It's my goal this year to explore the Philippines more (and hopefully a few SEA countries along the way) and it will be a challenge since I my traveling time is limited to weekends.

10 days from now, I will kickstart my travel year by going to Vigan-Ilocos!!! :) I am honestly excited to my wits end after a few stressful weeks of planning. This will be my first trip that I planned and will be doing along with my newest travel buddy. Never thought itinerary planning and budgeting is stressful. Haha! Most of my travels last year was partly c/o my mother hence the worry-free me but this time, it's my first self-funded trip. It's not the cheapest because I kinda feel like going a little more to motivate myself.
This will probably be the trip that I'll be most proud of. :D

I'm counting the days already, you think I'll reach grade B by 2013? I hope so.

The Sinulog Experience 2012

2012-02-05T00:30:00.003+08:00

Never did I miss the Sinulog Parade for the last 5 years. Four of which I began taking pictures of the Grand Parade, and this was the only year that I was able to shoot ~~legally~~ with an ID/pass. As always, the parade never fails to surprise me. The Sinulog had been always my dose of color overload, imo, everything becomes cheerfully saturated. :)

I should say, it is indeed the grandest festival in the Philippines! I haven't been to Dinagyang or Masskara but Sinulog will always be special for me. My yearly Sinulog participation became a devotion because just like how they do it in Obando, I am a prayed-for child and paying the Sto. Nino a visit on his feast day is our way of thanksgiving. :)

In front of the Sto. Nino Basilica after the Fluvial Parade which is held every Saturday of January. It is a tradition that unfortunately, I haven't joined yet. :( Mahirap bumangon sa madaling araw.

The sort of obligatory henna tattoo that I get every year. :D First time to have them floral but this turned out very nice. If only it wasn't smudged because of the hustle bustle we had during the Drumbeat.

Let the Grand Parade begin!

Every participant's costume is well thought off. And effort kung effort.

Always been a fan of details and Sinulog gives me an overdose of it. A good kind of overdose.

Thanks Juanes (my Sinulog Parade buddy)!

Every participant's dedication and devotion to perform is unbelievable. They practice all year round for this.

Being a sea creature. It's more fun in the Philippines!

Festival Queens. *sigh* I have dreams of being one. Asa naman! Lol.

Sinulog had always been the photographer's delight. The number of photographers joining the parade every year increases.

First time to enter Abellana Sports Complex to watch the performances. It was so much fun despite the haggardness.

We were graced with a rainbow later that afternoon that made the heat + drizzle weather worth it.

Next year again Sinulog! And who knows, someday I might be able to dance the beat in the streets. Wishful thinking. :)

The 1TB Project

2012-02-04T12:45:00.007+08:00

D and I are up to a challenge to take and accumulate 1TB of photos worth of us this year because we don't have a lot of pictures together. I bear the camera all the time and often forget to take photos of us (sanay na na wala sa picture) which is sad because we don't have physical visual memories of our adventures. So remind me to take our photos!

FOOD: Feeling King at King One Rotary Hot Pot

2012-01-29T22:52:00.001+08:00

Heads up! This is a photo overload post. You've been warned!

Saturdates are dedicated to eating or just plain having the time of our lives. If I'm not out of the road, I'll be indulging my taste buds with the good stuff (and as much as possible, affordable). :D

The highlight of yesterday's Saturdate was King One Rotary Hot Pot in Hobbies of Asia in Macapagal Avenue. I've been hearing so much about this place since last year and my expectations were fully met.

Talk about Seafood and Meat overload.

The most interesting thing about King One is their conveyor belt from where you can directly take a plate of your choice ingredient (well, that is if you're seated right next to the area. So when we arrived, I asked if they have a table beside the conveyor belt, I personally want to experience getting my food from it.

And so we were seated on the last available table, the area was a little crampy but it will do. They gave us a few papers which are actually menus wherein you'll get to check your choice of soup stock, side order (an extra treat from them because it's for free) and ingredients for your hot pot.

We chose the Satay and Szechuan (spicy) soup base.

Satay on the left and obviously, from the floating chilies that got me scared, Szechuan (spicy) soup on the right. The Satay soup had a distinct taste and that if you add some of the house sauce, it has that spicy kick that was just perfect to my taste. Szechuan on the other hand, was delicately spicy so no reason to be scared from its hot red color and feast of chilies and pepper. Just add a few of spring onions, garlic and their house sauce to suit your liking.

Tip: Enjoy the first serving of your soup, upon asking for refill, they will just add (if I'm not mistaken) hot water to it so the soup flavor gets a little bland.

Red, yellow and greens in combination is always pleasing to the eyes.

They also offer bottomless drinks for Php65. There is also a choice for fruit shakes (the server said it's not bottomless though) but that got us confused since it indicated there "ADD P20" (maybe add 20 to the buffet rate?) so we just opted for Sprite and Lemon Green Tea.

For the free side order, you can take a pick from Lechon Kawali, Salt & Pepper Fried Squid, Braised Pork, Yang Chow Rice and I forgot the other choices. I'm not sure if it's refillable though. D chose Braised Pork, he said it was alright.

We were then served the ingredients we ticked from list. I, of course, almost went crazy on the seafood and D was for the meat.

Shrimps! They served medium-sized shrimps but what I liked most was that they were fresh and juicy.

Oysters. You can have an oyster all you can here. But that won't be too healthy. Haha!
They also have scallops, I wanted to order them but no more space!

And the fish! I can forever eat fish. I had one more serving of this only for myself. =)) Their fish fillet was really good.

I forgot what these are. Chicken balls I guess?

Fresh Beef Balls with Cheese. This was pure goodness. But wait until you try the Mozarella Cheese Balls, they were awesome.

Lobster Balls and the Mozarella Cheese Balls.

These Mozarella Cheese Balls that I will never forget. Fishball filled with oozing cheese. It was so surprisingly yum that I asked for another order. They were reaaaally good and now they're my favorite! I know, I know. I eat too much.

Then here comes the Meaaaaat!! :D

I believe this was the Fat Beef. They really serve a hefty plate of it. D's the meat fan but I enjoyed it all the same. Still, my love belongs to the seafood. :P

If I'm not mistakes, these are the Lamb Slices.

What I liked most about this King One experience of us was that we were overwhelmed with flavor -- from the soup and to the ingredients. Because one thing I noticed whenever I try hot pot/shabu-shabu places is that it gets to a point where the flavor gets steady, based on the soup stock used. But with this one, there was a suprise of flavor with every bite of the different ingredients. That was the most fun part of the eating.

We managed our way to finishing our orders, with D almost dying from being too much full already and me still fighting on behalf of man versus food. I tried to buffer it by eating sweet corn in between. I thought the game was already over but they served us a fruit platter of watermelon, melon and pineapples (which is also free) when we are almost finish with our meal. I wanted to eat some but I was really too full already.

As you can see, D is already dead from too much eating. Hahaha!!

Another one good buffet found in the Metro and we're into trying more of them! Recommendations, anyone? :)

King One Rotary Hot Pot can be found at M2-A L/G Hobbies of Asia, Diosdado Macapagal Blvd.
Pasay City, Metro Manila. It is adjacent to Mini Stop.
Contact Number: 556-1370

Budget:
Php479 per person for Lunch (Monday to Saturday)
P529 for Dinner and Lunch on Sundays (Monday to Sunday)

Operating Hours:
Lunch 11:00AM to 2:00PM
Dinner 6:00PM to 11:00PM

On Growing Up.

2012-01-28T01:34:00.001+08:00

Time flies fast indeed. One day you're dead bored on a class you dislike so much then the next you're making crucial decisions in life.

Earlier this week, the reality of growing up slapped me in the face. I thought working, expanding relationships, growing responsibilities, a battle of semi-quarter life crisis every now and then, shuffled priorities and everything in between are the best of what growing up can give. But I guess not. For me and my beloved friends, we are all just starting to grow up.

Lea, a very close friend of mine, more of a sister actually, told me the news that she's leaving the country to work in Indonesia. The first thing that came to mind was, "Wow, that's good news." Well, for her. It is a very good opportunity for her and I know she deserves it more than anything. But honestly, it was a sad news for me. We're the best travel buddies together with Vince, Lei was one of those people who, during my saddest times, was always there for me. And I just can't take the fact that we won't be seeing each other for a long time. :( I know I will certainly miss her a lot, miss our random night outs, eat outs and everything else.

But I always believe in "There's a reason for everything." That's why I'm choosing to just be happy for Lei and I always believe in "If there's a will, there's a way." I'm worried we won't see each other but there will always be Skype and my love for travelling is a good excuse to visit her in Indonesia, we won't be able to talk to each other physically but there's BBM and Twitter.

I'm happy and sad at the same time to see us at this stage of life. Hm, maybe mostly happy because we've reached this far altogether. :)

To Lea, I know you will do best there! :) We're always here for you to support you all the way. And I hope to see you real soon! And more life adventures with you, Vince and the SuperFriends. I will always be praying for you. You take care there! Me loves you!

Distance won't stop us. We will still travel! This is still our year!

Shameful photo dahil antataba ng mukha natin. Hahaha. But we three look so damn fine! CHOS.

Milktea Buddies.

BBM Buddies. Keeping us connected. (LOL, unpaid advertisement.)

My SuperFriends. I am excited and anxious to see us all grow but I am confident that each of us are in good hands and we will grow up as responsible, good adults who have the youngest of hearts. We're on our way and so forward we shall march. :)

FOOD: Hainanese Delights

2012-01-20T13:06:00.000+08:00

Our hefty order that surprised us (L-R, clockwise): Hainanese Chicken Delight, Tofu Terrific, Bring the Beef and Tender Beef Tendons Noodles.

I was finally able to had my taste of Hainanese Delights in Robinsons Pioneer last week. I was already eyeing this place since last year because of my sudden addiction to Hainanese Chicken after my first taste of it in Bangkok, and fortunately this time, our paths have crossed.

And the best part of it? UNLIMITED HAINAN RICE. That sounded golden to us.
Their Hainan rice ain't as authentic as you wish it would be but it is good enough and goes well with their Hainanese Chicken. Their Tender Beef Tendons Noodles was probably my favorite, the beef was indeed tender and the soup was really flavorful.

I wish to soon taste the Hainanese Chicken of Singapore. *fingers-crossed*

The view from where we sat.

Hainanese Delights is one of those bang for the buck food place. The food is good and not expensive and they offer rice-all-you-can, a place worth to visit.

My eating buddy. :) We eat a lot. And I really mean, A LOT.

Our total damage for our meal. Considering the amount of food we had (that can feed up to 4 persons), it was a good deal for what we paid. I will certainly go back there and have a quick fix of Hainanese Chicken.

And oh, I loved their Sparkling Berry drink. :)

A Wanderlust's Must Have.

2012-01-17T11:32:00.000+08:00

I was having a planner dilemma when 2011 was closing to its end, there were a lot of options but I was too choosy with the paper and other details. I already had last options in mind but I'm not satisfied. One's planner is a mirror of their personality, so I was really hoping to find a planner that speaks "ME". Two weeks ago, I crossed paths with the "Wanderlust". THE planner perfect for the travel lover. Sounds perfect to me too.

Finally got my Wanderlust planner yesterday!

I was hoping to have a dark-covered planner but white/cream works fine. Or I will have something to do about it. We'll see. It is always an opportunity to do some artsy fartsy stuff. :)

First page of the planner is the Traveler's profile. It is always good that a planner has it's owner's information in case it gets lots or an emergency.

The Wanderlust planner is the brainchild of these awesome people.

It features a spread called a "dream destinations board". Wonder if I can fill this up!

Each monthly opening page features a festival that occurs on that month. It would've been more awesome if they were in color. :) Makes the photos more interesting.

On every month's end, it has an info page on the festival, suggested itineraries, tips and a page for you to write down your own itinerary and other travel plans.

Now the paper test. It is of cream paper (so they say) and of 40gsm, quite thin but workable.

I used a calligraphy pen and it bled on the other page. I really like the planner so I will have to find the pen that will work on it. Can't wait!

And the bonus for this planner, discount coupons on various travel destinations!! :)

The Wanderlust planner will hit the bookstores, I believe, in the coming week but you can already pre-order one thru their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/wanderlustjournals
They are selling it on a special introductory price of Php399.

Ain't the Wanderlust planner perfect for the travel junkie in you? Whether you're a seasoned traveler or just a beginner (like me), this travel planner is a motivation of sorts to just go out and explore the world! Especially our own Philippines (because it's more fun here)! :P So, if you still don't have a planner for 2012, then this might just be the planner that will suit you.

January 1st -- The Lame Attempt to Think for a Better Post Title.

2012-01-02T03:37:00.002+08:00

So let me begin by saying, HAPPY NEW YEAR to you person who is patiently reading my blog! You have no idea how much you are appreciated by me and how I love you. Haha! How was the welcoming of 2012 went for you? :)

So. Hello 2012. It's 2:36AM in the morning and I have seriously no idea on how to make this post bearable to read for you guys. A surge of thoughts is currently in my head and I don't know how to put it in words.

Well, I'm just thankful. And very happy.

I guess that's how I really feel right now. I hope you all understand. :) I do promise to make it up next time! *pinky swear!*

So for now I will just give a little of what I had for my first day of 2012. :)

Family dinner bonding! :) I am so thankful for my family despite our own little flaws. We might not be complete but we're very blessed with each other and my family, IMHO, is the best out there! Don't we all think that way? Haha!

Got my hands on the jumbo-sized Serenitea!! It was crazy! I know that I am not a fan of milk (it just makes me sick) but Okinawa is an exception. But this much? I think I that will be my last dose of milk tea for this year.

After the family, it was time to celebrate the new year with the beloved. (Sorry, I don't know any other endearment to call you.) :P

I called him up for a challenge at Ice Skating in MOA but good lord bless the crowd. So we'll save that for another date and we ended up riding their new attraction -- the Giant Ferris Wheel! They say it is the biggest and tallest in the country, though I'm not so sure about it. I still feel EK is the tallest but that's just me.

A ride costs 150php per person. The carriages are enclosed and airconditioned but it wasn't really that fun because the glass is frosted and you can't really enjoy the view outside, it would've been more fun if the glass was clear though. There are also tinted carriages (I think those are the special ones) and I don't know how on earth will you enjoy the ferris wheel with a tinted view. *frowns*

And I suggest that if you decide to have this as your date activity as a pair, buy 4 tickets so that you can have the whole carriage to yourselves as they accomodate 4-6 passengers and if there's only two of you, you will definitely share it with others. So either bring the whole barkada with you or get 4 tickets (if you're willing to shell out more kachings).

P.S. We are both kinda scared of heights. Well, I am scared of EK's ferris wheel. ~~I cried when I tried it. And I was already in college when that happened. Shame on me.~~ Maybe because it's not enclosed unlike this one wherein I felt safer.

Then we ditched MOA because we aren't really fans of the crazy crowd and so we ended up in Grand Carnival just across Blue Wave Macapagal. So what is Grand Carnival, you say?

IT IS A PERYA IN THE CITY! Entrance is 20php.

I am a fan of the old-school peryahan. I doubt the safety of the rides but I always loved the games. I wasn't able to take photos because I don't want to risk my camera to the possibility of getting nabbed, maybe next time. :)

We tried the bump cars (old and heading into dilapidation but can pass as 'okay na') -- but we had fun. I got nostalgic. I am so proud to be a 90's kid and actually grew up with these kind of simple joys.
Then there was this roller coaster ride that seemed dangerous, but that thrilled me and made me want to try it (I am crazy, I know.) And we even rode it twice (yes twice!) and I think I just had one of the most fun nights I had in my life and what makes it better was that I was able to spend it with a person who understands my oddity. ♥

Thank you wonderful person, you know who you are! And thanks for supplying me with all the piso I need for the games and winning that 60 points for chocolate mallows at a game of pellet gun shooting. I really wanted to take home a mug or something of the like, but our luck with winning around 50+php and a pack of Oishi is priceless. And how we found out that being at the last car in the roller coaster is the best ever -- that was epic. Our 60php for that ride was well-spent.

I really had a wonderful first day of the year. And that makes me look forward to the coming days.
So who cares if 2012 is the end of the world, just make this year a Happy YOU Year. :) So just in case the predictions are true, you won't regret anything.

Because I'm Thankful and I'm Thankful for That

2011-12-01T13:31:00.001+08:00

If there is one word to sum up how I feel I right now, it would be...

This should have been for Thanksgiving but it's way too overdue and a lot had happened already, yesterday's events was crazy already and the time I have left would not be ample to justify the wonderful and not-so-wonderful things that have happened.

So let's do a little time-turning...

Last week was indeed something I was thankful for. Thanksgiving on the 24th (even though we don't really celebrate it here), I have a different reason to celebrate it even though it didn't turn out well but still, 13th month pay (Hurray!), finally getting my new room painted up to almost 80%, new mattress and a 22" LCD monitor that is currently giving me a headache but what really capped it off was the weekend that was spent with the SuperFriends. Epic! Haha!

Last weekend we decided to have a foodtrip in Binondo, I was a little under the weather but I know I needed a time out so I still went out.

Waiying was the place to be! The food was good but cheap!

They serve their house tea that was too yellow for your eyes. Well, I will just leave it for your eyes and imagination. Go figure. Didn't get to taste it, not much a fan of tea, unless they're flavored teas in nice packaging.

Roasted Duck and White Chicken meal.

Roasted Duck / Asado Meal.

The Hakao that I will forever love and not forget. Haha. One thing that I will always go back to Binondo for. I forgot the name of the meat wrap in sauce. What is it again Lei? (Because I know you read my blog, haha!)

Chicken Feet and Almond Lychee Drink.

My SuperFriends Lei and Kaille. I love them! :)

After the eating binge, we decided to hit our way to Divisoria (talk about random!), and as expected that it would be packed with people, we still went for it as Kaille wanted to buy some skirts and I wanted to look for curtains for my new room. Kaille got her skirts, my curtains, well, they just got viewed but not bought because I did not have any cash on hand and atm was hard to find around the area and the sea of people was tiring enough. So we just went straight up to Tutuban so that we can take the PNR train back to Libertad to browse for my new mattress (another random thing we decided to do that day).

And since we're the Kings and Queens of Randomness...

4D Theatre Ride!! Right inside Tutuban Mall!! How crazy is that right? Who would've thought? Haha!!
After our Melona Ice Cream break, we found this 4D Theatre ride for Php80/person and out of again another randomness, we gave it a go. Haha. It was fun. Well, we had more fun from laughing from ourselves rather from the show we're watching. But the laugh was worth the 80 pesos. :P

Plus them 3D glasses were fun to take pictures with. Or so you've thought we're somewhere in Singapore, yuh? Hahaha!

Then the PNR Train Ride! Where we pretended it was Platform 9 and 3/4! Harry Potter Geeks Unite!! ♥

And we wouldn't pass up a photo-op in the train...

...until we got conscious that the other passengers started staring at us. LOL!

When we arrived at Libertad, we went looking for my perfect mattress and the fun part was after acquiring the said double standard mattress, how to transport it back home.

Answer: Rent a Passenger Jeep.

Yes, we rented a passenger jeep just to get my mattress partially way home! How it got home, well, it was another epic story. But I will have to cut my story short as I have to go already and shuffle my way to work!
Whenever I remember our "Traveling Mattress Epic Day Adventure", it always makes me laugh and be thankful for what I have.

What are the things you are thankful for?

Vivid Dreams

2011-11-17T22:11:00.000+08:00

I didn't go to work today. Is it good? Not really.

I have been having problems with my sleep for a while now. My body clock is completely wrecked. So I have decided to finally try Sleepasil again (tried it only once before and it worked alright), for the past three days I'm on Sleepasil and only the first night I was able to sleep well. And also I've been having vivid dreams or also known as lucid dreams that as per Wikipedia it is "a dream in which one is aware that one is dreaming". Yep, and I've been having sleepless nights because of it. I dreamt about a crush from 4 years ago, another person from the past, a family that got close to me, Ramon Bautista, RA Rivera and DJ Mojo Jojo. Crazy right? All the sleeping I've been doing were just naps and they're not even power naps. Eventually the body gave in earlier today and I had the worst of headaches. Just really needed the sleeptime to keep me functioning well specially when I need it to work.

So I'm kicking the Sleepasil off tonight and will just try to sleep normally *finger-crossed*, Adele's Someone Like You lulled me to sleep this afternoon so I will try it again later.

A friend suggested I should try drinking tea instead. We'll see, I should go grab some this weekend.

Any tips you know to help me sleep? I would really appreciate it!

When the going gets tough, sometimes you break down.

2011-11-16T01:00:00.000+08:00

It is unusually me to be this pessimistic.

Me, the Little Miss Sunshine I thought I am, also gets the time of her life wherein a suckerpunch from nowhere hits me directly on my weak spots. And god, do I hate such times.

So hello, here I am again on a battle with myself regarding my short attention span when it comes to work. I really never learned the fact that I was never made to sit on a cube for 8 long hours and do the same thing over and over again. I never really learned that. And now I feel like suffocated again with work. :( I hate it. Plus now there is more pressure at work, I can't go on my own comfortable phase and adjust to everything because there's do this do that pronto. Gah. When will I ever enjoy work? Or when will I ever find the work that I'll be the happiest? *sigh*
What's left to motivate me now is the fact that I'm earning and my friends at work. Other than that, I do not know anymore.

As to a more personal phase of my life, I am rather very very stressed lately. And I just want to get out from it. Sometimes no matter how you put your mind over the matter, it is soooo hard. But I am trying to remain composed, I just wish I can keep this for long.

And I have been struggling with my sleep for quite some time now. It's not good at all. Eventually I have resorted to taking sleeping aids. I have been on Sleepasil for 2 days now, so far it is serving it's purpose but I've been experiencing its one of its side effects which is having vivid dreams. Not really fun. Dreams are interesting but I keep waking up in the middle of the night and sometimes it's hard to go back to sleep again. My ruined body clock sucks.

Now there goes my rant. Sorry if this isn't such a refreshing thing to see. I guess you can lay me off for now. I swear to give a better post next time. And a little more sunshine-y. :) Trust me on that.

How to Spend a Special Day

2011-11-13T14:18:00.005+08:00

How to Spend a Special Day a/k/a 11.11.11

FOOD TRIP. This is canon. Other arguments are invalid.

Mozzarella Sticks that surprised me. I was expecting finger-sized, but whoa. Finger-sized indeed... of a giant maybe.

Random Fact: I don't like ketchup, mayonnaise and vegetables. So there, my very plain chicken burger.

Take a lot of photos. Candids are a lot of fun. :)

Love love love these photos. :) And yes, I'm giggly and giddy like that.

Much love for these people who spent their 11/11 with me! ♥ I had sooooo much fun!

A little drinking can be acceptable. Except when you're allergic to it (and gets tipsy with just one bottle).

P.S. Tanduay Ice is such a bitch. Being the non-drinker, alcohol-allergic me, after I downed a bottle to relieve stress (or so I've thought and I even had Mountain Dew with it to tone down the alcohol), I officially had the first hangover of my life and an allergy outburst the next day. I am so not doing it again.

Smart HTC Beats Launch | 11.11

2011-11-12T15:27:00.002+08:00

To celebrate 11.11.11, Smart introduced the HTC Sensation™ XE with Beats Audio™ at the launch party held at the Republiq Club, Resorts World Manila.

Due to bad traffic in the Metro, I didn't make it to the program. But still went for the after party (didn't party tho) and met with my pretty friend, Krissy of Krissyfied.com! ♥ I was with my friend Lea but we didn't stay too long in the Republiq, just checked out the Beats, HTC phones and the place. T'was my second time to get into Republiq and the longest time I've stayed inside was less than 30 minutes. Haha! I guess I'm not a party person at all. Republiq was a little refreshing last night though, it wasn't so crowded unlike my first time there that the volume of people was mad, but it was only 10PM so I guess the partying doesn't really begin until it's past midnight.

So I just took a few snaps and we just ate the rest of the 11.11 night away.

This tangerine Beats looks sweet.

Un-crowded Republiq.

The party hasn't started yet.

Me and my beloved SuperFriend Lea all dressed up for the night. :)

Meeting Krissy again!! :) I missed her! She's been really busy with events lately, do drop by her awesome blog a'right?

I was really excited for this event even though it was a fail one. I do hope I get invited to more events in the future! :)

Project Red Orange

2011-11-06T21:34:00.001+08:00

I've always dreamt of having my entire hair colored since early college years but I have to wait until I graduate and have full freedom over my decisions (plus hair color is a no-no in college).

It was two years ago when I finally decided to give it a go. What took me so long? Because I feared that it would ruin my hair and second is that hair color might be an issue at work.

So I played safe and went with Mystic Violet (lol, I call that safe? Haha!)
It was okay because I didn't do a bleaching session, just mixed a little of oxidizer with the dye and into my hair.

I loved the way it turned out. Still looks black with a little hint of red-violet but when exposed to the sun it screams "RED-VIOLET!!" =)) Since then I've been coloring my hair with that shade.

Looks brown but believe me it's an eye-catching shade of red-violet.

It turns into a shade of brown when it fades. I'm thankful it fades out nicely into a pleasing color everytime.

And then an impulsive moment of my life came into play.
"I want to color my hair something outrageous", I said to myself.
I always wanted white as inspired by Nina Sandejas but no, too risky plus too much bleaching to do.
I could go something in the line of blue, red or green. But, no.

And then I saw this color from the Special Effects Hair Dye selection. Hot Lava sounds interesting. It's a mix of red and orange. Red for safe, Orange for outrageous. Sounds perfect to me. Hence, the Project Red Orange started.

Honestly, I was scared for my hair and all the bleaching I might have to do with it. But hey, you have to take major leaps in your life sometimes, right?

When all was secured. Hair dye. Check. Permission from workplace that it's okay to have colored hair at work. Check.
The exact day I got my hair dye, I gave it a go. I tested it first without having my hair bleached but it didn't work. So bleaching it then!

After an hour of waiting in uncertainty of how it might turn out...

TADAAAAA!!! Red-orange haired me! It wasn't perfectly covered in equal shades but I loved the gradient and I just simply loved it. It reminded me a lot of Clementine Kruczynski from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. :)

A week and a half had passed and the color is sort of fading with every shampoo since it is just a semi-permanent dye. But still a proud red-orange head I am. ♥

This makes me less afraid of taking risks and just love myself more (even if I'm outrageous like that).

What outrageous things have you done lately?

11.2011

2011-11-05T02:39:00.001+08:00

It's November, surprise surprise!

Two more months and it's hello 2012 already. Time flies fast indeed. I've been through a lot of things/happening/stress for the past half a month that I've been missing my blogging duties (I feel sad for this, really).

So let me just give a fast recap on how my life went for the past month.

★ I won a giveaway from Fika Fika Fika. First time I won something this much so I felt extra lucky and terribly happy (yes, I'm mababaw like that).

★ My sort-of reporting at work fell on an October date, first week of October was preoccupied because of it. I said hello to making graphs again after quite some time. It consumed an amount of brain cells I tell you.

★ My Zamboanga trip that I unexpectedly didn't enjoy much. :( Maybe because I lacked sleep that weekend and I went there with the oldies so it didn't involved much exploration because the seniors got tired immediately. I hoarded chocolates from the barter though. And ate a lot. At least it became a worthy foodtrip.

★ I bought a new baby that I named Magic. Why? See next photo. :)
I am yet to utilize it fully and I'm really excited for it. Thank God for this!

★ We paid a visit to the Magic 89.9 booth for the Boys Night Out primarily because Ramon Bautista was there that day (yes, I do have a crush on him). It was 2 years ago when we last visited their booth, and man, I feel old.

★ The Game of Thrones. Need I say more? I got addicted to the tv series. Thanks to my dear officemates who introduced it to me. But I am disappointed with how the season ended. My favorite characters, huhu.

★ Office Team Building. I was one of the organizers and the theme was Amazing Race. It was fun and tiring. And I lost a loooot of sleep. But I had one of my best moments with friends that Team Building night. ♥

★ And then came the impulsive decision -- YES! I colored my hair entirely in red-orange! Isn't it awesome?
I will make a separate post on my crazy hair adventure.

★ Then came the office Halloween event(on the 27th)! The theme was Super Mario! I was part of the live action show (more of that later) and guess what? Our department won!

★ I got invited to an event which is held annually. Seven years ago, I won the same competition and they asked me to be a guest. It was such an honor but I was unprepared for the short interview segment! And I died from the color of my hair! Haha! All eyes on my hair under the spotlight!

My November adventures are starting to pile up and I am trying to be religious as to share them with you guys through photos and a few words. I hope you forgive me for the looooong MIA mode I've been into. Doing my best to keep the inspiration to blog burning. I hope the developing cold weather won't shut if off and just lure me to spend my hours hibernating! Haha.

Backlogs coming up! :) Have a very sweet November!

Bohol in Photos

2011-11-03T02:46:00.007+08:00

Zamboanga Food Trip

2011-10-24T16:59:00.001+08:00

I was in Zamboanga City last weekend of the 15th. It wasn't the best travel weekend I had, but thank goodness for food.

Lazy Saturday

2011-10-09T21:40:00.000+08:00

When you're broke and the weather is not cooperating. This is the result. I hope I can dress up this Halloween. I care more about the candies, chocolates and treats.

What I've Been Up To

2011-10-06T13:00:00.008+08:00

Yes! I did it! The Plunge! I kept my word last year that by this year I'll do that adrenaline-overloaded free-fall swing.

What is "THE Plunge" you say?

Well, it is only a canyon swing adventure attraction mounted over a 200 meter high and 300 meter wide gorge. A person would have to do a 45 meters free fall before being launched on a pendulum swing measuring to a hundred meter diameter. Cable has a maximum working load of 5 tons. Now longer (70 meters) more fear some.

One has to literally plunge to an open air where about two seconds, the plunger will all be defenseless, feel nothing and left all alone.

This experience is one great way to de-stress and even make one appreciate life the more. (source)

Oh yeah. You'll appreciate life a little more after the plunge.

He is seriously more scared than me. I'm in the 80/20 border of excited/scared. I'm a self-confessed adrenaline junkie and sometimes I regret for a minutes why I love doing such things.

We all survived the plunge!! Another daredevil stunt checked in my list. Macau's Bungee Jumping next? Anyone willing to sponsor me for that? Haha!

You Are Meant To Get Wet in Boracay

2011-09-18T01:11:00.000+08:00

Take it from my little sister.

Boracay is a treasure chest of water activities. Island hopping, Helmet Diving, Parasailing to name a few. And yes, all three checked on my to-do list (thanks to my mother dear! :P).

DAY 1 - Island Hopping

We got out Island Hopping tour from Allan B Fun Tours located in Station 3 for 700/person (if I remember it right), it includes the snorkeling gear, a visit to Crystal Cove (entrace fee not included), buffet lunch and a trip to Ilig-Iligan beach.

It was fun to feed the fishes with bread. But saltwater will forever an enemy of my eyes. ;A; Heh seeing some people float on the water while snorkeling, makes me think that they're attempting to do planking on water. Hehe. :P
It wasn't the peak season yet I noticed that there were a lot of people snorkeling, just imagine the crowd if it was the peak season, it's a sad thought. I feel sad for the fishes. :(

Next stop was Crystal Cove. You have to pay for a separate entrance fee, I think is was 450php/person.

You get to go on two coves. It was a fun experience to crawl ourselves toward the cave. :D

Next was Ilig-Iligan Beach! There was another 30min alloted for snorkeling. And I asked for the boatman to get us some starfishes!! I was immensely happy seeing Patrick Star in his true form, hehe. :P You can tell by look on my face. Giddy!

I enjoyed too much in Ilig-Iligan since we have it all to ourselves! Yay for non-peak seasons!! We had fun with the seaweeds, not just simple fun but crazy kind of fun. The pictures are evidences but it is too shameful to post. Haha!

It's Legit!!

2011-09-14T13:23:00.001+08:00

Yes, this is not a trick nor a daydream. :) It's official!!
Contemplation was a long process, I've been attacking and withdrawing from the battle of getting my own domain and finally, victory.

So with no further ado, I welcome you to my first (and legit) domain, SHARKMAINE.com!
I just bought the domain today out of my remaining funds and pure impulse. And so far, there are not regrets.

I am feeling celebratory.
Mind joining me in a remote, virtual confetti blast? :)

Boracay for the Non-Party Person a/k/a Me

2011-09-10T21:51:00.002+08:00

I will confess... I never really got attracted to Boracay. It gave me a notion that Boracay is all about partying, partying and did I say partying?

I'd probably choose other place over it but being a mermaid or a shark in my past life (how I wish), being able to feel the fine sands of Boracay -- it was impossible not to fall in love.

Boracay on the rainy season might not sound as the best idea but I personally think it was just right for me. There are less tourists, less crowd, lower rates, more beach for you but there's a chance of a few rainfalls every now and then. Well, to quote my little sister, "You are meant to get wet in Boracay." So the rain wouldn't hurt at all!

Arrived in Kalibo at noon, upon arrival at the airport there are vans that can take you to ports going to Boracay for around Php200/person (boat fare included) with a travel time of 1-1.5 hours.

We arrived in Boracay mid-afternoon, from the port you will have to ride a tricycle to reach the stations. Some streets were flooded, I got wet even before we reached the shore. Haha!
We settled out bags in our accommodation that we got cheap in station 2. Got there just in time for the sunset. They say Boracay showcases one of the best sunsets, I was expectant. But alas, they meant summer sunsets, not rainy season sunsets. It was still spectacular tho, but nothing yet tops my pink and purple Guimaras sunset.

It was a long stretch to wander off. It didn't lack of something interesting to see. Establishments, people, the sea itself, the horizon, the activities going on and can I say people again?
You can just spend the entire evening strolling barefoot in the sand. It's a rewarding and calming experience, you should try it!

As the nighttime unfolded, I felt that I need not to worry about "Boracay is just all about the partying" impression. It is just one of the various options it can offer.
As for the non-party girl a/k/a me, I can't wait for daylight to come to discover what gave Boracay it's must-visit rave.

Well, the sand and water already had me at first touch. ;)

The White Water Experience I've Been Waiting For

2011-09-05T01:56:00.002+08:00

Fika Fika Fika Giveaway

2011-09-04T13:44:00.001+08:00

One of my favorite online stores (who sells the cutest of things) is having a giveaway! Click on the image to find out more about it. :)

Things I'm Thankful For Fridays (September Edition)

2011-09-02T01:18:00.001+08:00

It is officially the start of the -BER season and that's the start of the Christmas season for us Filipinos! I'm excited already!
And since it's the start of September and I've been very thankful for the past days. Here's something that I'm very thankful for. :)

Being able to spend weekends with you. For the last two weekends at least.And not minding being silly because you're having the best time of your life. ♥
And I have a lot of backlogs that I will have to mind attending to in the next couple of days. I just hope I have the energy and time (and inspiration) to write.

Returning to Childhood Memories.

2011-08-24T12:27:00.006+08:00

It was supposed to be for a Saturdate but rain decided to pour and cancelled our plans.
Came Sunny Sunday.

But heck, it rained all kinds of animals. We even had to go back to Landmark and get new, dry shirts or else we'll probably end up with pneumonia. Instant bagyo.

15 years later. The view across my favorite Lugawan. It provided a little feeling of comfort, how you can go back to such a place after all those years and still feel that welcoming vibe telling you you're somehow home. J.P. Rizal we've met again.

It's a funny coincidence how we found out that we both have childhood memories from this side of Makati. Maybe our lives are meant to cross each other's at some point. Serendipity much?
We roamed around the streets and reminisced the old days. His memories and mine.Most of the establishments are still there. It was really nice to be back.The bakery's still there.The good ol' bakery that almost reduced me to tears upon the sight of that mamon bearing a heap of meringue on top. I felt like a kid again. A part of me wanted to skip the hunger I'm feeling and just head to dessert so I can get my grubby hands on em and devour all the sugar goodness. Ha! Saying just all that made me want to be a kid again. *sigh* The lugaw with egg that I always loved. I forgot how good it tasted but it gave more nostalgia than I imagined. The kasubha was not a staple part of the bowl anymore. I was actually excited to see that but no kasubha to fill the memories in. : (
The first spoon gave a surge of memories. Good ones. Happy ones. The innocence of my childhood years and how I just missed being a kid. 23 years and I've been through a lot than I thought I can imagine.
Tokwa't Baboy. It was good. TB and Lugaw combo never felt that good. By the time I got hooked with it, I was near to tearing-up.More memories rushed in. I missed the days. I missed a lot of things. Probably why nostalgia sometimes is not the best idea. Behind me is our old place back when I was around 5 or 6 years old. It's now empty and abandoned and soon to be demolished, I kinda feel sad seeing remnants of a soon-to-be-saying farewell of what once I called home. Dunno why the owners gave up the place tho.
Memories memories.
Match Made in Makati. LOL.(PS. I hate my long hair and I also hate your haircut. Haha!)
What I had in mind for our Makati nostalgic trip was it's meant for you to have a little blast from the past but I guess I was surprised myself as well. Didn't see that huge wave of nostalgia coming. It was fun, indeed.Happy 6th month to us dear! ♥

Walang tubig, Walang pagkain...Magsayaw nalang tayo!

2011-08-07T11:34:00.001+08:00

Our White Island escapade deserves a separate post. :) For now, pictures!

Come Again to Camiguin!

2011-08-03T03:35:00.002+08:00

Our Camiguin tour started at 12:30nn (sobrang bilis namin mag-lunch! sayang oras!).
Our drafted itinerary for the countryside tour: Ardent Hot Springs/ Katibawasan Falls/ Macao Cold Spring/ Taguines Lagoon/ Santo Niño Cold Spring/ Tausan Falls/ Gui-ob Church Ruins/ Sunken Cemetery/ Vulcan Daan/ Tangub Hot Spring (total of 8 hours) -- but we don't have 8 hours left to do the whole tour so we have to cut the tour short and we only get to visit 4 sites so that we can still go to White Island in the afternoon (we're going after the low-tide condition of the sea) and if time permits, a few more after White Island. We only passed by the Walkway to the Old Volcano and Stations of the Cross since we don't have too much time to spare.

Our first stop! Sto. Niño Cold Spring

Entrance Fee: Php 20.00 for adults, Kids 9yo and below are for free. Shed/Table Rental: Php 50.00
We only get to stay for 15minutes (time constraints! ugh!) but it was okay, not much to explore in the area. I just took the time to take some pictures and dipped my feet in the cold water.
It just kinda disappointed me though that the place was too commercialized (pool, etc), I prefer springs in their natural state, some development/construction is good but it is more fun when it's closer to nature.

There was one thing I really enjoyed the most while we were in Sto. Niño Cold Spring -- that crispy sheet of fried cassava flour drizzled with sweet arnibal on top. Sounds heavenly, yes? The And only for Php 5.00 sold by some old ladies outside the spring. Perfect to eat with ice cold softdrinks but make sure to have water handy. It gets nakakaumay from too much sweetness after finishing the whole circular sheet. But being the sweet tooth I am, I had 2! Good thing I didn't get tonsilitis afterwards!
Eat it straight! Sarap!
Our next destination was the Soda Water Swimming Pool

Entrance Fee: Php 20.00 for adults, Kids 6-12 y/o Php 10.00. Cottage/Shed: Php 50.00. They are close on Wednesdays for maintenance.
We were just curious if it really tastes like Soda without the sugar.
They was a designated area wherein you can drink the water (no, you don't drink directly from the pool! LOL!) -- it really does taste a bit like sprite minus the sweetness and the fizz. I drank a lot because I had too much arnibal and wala akong tubig na nabili! Para-paraan! Haha! Another 15 mins and off we go to our next stop!

Known as Cotta Bato way back 1870's and was the Capital of Camiguin. After the volcanic eruption, what was left were the ruins, this church site being one of them.
There was a small chapel inside and it was really nice and serene inside the area.

And there was this veeeery big tree! Ganda. Dito kami nagtagal, daming picturan na nangyari.
For our next location (and much awaited)... can you guess where?

That's right! The famous Sunken Cemetery!
It looks so small from afar but wait when you get close to it. You'll say wow. There are boats that can take you to the cross for a fee of Php 20.00. Puro ata bente ang bayad sa Camiguin.
The Giant White Cross in its towering beauty (kahit pa cross yan ng lumubog na sementeryo, haha!). Napa-wow nalang ako and imagined kung pano inakyat ni idol travel blogger Journeying James ang tuktok. Nakakalula na sa pag-iimagine pa lang!
More kodak-an moments!
We are inside the cross! Na-overexpose yung picture at nilamon kami ng liwanag. :P
The inside of the cross. So that's how. Akala ko ni-rapel ni Journeying James yung cross paakyat eh, hehe.
Medyo creepy sa loob. Baka may sadako na biglang sumalubong sayo.
If I'm not mistaken, that is a volcano. No worries, it's not active.
Time to get back to shore. Riding the paddle-boat back was kinda nerve-wrecking. The waves were not so friendly and even though the water was only a few feet deep, you can somehow see a few corals and if I was right with what I saw (I hope!) -- a tombstone! They say it was used as a props in the movie Quija. Trinkets and other pasalubong items are available in the area across the Sunken Cemetery.I bought an ice cream for Php 21.00 -- there goes the 20 pesos streak! Haha! Nasira ng piso sa ice cream.
That was bitin. I guess that's why I should really come again to Camiguin. There's a lot more to see. :)
Separate post on our White Island a/k/a Temptation Island escapade coming soon!

The Masa Effect on our way to Camiguin.

2011-07-30T23:00:00.000+08:00

Here's the Part 2 of our CDO-Camiguin escapade.

We got picked up at CDO airport at 6:30am. Still a little groggy put pumped-up for what was to happen that day. We were running on a very tight schedule. We only have the rest of the day to maximize our stay in Camiguin.

My CDO-Camiguin Travel Buddies - Lea, Vincent and April. Took advantage of our free breakfast at Victoria Suites. Not being able to avail our accommodations there, a free breakfast is appreciated at least. Ate breakfast under 30 minutes with picture time included!

Traveled to Balingoan Pier to take the roro heading to Camiguin. Road travel time takes about 2 hours, our driver amazingly made it for about an hour and a half (talk about time pressure!). I really can't recall what happened for the entire road trip -- I might've had amnesia. NOT. It was just the MASA effect.
What is the MASA effect? It is simply MASANDAL TULOG. Hahaha! And the four of us had it altogether during our entire trip to Balingoan. Mga kulang sa tulog eh.
First time to take a roro. There were kids asking us to throw coins into the water and then they'll dive for it. I was secretly envying deep inside. Sana ganun din ako kagaling lumangoy! *cries in the corner* I was excited about the roro ride but when it began to sail -- slooooooooooow. I've imagined roro rides to be slow but not terribly slow! -___-" I got bored staring at the endless stretch of water in front of me. People-watching wasn't an option to unbore either and the masa effect was not on.

I didn't know why but I wasn't able to take any photo of our accomodation in Camiguin. /fail. Paras was an awesome place to stay! And try their sizzling bulalo! It might not be the best but it tasted very good to me!
Plus they gave us welcome drinks (I think it was four seasons juice) and a little souvenir!
I'm not yet done editing the photos of our Camiguin tour! So there will be a Part 3!!

Man v. Food -- The Sambokojin Love and Food Affair

2011-07-30T18:26:00.000+08:00

Let this be a commercial break before I continue my CDO-Camiguin posts. This was long overdue but I missed eating (a lot), that is why I think this is just timely.

Was able to try SAMBOKOJIN (finally!) Eastwood Branch when he came to visit. Why love and food? Because food is something we both love and more often than not, we cap our days of being together with a hefty food feast. And when I mean hefty, buffet it is. And we don't hold our horses. Haha!

Sambokojin is my new favorite place next to Hotpot buffets. I should say that I will highly recommend this place because for one, they have great service and second, bacon-wrapped food (LOL!), that was half-meant but yes, they serve real good food so it's worth the price.And would really like to highlight their service, they were fast in refilling their selection and nabusog ako sa iced tea sa bilis magrefill ni kuya! :)) Wala pang kalahati ng baso ko may refill na agad! Baka napansin nyang anlakas ko kumain. Hahaha!!
And I would suggest you call in for reservations first so that you won't have to wait.
They have this variety of sauces that goes will with their meat and seafood choices. My favorites are the sambokojin sauce for beef and pork if I remember it right and Ponzu sauce for seafood.You will get a set right at your own table and their servers will mix them sauces for you and they do it really good!
Man versus Food? We had plates (yes, platessss) of meat and seafood to grill. I said pass to the cooked meals since I can encounter those at any day but the smokeless grilling was something I was looking forward to. And being such a lover of seafood, I took most care of the fish slices. They took my breath away. Haha. Exaggerated for a reaction but I am easily pleased with a good slice of fish. And I should at least have a dose of rice in my meals, their Kamameshi rice really satisfied me. My companion had a very few taste of it since I took care of it by myself and left the veggies for him to eat. :P
Then comes the Sukiyaki that the kuya offered to serve us. Who would say no?And I have no regrets. The soup was flavorful and the beef was so tender.
Let the grilling begin! Waiting for the food was exciting pero nakakabitin. Haha. The companion made the grilling while I made most of the immediate eating.
Food wrapped in bacon. BACON. What more can I say. Veggies. Squid. Meat. Mushroom. Endless possibilities. And did I say it's wrapped in bacon?
First time to try soju, this was to celebrate a special day and everything that came in between for the past three months of us not seeing each other. Fact: I am allergic to alcohol. I only drank a few shots of soju to avoid a bad allergic reaction but guess what, no reaction at all! Maybe because every shot I took, drank more iced tea intake and ate more food. Can this be the answer to my allergy? Hm. But still not a fan of alcohol, so I will forever pass on it and be grateful of my allergy. :P
More bacon-wrapped food! Haha! And seafood!
It was ~~nice~~ awesome to see you again after quite some time. The best food buddies we are.Cheers to us and to our future Man v. Food adventures!

Things I'm Thankful For Fridays

2011-07-29T12:50:00.003+08:00

And so I've decided to start another photo project again. :)

Things I'm Thankful For Fridays -- I will posting pictures of people, places, food, anything under the sun that makes me thankful for my existence. Small things we often overlook that actually makes living a whole lot easier and fun.

Currently eating Pancit Canton with soft-boiled egg. Definitely something to be thankful for, yes?Thanks to my ante (aunt/tita) for this! Instant GV on a Friday!Mind to share what you're thankful for today?

The One That Got Left Behind

2011-07-29T11:34:00.009+08:00

... that would be US.

We weren't able to ride our flight to CDO, booked another flight that emptied our pockets, wasted work leaves, 4 hours sleep and I will not do that thing ever again (well, for now).

We were supposed to leave Manila at 2PM. This would be my first time to ride a plane under a different name, well, last name in this case (no! I didn't marry anyone at the last minute, LOL). I was kinda nervous of the idea of us replacing those who backed out in the trip but hey, this was a travel opportunity.

Also my first time to travel with an itinerary in print. It was fun to have things arranged for you but I prefer a half-planned, half-spontaneous kind of trips.

THE ITINERARY.

July 22
325PM pickup at CDO airport
Dropoff at Victoria Suites
Free day

July 23
Breakfast at hotel
630AM pickup at hotel, private van transfers to Balingoan pier (2 hours travel time)
Take Roro to Benoni pier (1 hour travel time/ P175 per person)
Pickup at Benoni pier, transfers to Paras Beach Resort
Countryside tour: Ardent Hot Springs/ Katibawasan Falls/ Macao Cold Spring/ Taguines Lagoon/ Santo Niño Cold Spring/Tausan Falls/ Gui-ob Church Ruins/ Sunken Cemetery/ Vulcan Daan/ Tangub Hot Spring ( total of 8 hours)
* actual sites to be visited will be dependent on schedule and route. Entrance fees and meals are excluded.
White Island boat trip- best done after 3:00PM as the island doesn't have any shade (option to do this on day 2)

July 24
Early breakfast at Paras Beach Resort - please inform the resort of your orders
Take 530AM ferry to Balingoan pier ( 1 hour travel time/ P175 per person)
630AM pickup at Balingoan pier, transfers to CDO city proper ( 2 hours travel time)
830AM transfers for Whitewater Rafting adventure

• You will be dropped off at the airport after rafting

We only have more or less 2 days to spend in CDO-Camiguin but make that a day and a half. No more free time to roam in CDO. Why? -- We got left behind.

Thanks to that airline company's lack of good service. /sarcasm HINT: ORANGE!
Charge such bad incident to experience nalang (kahit naimbyerna ang lola nyo). Hehe.

We have no choice but to get another flight, 4am via CebuPacific. *ka-ching* Goodbye Php 2800 for a one-way ticket to CDO. My wallet just cried.

After wasting our Friday away with almost-empty pockets, we spent the rest of it bantering about what happened over 4 movies and a lot of food hence I was awake for almost 24 hours. The only time I caught some Zzz's was on the plane.

And finally!!

Hello City of Golden Friendship! I came in peace, adventure and sabawness (from the lack of sleep). You have no idea what we went through just to finally see you.
The adventure begins in CDO in my next post! :)

6 Hours in CDO.

2011-07-25T13:40:00.000+08:00

And all I have right now is a post-weekend syndrome. I want to go back. :(

Iloilo & Guimaras | Photo Backlog

2011-07-10T16:34:00.001+08:00

Shutter Revolution's General Assembly

2011-07-05T22:58:00.001+08:00

The very successful GA of my beloved Shutter Revolution group! It was an epic day of fun, food, cameras and more fun.

What Happens in the Training Room

2011-06-25T17:35:00.000+08:00

Happy Monthsary to me, my work and my wave 8 mates! (well, two days ago)
So far, I am very happy and contented with my work situation. Although day by day my work demands a lot of my patience, eye endurance and did I say patience? It's a bonus to have these fun people to work with! :)
On a different note, my travel plans have instantly perked up in the past few days.Salamat Airphil Express Php 100 fare sale! =P We'll be going to Boracay via Kalibo in August and Bohol again in September! Also a Camiguin-CDO trip this July! I'm a one happy travel bug!This also means pagtitipid in the coming days. Hehe.
Plus the rainy season is in. Oooh cold cuddle weather.

Instant Instax

2011-06-20T14:03:00.001+08:00

Bought an Instax 20 in an ukay-ukay stall. Very mint condition. Got it for Php300. Sweet deal, yes? Just my lucky day I guess. :)

The New, Fun Wave.

2011-06-04T14:13:00.000+08:00

L-R (clockwise): Farah, Ian, Lee, Me, Jai, Paula, Issa and Enny. The most sabaw group ever!

So I started my new work last May 23rd and everything was suprisingly inneresting.

New people. New faces. Different backgrounds. This should be fun. First week was spent in on-boarding training. It was the longest welcome week I had. Haha! A little bit anxious to know which team I will belong to, who will be the people I will be working with -- I guess I'm quite lucky, I just had the best group of people to work with in the coming days.

Second week. Our formal training began. Our workflow is quite challenging but just bring it on! :)) So far, I'm having a blast with these people! Even though my shift is 3pm to 12mn, hence us being sabaw already by our dismissal, I am having fun (well, for now). Let's see after a few more weeks. LOL.

And I moved my travel posts to my travel blog: Travelista | Litratista
Pahiyas was still my last getaway and I am already itching to visit a new place. I can't wait for the paycheck!!

Welcome to the workforce again.

2011-05-28T15:32:00.000+08:00

Hi guys! I've been unheard of for the past few days because I've started working again and it's a new phase of my life again. This is my third job yet everything seems so new again. Another schedule adjustment, new set of people, new environment, new workflow. But I am rather excited and motivated this time. :) Can't wait for new adventures!

Adventure & Travel Withdrawal Syndrome

2011-05-20T00:08:00.000+08:00

If there is such a thing, I am badly experiencing it lately.

I miss times when me and Yue (my trusty Nikon D90) experience dangerous and risky moments just like this!Taken in Guimaras, Iloilo while going on an island hopping adventure. I don't know how to swim. Lemme highlight that. But here we are on a waist-deep water, and how did we get there? Crawled under a mini-cave. And I, yours truly, crawled with my camera atop my head. I can't get it wet. That's the challenge. So far, that experience was the most radical because it involved wateeeeer. Haha! Lugging the camera while on the Danao, Bohol zipline is another story.

Sky walk in Crown Regency Cebu. It rained when we did it. Talk about extra thrill, yes? The platform was slippery and the wind was extra cold and blowing hard.

Trekked to a mini waterfall at the foot of Mt. Apo in Davao. This was an unexpected venture so I went home with my muscles terribly sore and my shoes...are well, muddy. Sabi ko nga, putik na tinubuan ng sapatos.

My first shot experience. And no, not the alcohol one but with a .45 gun. It was exhilarating.

The dehydrating trek in Anawangin. This was my last adventure and it's been a month already from this trip.And for the past days, all I've been thinking about are my travel plans when the payslip starts coming in again.I thought this love affair with travel and adventure was ephemeral but it totally became a part of my system -- well, it was one of the things that saved me from a bad heartache and made me see life differently. And I can't wait to get back on track again, the destinations in my head are endless. I'm pretty sure the remaining days of the year will be A-W-E-S-O-M-E.
But before that, new work comes in. Payslips comes next.One payslip, one destination at a time. And more adventures for the shark that still can't swim but loves the water!SCUBA DIVING next please!!! :DOh wait, there's still white water rafting.
PS. And I'm still hoping I'll learn how to swim this year. Cliff-diving is still on my list.

Grand Palace, Bangkok Thailand | Photo Backlog

2011-05-19T00:23:00.000+08:00

Where: Grand Palace, Bangkok Thailand
When: March 8, 2011
Notes: There is an entrance fee of 350 baht to enter the palace. A fellow Filipino tipped us that if you look non-touristy enough, you can actually get in for free (since the looks of Thais and Filipinos are almost the same). But we paid anyway. =P

Pahiyas in Colors

2011-05-17T21:33:00.003+08:00

Every 15th of May, the Pahiyas Festival is celebrated by the townspeople of Lucban, Quezon. It is to honor the patron saint, San Isidro Labrador, in thanksgiving for the town's plentiful harvest and abundance.

Pahiyas features an array of colorful and festive decoration on locals' homes, highlighting the kiping (rice wafers) in leaf-like shapes and in bright colors arranged in layers and chandeliers, patterned into floras together with other ornaments and paper maches.

We left Manila around 6:30AM (original plan was 4:30AM, we woke up late, everything follows) and worked our way to Lucban, Quezon via C6 road. I slept myself on the entire trip due to the very little sleep I had the night beforehand. Woke up when we got to Lumban, I kept making jokes about how close we were getting to Lucban since Lu(m)ban and Lu(c)ban are 9 letters apart. Hehe.
We passed the town of Luisiana, Laguna wherein they had their Pandan Festival last April 1-3, some of the houses still had Pandan decorations on them and it was just until last Sunday that I found such festival exists. I think it's worth a visit (next year!), the decorations were really impressive.

The streets were packed with people already. It was terribly hot and walking under the blazing sun was a killjoy but the fetching banderitas (trimmings) were amusing to watch.

Higantes prep'd up for the procession to be held later that afternoon.

Lucban Church. Click the image to see the larger version. I missed taking panoramics on my travels.

I always liked churches with simple yet nice interiors. It was my first time there, yay for first time wishes! :)

The Pahiyas diorama found inside the church. Dioramas like this are interesting (well, all dioramas are) and fun to observe, especially the minute details that makes the whole picture perfect.
Saw this little girl in the diorama and I claimed that it might be me. Yellow and a camera in hand? Yes, that is definitely me. :)

After a visit to the church, roaming the streets followed! :D It was filled with people and refreshment breaks every now and then was necessary. I had my first encounter with Pancit Habhab and being the person who loves noodles, I got addicted. I had mine from a local home (I decided to keep away from Buddy's :P) and their version was my favorite, peppery and the noodles firm. And not to mention, one serving is only Php7! I was suprised how cheap it is, so I had two! Lol.
Of course, the experience wouldn't be complete if you don't eat it the "habhab" way. Literally just DIG IN!No worries, they had forks ready just in case. But what made me wonder was that, habhab is a common word in Cebuano, which means to eat eagerly. And it surprised me how it reached Lucban which is a Tagalog domain. A crossover, perhaps?

Photo ops with the Kiping man as I call him..or her(?)

Balloon vendors were all over the place. And the shark balloons caught my eye! I literally went after one vendor to get one. It was expensive though, Php50 for a balloon?! The haggling didn't work but I really wanted my own shark so I gave in. I had a blue one and the litol sister had the pink one.

The sightseeing begins! Homes adorned with bright, colorful decorations! We were only able to browse one long street and the elders got too tired from the heat after (hence I wasn't able to see all the houses).

Why yes, you can actually eat the kiping. No, not straight as raw. Lucban locals recommends grilling it or frying it then powder on some cheese flavor. I am thinking it might taste like tortillas.

Colored rice pops hanged in plants as decoration and the famous Lucban longganisa!

(L-R, clockwise): Adorned pancit habhab carts by local vendors getting ready for the parade; higante paper maches one of which is Dora the Explorer (I should've had a photo with it, to commemorate myself being a wanderlust); a mini kiping chandelier; carabaos paraded the streets of Lucban as they were part of the procession.
What really caught my attention in Lucban was that they are not allowed to use plastic (well, like plastic cups, straws and the like), and when you buy pasalubong, they pack it in brown paper bags or you have to secure your own bayong! Even the stationed Jollibee booth during the festival replaced their styro packaging with the box cartons and no plastic bags, just brown paper bags stamped with the Jollibee seal! Seeing brown paper bags around the town made me happy and I bet the mother earth was glad as well.I found this really inspiring, it is a very bold step and a big help to the environment. And the locals are very disciplined about it (otherwise they'll be fined). Wonder if other towns could implement the same and spread the act to a nationwide level maybe? That would be really wonderful. Kudos to Lucban people!
More kiping in various shapes in sizes!

We didn't stay for the parade anymore *sadface* but I was happy enough from the feast of colors under the summer heat and the impressive culture I had from the entire Pahiyas experience. It was worth the shot to annoy my mother for us to give it a visit. Haha! It gave me this ebullience to see more of our local festivals! Eating pancit habhab is now checked in my to-do list. Though I wasn't able to get a taste of fried kiping. Next time, next time. Got inspired by the brown paper bags. Tanned my arms again (hello awkward tanlines!). Took a lot of pictures. Bought home a salakot and a shark balloon.
And I was really happy to be out traveling again! I can't wait to get payslips again and set forth to another destination!Hm, I wonder where to go next.

Shutter Revolution's 1st and Flash Freeze Mob!

2011-05-16T22:18:00.001+08:00

This is for my Shutter Revolution family! For a month of fun and films (and fries!)To more months of analog shooting, hoarding of films, endless laughter and foodtripping!

And because we're coolest people ever, we just made the first (I believe!) flash freeze mob in the Philippines. :D Even though we're only a mob of 14, it was a lot of fun! And we ~~want~~ will to do it again!
What's a flash freeze mob, you ask? Well, it is where a group of people gather in a populated area and suddenly freezes in place for a couple of minutes among the unsuspecting public and then resumes motion as if nothing happened.Sounds interesting, yes?

Shot in the city of Manila in amidst of strangers with a fetchy bunch of balloons and cameras.

And yes, we did it twice. :) Huzzah Shutter Revolution!

Shutter Surprise.

2011-05-09T16:25:00.000+08:00

Came to know these people who shares the same love for cameras and films.Then I started shooting again. Waited a while for my films to get processed.
Guaranteed no dull moments with these people from Shutter Revolution.

My first light leak.

My first doubles (or is this even a triple?).

My first redscale.
My first self-portrait.
Every roll processed turns out to be a surprise. I just realized how I am becoming more and more into analog photography lately that I always bring with me my Vivitar UW&S and an extra roll of film whenever I go out. And I can't wait to test more films, acquire more babies (by that I mean, cameras) and shoot more especially in my travels! More surprises then!! To the analog/lomo lovers, here's to more surprises in our shots!

Paying It Forward

2011-05-09T15:54:00.001+08:00

Last April 30, we shared our blessings with the kids of Virlanie Foundation.It was my first time to be a part of the people behind an outreach and let me say that, it's something worthy to be part of. :) The idea of an outreach began when we were thinking of ways to celebrate mine and a friend's birthday, also on what we can sacrifice for the Holy Week -- so we concluded on having an outreach.We pooled our resources, planned, coordinated and on the outreach day, had fun. We really did!

The kids enjoyed our small surprise for them! That was the heartwarming part. How they were all thrilled from the gifts they received. It'll make you feel thankful and blessed with what you currently have.

It was the grandest feeling to see yourself smiling in photos with these kids. It's the priceless kind of happiness.

I can't forget this photo. They were both excited with their face towel gifts that it had to be in the photo. It ended up covering our faces. Haha!

Thanks to my kindest friends (SF), my mother (for supporting our cause) and my officemates (organizers)! You guys are the best!

Of Lamb Chops and Marble Potatoes.

2011-05-08T18:59:00.000+08:00

The day finally arrived!! We had our most awaited Sofitel's Spiral Dinner Buffet last April 29. It was the best thing to cap the best news that arrived to me that day -- I will now officially work for Thomson Reuters as an Associate Publishing Specialist. :) It was the best birthday news for me.
I will go back to Sofitel when an occasion demands to do so (and if there's another voucher sale, LOL).

Crazy Little Thing Called Love.

2011-05-02T20:17:00.004+08:00

And so they say, it is crazy.

Had my first solo travel a day after my birthday.
Bus ride for loooong 7 hours heading to where you are so that we can have our post-birthday + 2nd 24th celebration.

Going on a trip alone was quite nerve-wrecking yet seemed to be an exciting adventure (I might actually travel alone again in the future). I am not a fan of buses but, the heck.

The epic night where we arrived to late to buy the cake I wanted. So we ended up into buying cupcakes instead. The search for the birthday candle. Buying the lighter. 7-11 trips. Sinigang and pork chop for dinner.

Candle-blowing ceremony. Plus I get to have 2 wishes. :) One for myself and one for the world.

Thank you. :) Looking forward to celebrating more birthdays with you. Next stop, August!

Happy Birthday to Me.

2011-05-01T23:01:00.003+08:00

Quite the long wait. I always get the pre-birthday anxiety. When April arrived, the senses perked up and the planning began. THE day landed on an Easter Sunday -- it's a good sign!

Holy Week came. Thursday, Friday, Saturday... I was not in my best mood. Stressors entered my system and it ruined the whole excitement welling up in me. Hours before the clock strikes midnight, I was still in feeling down in the dumps. So I asked D a favor, for him to read his birthday letter for me. It might make me feel a little better.

12 mn. A few seconds after, he texted me his greeting. Then the letter reading came next.

These were the words that made me cry. I don't know why exactly but it hit the right spot. And why the Ducati? I've been wanting to actually try motocross racing or just drive the motorbike on an insane speed on a freeway (sounds and really is dangerous but I really want to try it). First hour of my birthday was just plain perfect. I can't be more thankful.

Morning came and I attended the mass early. It was Easter after all, egg hunt around the chapel (spotted one but left it for kids to enjoy) and free ice cream. The familia started cooking early and they gave me the simplest yet thoughtful gifts. Flowers and boxes of Cloud 9 chocolates! Aren't they awesome?
A quarter of my birthday was spent in bed... well, sleeping. I slept the noon away and got surprised that half of the day had passed already.

My awaited visitors arrived later that afternoon. They bought gifts! :)

Someone gifted a cake! The cake was nom. It was evident that we enjoyed it.

Thank you SuperFriends! My birthday this year was simple yet 10x more awesome. Thank you Lea for the rainmaker from Palawan and the surprise pack of Yakult! Emz for the ice cream! April, for the very fitting "geeky" lanyard. :) Vincent & Jef for the yellow flowers. I ❤ you guys! For the rest who came, Kuya JC, Keipi, Janny (it was a surprise that you stayed with us until late hours), Pabz, Nathalie, Sherbert, Camilo, Mackie and Michael. Thank you! I shall upload our candle blowing video after I finish editing it.

I am extra grateful for this new chapter and adventure. I can't wait to share more of me, photos, travel stories and more awesomeness as I stepped into my 23rd year of existence (yes, I am 23 already). :P Cheers!
Life's great. And I am wonderfully blessed. Thank you Lord!

Holy Week

2011-04-23T19:58:00.002+08:00

When: Holy Thursday
Where: Lourdes Grotto, San Jose Del Monte Bulacan
With: Teh familia
Instead of doing a Visita Iglesia, the family does a yearly tradition for the Holy Week and that is doing the Station of the Cross in the Rosary & Calvary Hill of Lourdes Grotto.

Time to contemplate on things.
Ask for forgiveness.
Forgive in return.

It is never too late.

Reflections

2011-04-21T19:12:00.000+08:00

Have a blessed and meaningful Holy Week guys!

Remembering my PNR days.

2011-04-20T21:30:00.004+08:00

Last Saturday was my first time to ride the PNR (Philippine National Railway) train again since my circa Grade 4 year when I experienced 'actually' running after the train.

Mala-Slumdog Millionaire moment ang naiisip ko pag naaalala ko yun. Pero imagine, school uniform, backpack and all the Grade 4 works tapos hinahabol yung train. Classic. Nakahabol kami pero balde-baldeng pawis ata inabot ko.

Well, let's go back to 2011. We had to go to Divisoria to buy the things we need for our outreach and (un)fortunately I was the one who will take the loot home. But I decided to look at the brighter side, one is that our outreach project is going smoothly and second, I can experience PNR again. I will say that I honestly missed it despite how gruesome the entire PNR experience was back then -- the train itself, the squatter area lined up at the totality of the train's route and the "plastic bag" incidents (of which I can elaborate further but I'd rather not) *shudders*.

I arrived seconds late for the 10:05 train. I still caught a glance of the leaving train but well, it left. It left me all alone in the Tutuban Station lugging my more-than-5-kilos-plastic-bag of goods.
If not for my plastic bag, I would've had another chasing moment again.

Now I have to wait an hour. Waiting waiting waiting. Finally, the train arrives!
I've been seeing the new PNR trains but never had the chance to get a ride, now I'm finally in it. I should say, it was interestingly nice. Their new air-conditioned carriages are pretty nifty but when it gets full, (O__O) it's a different story. Experience sardinas in a train at its finest. My travel time from Tutuban to FTI station took around 35-40 minutes. Not bad for a 15php fare.

Can't wait for the day that the Manila-Bicol rail will come to existence again!

Isagani.

2011-04-19T22:28:00.002+08:00

Remember that package that came weeks ago? Well, I've finally had the time to assemble it and TADAAAH!! Say hello to Isagani, my Recesky camera. :)

Isn't he nice?

It took me almost 5 hours (breaks included) to fully assemble it. What took time was the shutter that hated me. It wouldn't click so I have to do something about it -- placed a piece on cardboard on the shutter release. It worked like magic. I just hope it'll last for long. The shutter not shutting incident almost drove me nuts, 80% of my time assembling the whole thing was spent on it. And now I am itching to get films, films and more films. =D I can't wait to take photos with this! I can already imagine my self tagging along 4-5 cameras when going places. Haha! My life is in doom, yet happy. That's what matters. ♥

Have a blessed Holy Week guys! Don't forget to reflect on what is really important.

April Girls.

2011-04-18T22:34:00.002+08:00

Today was indeed a good day to celebrate! :) The weather was not so friendly as it was humid and extremely hot but it didn't stop us from celebrating our birthdates together! Remember the first time we've met? Haha! Antagal na! Dated back in August of 2010 pa! But anyhow, finally!! We've met each other again (and you'll be appearing in my blog again! YAY for appearances of blogger friends!) :D

Krissy and I spent the afternoon in Noriter Cafe for our halo-halo trip. And it was the halo-halo that almost ate me alive! Hahaha! It was the fruit salad-slash-halo halo. I've never eaten too many variety of fruits in one seating. There were watermelons, kiwi (first time to try it and my face went >__< haha!), bananas, pineapples, peaches, mangoes, beans in chocolate (i don't know what it's called), corn flakes and the vanilla ice cream that made it all splendid. After rummaging through the bowl of fruits that felt like forever, andaaaamiii padiiiing fruiiiiits!! O__O hahahaha!! Right, Krissy? But the Honey Bread was a different story, I consumed almost half of it (I think). I'm glad Krissy liked the place (hurray!) and then we went to The Collective in Malugay, Makati to check out the place. The taxi driver who drove us there was FAIL, he thought we were heading to Malibay. Lol. I said Malugay for the nth time already. We ended up going to EDSA from Buendia then back again to Buendia. Whew~

Unfortunately, the stores were closed yet except a few. We roamed around and bought a present for Meream! Hope you like it! :) We then decided to wrap things up and head home, the commute to Ayala was a blooper. Same goes from Buendia-MRT station to Guadalupe. Haha! I ended up walking from Robinson's Pioneer back to Guadalupe! =__=;; Tiring.

Overall, it was a fun birthdate! :) I can't wait to celebrate more birthdates in the future! And thanks to Krissy for sharing this one with me, same goes to Meream whom we've wished to have been with us today so that it'll be triple fun. I'm looking forward to the day the three of us April Girls will meet! I'm sure it'll be epic!

Happy Birthmonth to us Awesome and Wonderful April Girls!

Speaking of dates, I just have to share a cute story about my first sort-of fancy date with D. As all of you may have read, months ago I had my fragile heart broken. But God was too fast on sending me a cure. :) He sent D. I may have dropped identities of him in some of my posts (he was and still is the Happy Pill, btw) but today I am finally giving you guys an idea of who turns my frown upside down.

We had our dinner last 15th at Sentro in Serendra. D, wearing slippers that time begged to have us seated outside the resto. With no other options, we were seated on a single table that felt slightly isolated from the area. We had the infamous Sinigang na Corned Beef (which he found weird, lol) and the Sizzling Tofu that was a major life-changing food for him. Haha! Both of us don't appreciate tofu until sizzling tofu came. :P As we were both going on with out dinner, a staff approached us, refilled our water glasses and commented: "Ang isolated nyo naman, para kayong nasa island. (You guys seem to be isolated, feels like you're in an island.) Gusto nyo ng candle? Para romantic. (Would you like some candles? It'll be romantic.)"
D and I just glanced at each other and thought it was both a cute and funny moment. What's amused me more is that when the staff said that, she was really enthusiastic about it. It felt like what she said was something she would've liked to keep to herself but ended up telling it to us anyway. Haha. ^___^ It was really a cute moment. D asked me if are we really that like-able as a pair. Well, what do you think?

It's a birthdate!

2011-04-17T17:19:00.002+08:00

Finally! We're having our birthdate!! It's been a while already since me & Krissy have attempted to set a date for us to well, have a bloggerfriends' date (attempts dating back Christmas of 2010, hehe). Even before April came, we were already planning on what we should do to celebrate our birthmonth but April came, still, no idea came in mind. Until this week's spontaneous conversation that ended up to a concrete birthdate plan! Hurray!! ^___^ Due to some time constraints, we could only settle on doing it on holy week (actually, it is tomorrow already!). I am already excited for tomorrow! We're gonna be having our date in Noriter Cafe (biased because this is my favorite place) and we're gonna try their giant halo-halo!! ARGHHHH!!! Just what I need to beat the summer heat. After that we can always head to the Collective in Malugay or go thrifting. :) Sounds like the perfect birthdate, isn't it?

See you tomorrow Krissy!!
And yes, how I really wish you can be with us tomorrow Ms. Bored and Crafty (who just had a very lovely tattoo) I just really have to say it, lol. It'll be one hellafun birthdate if yer here.

The Anawangin Weekend.

2011-04-14T08:47:00.001+08:00

Destination: Anawangin Cove via Pundaquit, San Antonio, Zambales
Travel Buddies: The Super Friends
Budget: 1,500 (est)

Who would've thought that a weekend away from the city will be so much fun? Just me, D, my Super Friends, Mt. Pundaquit, Anawangin Cove and just pure nature.

Our timetable didn't go as planned (as expected from the SF, lol) so we arrived late in San Antonio. We have to trek ourselves up Mt. Pundaquit and down at high noon. Oh boy.

You can reach Anawangin Cove via boat in more or less 30 minutes or by trekking across Mt. Pundaquit that can take up to 4-5 hours. Being an adventure seeker, we chose the latter. Hello mountains of Pundaquit!
Beginning of the trail. Energy still full and the adrenaline still high.

Trail path.

Reaching the summit after 2 hours and a half. It was exhausting and dehydrating but seeing the view from the top, it was all worth it.

After another 2 and a half hour descend we finally reached the camp site! (lol, no that's not our tent) No electricity and no coverage area. My legs were not functioning well already, haha, it was in pain from all the walking.
Later that night, we settled on the beachfront and stargazed. It was one of the most amazing view I've seen in my 22 years of existence. ♥ And doing it with the best people in your life makes it priceless.

Good morning to the sea! Time for some island hopping!!

Strong waves greeted us but it didn't stop us from having fun.
My amazing Super Friends.
It's officially summer!! Why not #HelpDOT and travel locally. Take pictures, make memories and share it to the world.

Until our next summer getaway!

Red All Over.

2011-04-08T15:50:00.002+08:00

Found this on tumblr and I should say that I love this list.I like #21. How breaking the rules can liberate all the creativeness that dwells in our inner depths. I might just apply this to my life. I need to bring back the creativity mojo back in me. I really do miss it.
See how my blog have turned into a crazy shade of cherry? Yep! It is to celebrate April (my birthmonth), because birthdays are so yesterday. 16 days more to go until my actual birthday that coincides with Easter Sunday (for the 3rd time already if I remember it right, this makes me contemplate on how I might actually be a bunny in my past life, lol). I don't have anything planned for my actual "day" yet but there are other side plans mostly post-birthday. A short out-of-town trip alone, the Sofitel Spiral dinner with other friends who are also April-May celebrants and our outreach program with Virlanie kids in which we've decided to do it in costume! I might dress up as Snow White (as suggested by a number of friends), where on earth will I find a Snow White costume?! I can already imagine myself in that Disney Princess' dress and sneakers, driving the van (since I'll also be a driver for that day) and taking photos of the event. I'll be the modern day multi-tasker Snow White. Haha! Now, where are my dwarfs?!

April Bliss.

2011-04-07T23:48:00.001+08:00

April didn't welcome me nicely. The first few days were stressful but the coin was flipped today. :)
It might not be so evident (so I am telling it to the world) that I am very happy today. The sort of I'm-close-to-spitting-out-a-rainbow kind of happiness. Haha!
The package came in today and it's my very much awaited parcel for this month! I spazzed and danced around upon first sight of the moss-y green coloured package in my table (yes, I am dorky like that).
It's my birthday gift for myself (well, sort of) that I bought from my payment from an online assignment/job (I can't wait to take more assignments, hehe, that means more paypal credits in the future).

This is what I should be expecting (after opening the box and assembling the parts):

source.

I don't know if I should open the box already or wait for the 24th (I doubt)! But D advised that we open it tomorrow so he can see my dorky face when I go all gay over it. And our Anawangin trip is in less than 30 hours! I'm very excited for it! But i'll be electricity- & signal-free the whole weekend. I'll be disconnected from the world but one with nature and with beloved people in my life.

Plus, I already have my schedule for my final interview. It's exciting and scary at the same time but I am mustering up all my confidence for this interview because I really want that job! Wish me luck!

Hello April!!

2011-04-02T14:44:00.002+08:00

APRIL is finally here!

Why am I so excited?

1) It's my birth month! :D I don't have anything special planned for it under my sleeve but I hope happy things will come my way.

2) It's nice to know that I have gained new-found friends that share the same birthmonth with me -- Tere & Del (my officemate and her fiancee), Loti, blogger friends Meream and Krissy and Gerard Way (one of my inspirations!). Before, I always complain why I don't have friends to celebrate April with but now, the more, the merrier! :)

3) To celebrate mine, Tere & Del's birthday and also our (me + officemates) way of sacrifice for the lent, we decided to do an outreach to pay it forward!

4) ANAWANGIN TRIP! With my beloved highschool Superfriends and hopefully with my spark. This is a non-superficial message for you to come with us. Lol.

5) Another Analog Nation get together! Picnic + shoot will always be epic fun.6) Opportunities coming my way. I can't be more grateful.
On a different note, I went on a shopping spree last night. And this is my stash.

Preparations for the camping trip next week! I hope my grubby fingers won't be tempted to take on the Cheetos this weekend. Haha!!
Welcome again, April! Be very nice to me.

Here Comes Summer.

2011-03-29T10:03:00.001+08:00

Because April will always be Summer for me (okay, it's biased because April is my birthmonth but if I were to choose I'd make April wintertime) =P~
Quite a time had passed already since our last outing and I badly miss it since it's our only bonding time. So when my siblings had announced that it was officially their vacation, it was the GO signal for a family outing. We were supposed to head for Pagsanjan Falls in Laguna but alas the tourguide-slash-family friend was knocked by chickenpox thus cancelling the trip to the falls. And we just figured the last minute that the van can't contain us all, so we have to bring the car and I have to exchange drives with the mother for the trip. I was in deep dissent of just resorting to Pansol (bah, not again) instead. No no no no. So I said that we drive somewhere south and decide when we get there, just no to Pansol -- que horror.
Thank goodness for passing by Caliraya! We decided that we try the lake -- and no regrets siree. Everything turned out as another perfect family outing. Officially, it's Hello Summer!! The weather was perfect for a roadtrip and it was soooo windy in Caliraya! Not to mention the wind was unbelievably chilly that I had to endure the cold when I took a dip.
The view was breathtaking.
Sort of sand. Soil. Mud. But fun nevertheless. The copper colored ground made the photos more inneresting.
My unusual extended family. I love them to bits! Two are my aunts, the mother, the three musketeers, my nephew (hrhrhr, chubby little boy ^__^), the mother's sort-of secretary and the rest are our helpers in the house.
Jumpshots are mandatory at the ~~beach~~. Well, in this case, lake.
Not advisable to wear light colored garments when swimming because the soil will stain. Good thing I bought the necessary black comfort shirt that I wear on my adventures. No swimwears this time (haha, as if I have something to flaunt it with!) because I wasn't in the mood to fashown for summer photos' sake that time so plain shirt and shorts will do. Maybe when I get myself something yellow and sunshine-y anytime soon, we'll see. ;P
My favorite photos into one from last weekend. Doing the hipster triangle was fun, haha! And I love how my hair turned out in this photo. And the sky and the soil. And the sly look on my face. And how this photo can be used as a future invitation to something special. :)
Let this Summer time be an invitation for the believers, lovers, dreamers and the like.For this is a celebration of everything that keeps us alive. :)What are your plans this summer?

Bangkok Misadventures Day 2 -- Phra Budhasaiyart

2011-03-28T15:12:00.000+08:00

Bangkok Misadventures Day 2 -- Wat Maha That

2011-03-26T22:56:00.002+08:00

Photos for now. The stories will have to come in later. Come back, okay?

Bangkok Misadventures Day 2 -- Wat Panan Cheong

2011-03-25T11:18:00.001+08:00

I am not even bothered to say alot. One of those low days. Maybe when I get all the photos of the Wat (temples) done then I can tell the stories.

Bangkok Misadventures Day 1.5 Part 2

2011-03-22T13:23:00.000+08:00

Latter half of our second day was spent in Khao-San Road scouting for a tour to Ayutthaya.
Discovered and tasted Pad Thai (seriously, it is so good and cheap also), fresh orange juice with no additives (even sugar) which I loved to bits even though I am not a fan of fruit juices cept' some. Khao-San road has this Malate equivalent vibe going on, wherein foreigners and backpackers are here and there. Thai massage, bangketa galore, more bangketa of odds and ends, food carts with endless choices, more foreigners, inns, travel agencies and a lively mix of cultures at night. Khao-San Road is a good visit at nighttime, do explore the streets and the undiscovered alleys of Khao-San when you get there!

Bangkok Misadventures Day 1.5

2011-03-20T16:18:00.000+08:00

2nd Day in Bangkok started with another trip to Chatuchak Market, more shopping and my favorite part of all -- FOODTRIP!! I am missing the Hainanese Chicken already. I need my fix very soon.
Sorting out the photos from Bangkok makes me wanna crawl under my sheets and just sleep all day. Zzzzz..Add to that the fact that my dysmenorrhea is killing me. But i'm doing good with this all-in-one photo gig for my posts, but it takes me forever. Still, all is good. All is good. :)

Wear it Off.

2011-03-19T19:22:00.000+08:00

Let me quote Viva La Manika's comment to me.
"Dress up while you're young dear. Before you know it's too late. =)" I should start on that asap.
Off-shoulder it is. Got this shirt from our Bangkok trip and it was just and experimental buy. Who knew it would be fun? I looked so 80's! Should've paired it with leggings, legwarmers and some arm/head bands and I'll look like an 80's aerobic instructor. LOL. I should try wearing it with a long skirt next time! =)It's a little skin-showing (which is not my style, first-time to actually wear a casual shirt that bares the shoulder and ~~my beloved clavicle~~) but it's quite the fun wearing it -- plus it's cute!
Can't wait to explore my unleashed inner fashown sense! Haha.
I am actually quite excited.

Bangkok Misadventures Day 0.5 Part 2

2011-03-18T21:33:00.001+08:00

After the crazy shopping adventure we had in Chatuchak Market. Time to see another part of the city!Met-up with a good friend who works in Bangkok so we can go altogether to Siam.
Crossed to the BTS line from the MRT. Did I already say that I really love Bangkok's train system?
Bangkok also has the same hustle bustle of the city. Just like in Manila.
Our first tuk-tuk ride heading to Siam Paragon!!

Too excited already. But quite doubtful that the mother will shell out 900 baht for the entrance, still *fingers-crossed*.Siam Ocean World has the largest aquarium in Southeast Asia. That got my attention. And also the sharks. Especially the sharks.We came in just in time around past 7 since they are open until 8 only. I was silently screaming in my head to convince the mother for us to go inside -- and she said YES!!!

I was awed with the marine life they preserved behind these thick layers of glass. They're purrdy.

The real highlight for me were the sharks! They were big and look fierce but I still love them nonetheless. :D I was like a kid on a caffeine-high when the sharks gather altogether in an area and I try to snap a photo of them, those were WIN moments! Maybe next time I will seriously save up for that shark interaction activity they have. I swear!! I will touch em baby sharks! =^__^=
Until my next post on our Bangkok Misadventures! :)

A weekend that was.

2011-03-15T11:57:00.003+08:00

I am now in deep gratitude for the weekend that've passed. :)
The weekdays were quite stressful but the last two days were spent in good company and in serene disposition. Thank you. It was all worth it by the end of the day.

I'm thankful for my bestest group of friends who are always there. I'm glad that you guys are happy with how things are in the present. I'm happy myself as well. Who knows, right?

Spent my Saturday with a dear friend, you know who you are.
Brunch at Binondo that literally turned into a foodtrip-slash-fiesta. Buttered chicken, miki guisado, beef and shrimps and a lot of rice (and when I mean a lot, it really is a LOT). Then had desserts at Noriter Cafe. Oh how I missed Noriter. It's my 4th return and I still haven't got my grubby hands on their halo-halo. *I WAAAAAANT*

Later that night we went to the Mall Of Asia in hopes to watch the pyrolympics but failed due to traffic. We were still able to watch it from afar though and had fun, yes? :) Meet another friend afterwards and they gave me a gift! Sankyoo wonderful people!! ^__^

Sunday came and it was spent with some of the Superfriends -- we came in a semi-formal wear (except my shoes). I wore the bowtie finally! And looked like a waitress. Hahaha!! Had lunch at Bon Chon Chicken in Ayala Triangle Gardens and watched a movie (Red Riding Hood) after.

I had the best time, I should say. I got tired, had allergies, ate a lot, laughed a lot, spent time with the best people in the world and I am really really thankful for it.

Weekends like the last will be something I will look forward to in the coming days. Thank you universe for approving. :) See you soonest SFs!

Date a Girl Who Blogs.

2011-03-14T13:17:00.000+08:00

I just have to share it. :) Because I can relate from it, aside from being the girl who reads. source.

Date a girl who blogs. Date a girl who finds solace in sharing her most private letters to the noises of the world. She has a rhythm to the writing, as the sounds — the tap-tap-tapping — are touched with every bit of emotion she can muster. She’s writing, ignoring the 9% battery warning as she tries to add a little more perspective to your world.

Date a girl who blogs. Find her that new restaurant and wait for her, patiently, as she skims through the menu, to cherish the Serifs and italics of the posh, and the Arials and doodles of the diner. Watch her order, and question the waiter, and then the head chef to hear a story you’ve never cared to hear before. You will learn. Watch her envelop her tongue at the morsel awaiting judgement, then chew, her face barely betraying a smile as she takes down notes on a torn paper napkin. She forgot her notebook. Buy her one. And seal it with the URL of your new blog.

Today she’s doing more than just writing. She’s moving the widgets, repositioning the ads and maybe doing a bit of SEO. Help her. Buy her a new domain — buy it for 3 years with a promo code — and then maybe configure a forwarding email address, because you know deep down that self-hosted email servers are a thing of the past.

Share her posts on Facebook. Like them. Create a hashtag for your affection to her and let her come to this knowledge through the Internet, but follow through in real life. Your story deserves to be written down.

Suggest her for #FollowFriday.

Go out on dates. Let her heart open up to you and digest these memories into a single post which will be remembered in the archives of our search engines. Kiss. Change your relationship status. Kiss some more. Add her friends. You now have more mutual friends. Tag your photos together. Add her on Farmville. Harvest her farm. Poke her.

You are no longer forever alone.

Marry a girl who blogs. Propose to her by making a website with animated gifs and MIDI background music; she will show you the secret journal she’s been writing for years for you, and you alone. You will find that it comes with no ads, no links, no page rank. Only her trust rank. You will be overjoyed to read the fondness she has had of you, and realize that this, and this alone is the memory she chose to keep from her readers.

Have kids with a girl who blogs. Let her post photos and status updates about your children. Share them with your friends. You will see that she has saved everything onto a USB drive and printed the most fond ones for a real family album because the grandparents are not on the Internet.

Date a girl who blogs because she will find interestingness in the most uninteresting of things. You deserve to be interesting and that this life you live, though monotonous in its day to day is the perfect testament to why she loves you.

Bangkok Misadventures Day 0.5

2011-03-11T15:35:00.004+08:00

Why Day 0.5? Because this is only half of our first day in Bangkok.
Good morning susnshine!! Bed hair against nicely-lit room. :) Woke up late (since we slept past 3 already) and my first misfortune happened. Yue's camera got fogged because our room was too cold. I almost panicked but deep inside I'm already dying.THANK GOD FOR BLOWDRYERS!!!
First Destination: CHATUCHAK WEEKEND MARKET!One of the world's largest weekend markets covers area of 70 rai (27 Acres) altogether divided into 27 Sections, contains more than 15,000 booths selling goods from every part of Thailand [source.]I specifically chose a hotel near a subway station so it'll be easy to go around town.Bangkok's MRT (mass rail transit) system is something we should adopt here in the Philippines -- efficient and on-time. I am honestly missing the "we're arriving at ____ station" voiceover already. :(Other public means of transportation in BKK includes the tuk-tuk, candy-colored taxis, few buses and motorcycles. Their MRT use tokens while the BTS line use cards. I love their token vending machine (see above picture)!You just have to swipe the token over the turnstile and it will open. I enjoyed doing this everyday on our stay there (since we took the trains every single time we went out).

You can go to either Chatuchak Park station or Kamphaeng Phet station in going to Chatuchak market since it is located between the two stations.
Their trains are waaaaay nicer. If trains here are like this, I'd be more than happy to ride the train every single freaking day.
Found out that Mario Maurer is in Chiang Mai for a shoot. How I wish it was closer to the city because I will seriously go to there to see him *wink wink nudge nudge*, but noooo. :(
Obligatory reflection shot.
Welcome to Chatuchak Market! A place where you can find all sorts of odds and ends. I personally think it would take around 4 full days to see everything in Chatuchak (and that 4 days doesn't include stopping at stores and buying, just plain browsing). Crazy right? And the market ain't airconditioned, expect to be drenched in sweat after rummaging through alleys of stores and haggling (they don't really speak english and if they do, you'll still have a hard time figuring it out, so bring a calculator!).
There was too much to see. I seriously want to go back to this place and have a shopping spree (I better get a higher-paying job then). :P There were too many things as well that I wanted to buy but a) I was on a tight budget and b) we're scared of overbaggage. The mother made most of the shopping spree and I became the assistant who carried all the stuff she bought. I was the daughter slave. Haha.
The long-coveted faerie lights. I really wanted to get some of them but feared that it might get squished in the luggage *sadface*, so the mother advised not to buy one anymore.
After a few hours of shopping. We stopped by at one of the food stalls to have our late lunch. The menu was written on thai but the picture showed noodles, so we agreed on it. Our first thai meal -- how was it?
The face after having my first big munch of this...
IT WAS FREAKINGLY SPICY!! asajsfhdgahdgsjklsdha ;A; I almost cried. I regretted that I soaked the noodles well enough in this pool of evil spiciness. The noodles was good and I really liked the eggs but it was really spicy.
See the glory of that red pepper? It stood up to its fierceness. Plus the chili powder and the piquant soup. Every argument is invalid.
I was adoring photos like this on flickr before our BKK trip and I finally had my own shot and a taste of it too. Exactly what I needed after the hot encounter.
It's a popsicle! And it comes in my favorite orange mirinda flavor!! They sell this for 4 baht a piece (if I remember it right) and they come in other soda/fruit juice flavors.
The rest of our 1st day later!! Siam Ocean World!

On how I wish I had a pretty penmanship.

2011-03-10T13:09:00.000+08:00

Because Krissy tagged me on her latest post on handwriting -- here goes my not so pretty penmanship. But it looks better when I write on graphing paper. :D

The questions are:
1. What's your name/ Blogger name?
2. What's your blog's name/ URL?
3. Write "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."
4. Favorite quote?
5. Favorite song?
6. Favorite bands/ singers?
7. Anything else you want to say?
8. Tag 3 - 5 people.

I swear I write better in graphing paper. Haha. And I write in all caps only in a smaller scale. Well, my handwriting varies depending on what pen I use and on what paper I write on. I'm fo shizzle like that. =P
Thanks Krissy for the tag! :)

Sawasdee Bangkok!

2011-03-09T23:29:00.002+08:00

I'm back from my first overseas trip!! Straight from Bangkok, Thailand!! :DA 3 and a half day in Bangkok was not enough. Seriously not enough. I wish I could stay longer (and with more cash to spend) but for my short stay in Bangkok, I couldn't be more thankful.
Tired from work but still excited to leave. Time to put my passport into good use.
I couldn't even take a nap. Wanderlust level is HIGH. Haha.
Keroro is with me on all my trips this year. He's one lucky fella with a taste for adventure just like me. ^__^ I can't wait to tour with him around the Philippines!
Bangkok welcomes you with an awesome airport and such pretty writing. I want to learn how to write in Thai!
Late night arrival. My energy level is running low. I was like a patient on sedatives for the entire 3-hour flight."MASA talaga. Masandal tulog." Hahaha.
And btw, Thailand is an hour behind with our timezone, so I got confused with the actual time. And when I get confused, I really get confused. (-__-")
We stayed in CMYK My Hotel Ratchada. The taxi driver got confused and we spent a few minutes lost around the area. But he was friendly so it was okay despite the grumpy me already boiling inside (and yes, majority of Bangkok's taxi drivers are friendly despite their very limited understanding of the English language). Well, I could have just made that parenthesized statement a separate sentence. Yay me for using them parentheses!
Room 701.
I can't wait to sleep. But it's obligatory to take hotel room photos (even though it's 3am, TH time).
Free maps in the airport, hotels, train stations so you won't get lost around.
I personally liked how TH baht bills looked like. Somehow they reminded me of our new peso bills.My instant favorite place was the nearby 7-11 store. Look at that Pocky and Pretz abundance. I danced in joy. *grins* Plus they're cheap too.
Hands-down to the orange Mirinda that got me addicted for the past 4 days. Had it for breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner and it served me like a warm milk that sends me off to lala land.

And this is just the night we arrived! More to come!!

Disney Villain Dreamcast

2011-03-09T15:15:00.000+08:00

Found this one on tumblr and loved every detail of it. It's the perfect Disney Villain Dreamcast.

Here are some of my favorites:

No arguments on this. Helena Bonham Carter alone is awesome already.
Helen Mirren as Lady Tremaine.
This never crossed my mind until now. Just perfect.
Y/Y? *grins*

The most awesome Meryl Streep. Classic perfection as Cruella deVille.

Black & White

2011-03-02T17:52:00.000+08:00

In less than 2 months, I will grow a year older (boohoo) but I am hoping that I can strut this stuff when THE day arrives.

Perfect reason for shopping/thrifting. How I covet em' MAC Villain lipstick and satchel. You too Instax Wide. Sana may magregalo. Lol.

Back from the Heart of the Philippines -- ILOILO!

2011-03-02T12:57:00.001+08:00

I'm back from Iloilo! Jumpshots like a boss.
It was a long weekend spent with the best people I could ask for -- my Superfriends!Headed to Iloilo last friday (February 25th, this was s'ppose to be a holiday but Pnoy took it back so I ended up being absent at work), but the heck it was gonna be an awesome weekend.

Day 1 was spent roaming around Iloilo and visiting old churches. They were wonderful. I'll post pictures later!
Then the next day we went to Guimaras Island!! It was paradise (oh how many places I have called paradise already).
We went island hopping (more island hopping again in the future!), saw turtles (TURTLEEEEES!!), went through a mini cave hole to go to the other side of the rock, saw a tiny puffer fish, went snorkeling yet I failed to see any coz' I can't wear my glasses under the snorkeling gear and I can't swim (thank God for lifevests) and I sorta panicked whenever I'm trying to get my pace in the water. ~ FAIL
Out on the beachside early in the morning is refreshing but when it's terribly cold, you'll have second thoughts. I can be a bum in the beach the whole day and read books or edit photos and blog. I will be forever a girl of the sea despite the fact that I can't swim. :)

Byaheng Guimaras po!
Finally tasting the well-known La Paz Batchoy of Iloilo. Anlayo ng lasa sa cup noodles. The cup noodle version doesn't even give a slight justification to the real thing.
Until our next trip Superfriends!! SAGADA!!

See you!

2011-02-24T22:28:00.002+08:00

Postal Heritage Walking Tour Part 2!

2011-02-24T12:48:00.001+08:00

The second stop of our walking tour was the Metropolitan Theatre.
This was the most exciting part of the tour.. and interesting. Very very interesting.

The Manila Metropolitan Theater or MET is an art deco building designed by the Filipino architect Juan M. Arellano, and inaugurated on December 10, 1931, with a capacity of 1670 (846 orchestra, 116 in loge, and 708 in balcony). During the liberation of Manila by the United States and Filipino forces in 1945, the theatre was severely damaged, losing some of its roofing and walls battered. After reconstruction by the Americans it gradually fell into disuse in the 1960’s. In the following decade it was meticulously restored in 1978 but again fell into decay.

Recently, a bus terminal and parking building has been constructed at the back of the theatre.

The City of Manila, with the help of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) recently finished a plan of the rehabilitation of the theater.

The sculptures in the façade of the Theater are from the Italian sculptor Francesco Riccardo Monti, who lived in Manila from 1930 until his death in 1958, and worked closely together with Juan M. Arellano. Highly stylized relief carving of Philippine plants executed by the artist Isabelo Tampingco decorate the lobby walls and interior surfaces of the building.

The theater was again closed in 1996 due to ownership disputes between the city administration and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). On June 23, 2010, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim re-opened the theater after extensive renovations.

The theater is located on Padre Burgos Avenue, near the Manila Central Post Office. [source.]

Despite the said renovations ongoing, the complete restoration of the Met is a farfetch idea knowing that it would take at least 300-500 million (yes, we're talking millions here) to have it back in its former glory.

In the Theatre Lobby. Just imagine how fancy this place was during its peak in the 70's.On a side note, ang sexy mo kuya Erick! *woot*

The theater seats were replaced with new ones, unfortunately, not with the theater's original wooden seats because obviously, it would cost quite a fortune.

Like an entrance to another world.
Backstage.There was a certain storage room in the backstage area that made me quite uncomfortable. It was again another eerie feeling.
Hallways that seem to lure you to go and find out what's on the other end. (>__<)
Definitely not the Most Haunted but certain that there are some entities around.
Heading to the Ballroom. The ballroom is where all the weird thing happened. And amusingly, it seems that I'm not the only one who had an unusual encounter in the ballroom. Interesting, yes?
Welcome to the Ballroom. The weirdest room in the Metropolitan Theatre (by weird I mean, not visual-wise).
Large panel of mirrors at each end of the hall, fancy yet rusty and dirty chandeliers and cracked wooden floors.
So, what happened? When we entered the ballroom, I noticed that I only had 2 shots left in my camera.Being excited to try a redscaled film, I snapped the remaining 2 from my B&W film and started to rewind the film. And then I stopped as I felt that I can't advance the spool anymore. I tugged carefully thinking that the camera might just be malfunctioning. A few more attempts, it resumed rewinding smoothly. Expecting that the film is ready to be taken out, I opened my camera and guess what -- my precious film, got torn. And so it follows that it got exposed. I salvaged the roll that can still be saved and hurriedly stored it. (I will still have it processed in case some shots can still be saved, I hope!)Trying to shrug off what just had happened, I loaded another film. I was able to take around 5 shots when the lightmeter indicator went haywire on me. I turned the camera off and on again, tried to snap a shot yet failed.Tried it again. And again... And again.. -- until I decided that it's a futile attempt to revive Kibba (my camera). /quit.I didn't put it as there was something unusual going on at that moment but merely just a misfortune but when I found out later that night that some people in the group had their own share of "experience". I was convinced.And thrilled at the same time to hear more stories. We headed afterwards to the balcony where one can oversee Manila.
We stayed there for a while and proceeded to Arroceros Park where you can see the Pasig River. Fortunately, the river was calm (and not stinky too) that time. Plus I was able to capture a good panoramic shot of the river. Sweet. :)
The Analog Nation group concluded with a meeting re: our online magazine (I'm still thinking of volunteering myself to help, but I have to make sure first that I can commit). I'm very happy to be a part of the group! Thanks to Kuya Mike for including me in the group! :) Can't wait to have more adventures with them awesome people! Go Analog!

Wishlist Wednesday.

2011-02-23T18:16:00.001+08:00

Because tomorrow it will be two months until my birthday (ACK! growing old!), making a wishlist is timely. I believe I have regained again this pre-birthday excitement I have whenever my birthday is approaching. :)

Let's get it on!

For the cameras:

This is my priority for this year! Canon Powershot D10. An underwater camera because 1) I am too excited to go snorkeling and diving and 2) this will (hopefully) motivate me to learn how to swim or else buying it will be just a waste.
A Diana Mini and Instax Mini 25 Hello Kitty edition.
Instax 120 wide.
A Holga TLR 135.Fisheye 2. Does this come in yellow? The pink one is pretty!
And of course, FILMS!!

Evil.

2011-02-23T13:19:00.003+08:00

This is from wearing an all-black outfit yesterday to work, tiredness, 50mm lens and a good bedroom lighting (soft red).

In green contacts and red lipstick. Twilight-ish photos.

Evil smirk. And my nose is red from a mosquito bite.

Postal Heritage Walking Tour Part 1!

2011-02-23T12:51:00.004+08:00

One station away from Central when I realized, "Where the heck is the Lawton Post Office?"
All I was thinking that I will get off Central station (knowing the main Post Office is nearby) but confused myself the last minute that the main post office might not be the same as the Lawton post office. DOOM. Now where next?
It was kind of exciting, the feeling of being clueless and sort-of lost -- with the added bonus that I'm bad with directions and accident-prone (thank God for the underpass!).
Thanks to the Filipina Stamp Collectors' Club for their Postal Heritage Walking Tour and the awesome Analog Nation for organizing a photowalk-slash-educational field trip (which I enjoyed so much) and for the pre-walking tour lunch we had in Ongpin (hinahanap-hanap ko ngayon yung buttered chicken, tsk).
Met up at Liwasang Bonifacio (also know as Plaza Lawton back in the 50's). It was nice to meet new people (around 30+, and I'm terrible with remembering names). Seeing them all lugging around a camera on one hand and one on the other and even more it such an amazing sight to see. :)
Mr. Lawrence Chan (the dedicated tour guide) for our walking tour. I'm amazed with his passion on spear-heading these free tours. It's a tedious job but he continues to do it over the years. Kudos to him!And oh Hi there ate Diwi~! :D

How Manila looks like pre-war era.
Inside the Post Office. There is an ongoing exhibit on the Shoah (Holocaust) in Europe during the WWII.The facade of the Post Office was of Neo-Classical architecture ornated with pillars, symmetry and patterns.Large windows were intentionally incorporated to improve ventilation and it was indeed cool inside despite the high-noon heat outside.
We further ventured around the Post Office compound and visited the Postal Museum and Philatelic Library.The small and quaint area showcased stamps and relics. Old typewriters, telephones, books and other stuff can be found there. You can also buy stamps! I said I won't be spending but I gave in to a few set of stamps.Then followed a lecture about Old Manila wherein I battled with myself to not doze off, good thing some grace arrived and candies were passed around. And I should get my eyes checked.

Next stop -- The Metropolitan Theatre!!Part 2 later! :D

Postal Heritage Walking TourContact Person: Mr. Lawrence ChanMobile/Email: 09193901671 | l_rence_2003@yahoo.com

A Random Date with Self.

2011-02-19T22:49:00.001+08:00

The result of a headache and a little boredom. Now my headache is getting worse. ;A;
I better go to sleep.
Hopefully, this be the invitation for my birthday. *fingers-crossed* for my evil plan.
It's magical.

Vack With A Vengeance.

2011-02-19T22:37:00.001+08:00

I'm kinda not feeling so well tonight despite what fun I had today. I guess I just need to rest. Meanwhile, I leave you with these photos. :)

ETA: Last Saturday, I was able to watch the most-awaited muzikal re-run for this year (finally!) -- ZsaZsa Zaturnnah Ze Muzikal Vack with a Vengeance!!

Where it all started.

2011-02-17T16:35:00.002+08:00

"It probably started when I found that someone I could randomly ask to go here and there and initiate a foodtrip -- and not to mention shoot photos."

Way back 2008 was when I indulged myself more in photography, not knowing what things I really wanted to shoot (aside from random things), I started to bring X to meals and the "shoot first, then eat" ritual came. More establishments added to the list and blogged. It gave me this feeling of satisfaction (mostly from the eating) but it made me wanted more. The desire to taste the gastronomic treats Manila has to offer. "IT HAS TO HAPPEN." I said to myself.

And so I started reading, researching and the wanting tremendously grew. But the pictures got me more hooked. I wanted to have my own version. I want to try them all.

I personally like hole-in-the-wall places as they are interesting and in a way to me like a girl who smirks upon a thought of a deep, dark secret. There is always something special to them. I like things in their unconventional way – it is always an opportunity to discover something new.

From food, it expanded to places.

Cebu is my second home. The family visits it every year during summer and me (together with the mother) frequented at a rate of 4-5x/year on weekends (thank you seat sale!). Every weekend spent in Cebu was always a getaway for me.

Then one summer vacation came in 2009 and it felt magical. Usual summer activities in line plus a little surprise came in between.
I was able to try jetskiing, had ridiculous tan lines, ziplining (even upside down!) visited a zoo and actually enjoyed it and had my dose of foodtrips along the way.
And I felt the calling of the sea (it was this urge to dip my -- but I don't even know how to swim. *facepalms*

That marked it. Then I had this fidgety feeling that I had to have another one. I just have to. I needed to. I wanted to. The travel bug just got me and spread the virus all over me. (I actually checked my foot for moles – “baka kaya nagging gala ako dahil may nunal ako sa talampakan. Kaso wala.”)

Then an idea of special occasions celebrated minus the pansit or spaghetti but in an unfamiliar place with the intent of experiencing and tasting something new. That dream came into picture, crystal clear.

Went to Subic with my officemates, Bohol with the boy and the family and a few more sidetrips to Cebu.

And then my heart got broken. It took me on a crazy emotional revolt.
I never thought a heartache would make you know yourself more and make better choices in life.

That’s when I stepped up a notch. It would be a good way to get over a first major heartbreak. I’d rather travel than spend a weekend locked up in my room trying to overcome the urge to be depressed. LOL.
I spent a few days in a –BER month with my highschool friends in Baguio.

And so 2011 came. I am greatly thankful for having the best mother I could ask for. She supports my antsy soul who loves to travel and somehow, I’m infecting her with the virus too.

Baguio was the jumpstart destination for the 1st week of January 2011 – when the news said the temp was going 8°, the family just had to say yes.

From there, it went haywire. 3rd week of January I had to spend in Cebu for my annual Sinulog fix. The weekend after, Cebu again with the officemates. Tried the sky adventure and had the best time of my life.

Then came 2nd week of February – Davao and Kidapawan. Tickets bought by the mother from a seat sale 10 months ago.

Traveling is a tiring and not to mention, sometimes expensive passion. But there’s a lot more to that for me. It’s like the surge of adrenaline in my bloodstream that is unexplainable.

I should say i'm very lucky to have the mother who just says "sige, schedule mo naman sinusunod natin eh" whenever I announce seat sales to her. She's my constant travel buddy. I'm aiming to save for an asian cruise with her or at least share expenses so that she and The Three Musketeers can go to at least HK Disneyland.

And now while I’m at work, I take breaks reading itineraries, travel blogs, browsing photos, waiting for seat sales, planning for incoming trips. Truly, my mind’s been occupied by this wanderlust.

I can’t wait.
Iloilo next weekend.
And then Bangkok for my first trip abroad.

I think I should regularly check my sole. Just in case I grow an unexpected mole.

16th Philippine Hot Air Balloon Festival

2011-02-15T15:39:00.002+08:00

Last February 11-13, the 16th Phil. Hot Air Balloon Festival was held at Clark Special Economic Zone, Angeles City, Pampanga.
Went there last Sunday with my beloved SuperFriends for our pre-Valentines celebration (HELLOOOO SINGLES! Haha) ♥ I was suppose to go there with the family early in the morning for the flight of the balloons but unfortunately, they woke up late and so I have to hitch a ride with the SF.
I told myself that I have to witness the night glow and see Darth Vader. Nothing will stop me.So we left Manila past 9AM and arrived at Clark around 11AM.Roadtrips are always fun, more fun when you're with your friends.
Finally. Welcome to the Dark Side. They have cookies and probably unlirice. Took a lot of photos with them SF. :D And we also have a short kite-flying video up for editing, I'll share it when it's done.
Fun people to be with! :)
Ate Sisig (Aling Lucing's) for brunch. It was good but considering what a growing kid I have been lately and how my appetite have surged suddenly, it fell short of satisfaction.

People are starting to pile up.
KITE-FLYING!! I will never forget this! It was tiring but still, FUN > EXHAUSTION. Warped me back to my childhood days (yes, I tried flying kites and actually make them out of papel de hapon and walis tingting). Kites nowadays are commercialized and pre-made (nevertheless they are prettier and more colorful, they also come in shapes and sizes that will take you days to create by yourself) but makes me feel kinda sad for the later generation kids, they didn't get the chance to experience the grueling procedure of kite-making.
My kite was a little evil itself. :P Looped on other people's kite strings causing them to get tangled. It was a pretty mischievous kite, for all I know it might have had Darth Vader's soul in it. Haha!
My little boy fancy! He was so cute I was so close to glomping him up. Too bad I wasn't able to take a picture of him alone (Pedobear might appear out of nowhere, lol). He's patiently waiting for his kite to be all set-up by his father/uncle, he was so cute looking excited and all, must be his first kite flight. :)
Kites hovering over people. People scattered all over the place.
Paragliders.
Someone actually proposed on the field to his girlfirend!! He let his girlfriend ride with one of the paragliders and when they landed, he knelt and asked her to marry him. ♥ I've witnessed two proposals for this year already!! Proposals are fun and not to mention very very sweet (well, it should be! It's a grand declaration of forever love!)The hopeless romantic in me just went smitten.
Too bad not all the balloons was able to participate the night glow because the wind was not too friendly that evening. Only around 6 balloons were up but I'm still lucky to be able to see the Darth Vader balloon inflated and lit-up even just for a while. :)The last day of the festival was capped by the night glow and fireworks. They also released a sole flying lantern that amazed the heck of me. It was like my Tangled dream in real life! Made me more determined to pursue my birthday plan in April. I hope we can do it!
Hopefully in the future I will be able to actually ride in a hot air balloon, that would be awesome.

ETA: Here's our video!

Orosman at Zafira

2011-02-15T12:41:00.001+08:00

Last Saturday, I was able to watch my first theatre production. And the heck, it was spectacular......not to mention the eye candy + talent overload and uh, I don't know how to put it into words.I still LOL over how a blood loss happened (not literally, though) and my brain went haywire. =))

Thanks to a friend who treated me to lunch and tickets. Now I think I will become a theatre-lover. Reminds me of my childhood dream of being a stage actress that was kept in the cobwebs of my dream box because I was too introvert to even try to join workshops. Now a part of me regrets that. A little more push and I might just light the flame for that passion again. This means more musicals and plays to watch this year! :)
The cast of Orosman at Zafira.Oh Zelim and Abdalap. :"> I was stunned by Jay Gonzaga's (Orosman) stature. O__OHence the Team Panaderia was born. :P

A synopsis from the official website (orosmanatzafira.com): "Orosman at Zafira is a story of the struggle for power of three kingdoms: Marueccos, Tedenst and Duquela. It is a komedya written by Francisco "Balagtas" Baltazar, a prominent Filipino poet known for his Florante at Laura and widely considered as the Tagalog counterpart of William Shakespeare for his impact on Filipino literature. Not to be mistaken as comedy, a Komedya is taken from the Spanish comedia a generic term of drama. It was brought over by colonizers as an evangelizing tool. It usually had plots about saints or warring kindgoms, and used staging conventions like structured choreographed entrances and exits. The story begins with Zelima, daughter of Ben-asar, Right Vizier of Boulasem, the Pacha of the Kingdom of Tedenst. She sings about Mahamud, Sultan of the entire realm and Pacha of the Kingdom of Marruecos, and his call for a feast. All the Pachas of the realm have been invited, including Boulasem and Zelim, the Pacha of the Kingdom of Duquela. Boulasem suspects that Mahamud secretly plans to kill all the Pachas to gain absolute power. His paranaoia leads him to order the murder of Mahamud during the feast. This results in a cycle of war, murder and treachery. Gulnara, courtesan of Sultan Mahamud, and Zafira, orphaned daughter of the Sultan, begin the first war. Lust for power causes the war to drag on. Boulasem's son, Abdalap, murders his own father to inherit the throne. He also threatens to put his brother Orosman to death so that he will be free to marry Orosman's lover Zafira. Many more lives are sacrificed all because of the greed for power. Will it ever end?"
I personally loved the fierce Duquela tribe and the characters of Zelima, Abdalap and Boulasem, which I found very powerful. If time permits, I would definitely watch Orosman and Zafira again.
Being able to watch Orosman at Zafira makes me more excited for Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah Ze Muzikal. I can't wait!! ^__^
Orosman and Zafira still have playdates on the February 19, 20 and 26 for the 3PM show and on 19, 20 and 26 for the 8PM show at SM Mall of Asia Centerstage Theater. For ticket information, visit the official website.

1 Week Off.

2011-02-14T06:16:00.001+08:00

10 months ago, we came upon a seat sale, and being innately impulsive we are -- booked DAVAO then for February 2011.

First stop upon arrival -- DINNER at Penong's!
People's Park was just across Penong's, too bad no dancing fountain was on when we got there.
The morning after -- AGCO at the foot of Mt. Apo in Kidapawan City.

Trekked into the depths of the area to see the waterfall. It was tiring and muddy.
"Putik na tinubuan ng sapatos", poor shoes.
One thing they have in abundance, FRUITS. Fruitarians will live happily ever after in this side of the world. For real!

POMELOS. I fell in love with Davao's sweet pomelos.
Old-school bowling lane. If only I knew, I should have bought shoes. And outfits. The place called for an fun impromptu photoshoot. Oh well.
Sunset skies in Kidapawan.
More on my next post!

The trip that gained me a few pounds.

2011-02-11T12:13:00.002+08:00

Scratch that.. my face bloated. (>__<) Adventure trip-turned-food trip.
A post on our Davao-Kidapawan trip later! :)

Adrenaline Anticipation.

2011-02-06T16:04:00.001+08:00

I CAN'T WAIT. :D

See you guys after 3 days!!
It'll be a budget trip so as much as I'd like to indulge in too many adrenaline-bursting activities I can muster in Davao, it'll be limited. But the heck, i'll take it to the limits!!

Tangled.

2011-02-06T00:51:00.002+08:00

Welcome back Disney magic. Your touch to fairytales is alive again. I've already watched Tangled weeks before it was even released in cinemas and I instantly fell in love with it -- that I swore to see it on the big screen when it comes out and in 3D ofcrs.

It still made me cry and gave me goosebumps when they released all the floating lanterns. My heart stopped (this might have happened to the other hopeless romantics too, raise yer hands if so) at the floating lanterns scene. ♥ If I could just witness something close to it or my dream of seeing a lot of fireflies at night, I will die a happy soul. True.
I suggest you give it a watch. It's a new view to the traditional Rapunzel story that we've grown up together with but this time the story is a fresher and lovelier one. :) Would've loved it more if I was able to see it on the big screen with you though, since this movie is our favorite (and we shall adopt Pascal, yes?) -- our future movie marathon will have to suffice that in due time. I'm looking forward to it.
Flynn Rider: You were my new dream.
Rapunzel: And you were mine.

February is LOVE month.

2011-02-04T20:53:00.003+08:00

The best way to start February is with L-O-V-E.VALENTINE'S VIDEOKE NIGHT!!
After a stressful afternoon from work because of work-related, no -- more of work-people related stress. Goodness the negative stress didn't came from me nor my friends but somebody else who needs a little enlightenment because their perception is getting dense. Please do wake up and smell your error. Edit/Revise. (My work is taking over me.)
And we should all move on from it and just be happy because there are more reasons to be happy than dwell on something that will not even help. Hear hear. I'm just looking at the bright side how friendships are tested and I am proud to say I have good-hearted friends. Videoke is the way to release stress. Tested and proven. Yes siree.First time to go to Music 21. And wow, should I say that I enjoyed a lot. Especially the chicharong bulaklak and cheese-flavored french fries. Definitely the french fries made the cut. :P
We cashed out a bit off our budget because we enjoyed too much. 5 hours of videoke is never enough.
We spent the first days of the week listing love songs we like, hence the valentine videoke theme came. Pure love songs marathon (may pinaghuhugutan lahat) Hahaha!! The upbeats just came when everyone was starting to feel drowsy from the cheesiness of the love songs -- or maybe it was the alcohol they drank.
They had a couple of drinks, I passed. Said I won't intake alcohol anymore since I'm allergic to it. But drank about 2 tablespoons of it and got a headache and a burning sensation in the stomach. Alcohol is not my friend. Ever.

The heartbrokens, single, happily engaged, searching, etc etc. :D Haha. I love you guise. BUILD ME UP BUTTERCUP BABY!!

I shall leave you with my face because I look scary sometimes. My eyeballs will forever be the fancy and fear of me. O__O

Preparing for Tea.

2011-02-02T20:59:00.000+08:00

Bought some stuff again today and they coincidentally turned out in a lot of blues.
Yesterday I bought some tea and today, biscuits. I guess i'll be having a tea party for the weekend by myself.

Time to find some fancy cups to make it a whole lot better. And I'm also done with my assignments and hoping it'll turn out good. Also submitted my stuff for LAC. I hope it'll bring good news.

GPOYW.
I'm kinda sad about the weekend. The plan didn't push through. :( I was badly praying for it. But hey, things happen for a reason. There's still the 13th though. Wishful Thinking.

M & S.

2011-02-01T21:57:00.001+08:00

I just accomplished something today. Whatever it was, I can't disclose *sorry*. I also have to get something from M&S for someone. It was kinda fun to shop in some high-end store sometimes. But they sell ridiculously expensive stuff, I wouldn't even bother to browse. I'd rather spend the cash on travel expenses. :P

More things to accomplish tomorrow! :) Hello to February btw! Looking forward to videoke night on Thursday and my Davao escapade next week! A week break from work will be spent on an exhilarating adrenaline-charged adventure. I can't wait!

Del & Tere

2011-01-31T20:36:00.002+08:00

A little something I made for my beloved friends who just got engaged over our Cebu Weekend getaway. I hope they like it. I personally asked them to let me be their photographer for their wedding in 2014! I still have 3 years to practice! Hahaha! :D

They both inspire me so much! They both make me happy. :)

35 Days Until Sawasdee BKK!

2011-01-28T11:05:00.000+08:00

Only 35 Days!! I'm cramming with the research re: BKK as this will be my first Asian trip. Me and the mother will be going and the whole idea was quite scary when it sank in to me that only the two of us will be traveling on an unfamiliar destination, considering how lost I am with directions and the mother, who is the same and maybe even more prone to getting lost (I'm actually more scared of her violating road signs, haha).But the best part about this trip will be -- SHOPPING. I can already imagine me taking home 30 shirts when I get home and toys. So there won't be any outfit planning that'll happen for this trip, I'll pack very light and just get clothes there because I'm already dreadful thinking about the extra baggage that might happen.

Familiarizing with railmaps. I am quite excited to try their MRT and BTS line.
I'm still 5% done with the whole itinerary and planning. Still backreading and re-reading.Wish me luck. :)

2011 Travel Destination #2: CEBU -- Part 2!!

2011-01-28T09:11:00.001+08:00

Finally!! 5 days later of the Cebu vacation we had, I finally got my mojo altogether (after days of trying to stay up late, yet failing) to post em photos from the said getaway. Busy week is busy and recovery from the trip wasn't easy (I fell asleep in the middle of Notting Hill the other night). I still have a lot of catching up for the Project 124 (alerting movie buddy, I am reminding you of our distant Saturday movie marathon), and I have a lot of things to sort, prepare for (I am into applying for a new job that I am really rooting for *fingers-crossed*), hope for, pray for and stand for.
I've been really thankful lately. I've seen the clouds' silver lining. :)
My favorite photo from the trip. :) Of things I love, balloons will always be one.
Another favorite. Posted this one on tumblr and got 122 notes. I love the shots from Touya (50 mm)!
Sto. Niño Basilica.
Let your colors burst.
LOL. Tanlines on the arm. I will forever have them.
Airport outfit. Lookbook-ish. Haha.

BEEEEEAAAAACH TIMEEEEEE!!!

My dear friends who got engaged over the weekend. It was a lovely moment to witness! A first time too, tearing-up was inevitable. I hope to be around for their wedding day in 2014! I will photograph their pre-nup! I volunteered! :D
Lunch with a view.

The buffet dinner where the proposal happened. :D I wasn't able to indulge much because I was too anxious already for my task to take the video for the proposal. Cold, dry sweats! But everything happened perfectly, he got on his knees and *squeeeee~* I died. Hahaha. I'll post the video soon!
We got treated to dinner. I ate too much.
We got our *insert name here* <3 Cebu shirts! Goodlord, I am being so pa-cute in photos. (-__-;;)
AND YES!!! WE SURVIVED THE SKY ADVENTURE (Edge Coaster & Sky Walk)!! It was an exhilarating experience and I WANT MORE!

Happy Pill.

2011-01-25T15:14:00.004+08:00

Let this be an open letter to that person who have became my happy pill, I am tremendously grateful.

Dear happiness source,

I would just like to tell you how grateful I am for how incidents have twisted to let us end up this way.
It was an unexpected and surprising -- how things have turned out.
I guess this makes me want to believe again in "Everything happens for a reason."
Come to think of it, you just arrived in time.
160 days later, you are giving me the reasons to smile and be happy. Who would've thought.
Overused but still the right words, Thank you.
Just because.

I don't want to indulge into details because it can get sappy and we don't want to give everyone a reason to shot themselves in sappiness, yes?

But I know that you know very well what I am trying to say here, YOU is ME anyway.

Approximately 270 kilometers apart (according to Y! Answers and yes, I researched that),
I hope my ~~love~~ gratitude reaches you. Thanks for making me smile. :)
*HUGS*

PS. Please be at least less than a kilometer away in the soonest time possible. Or else i'll kill you.
THIS IS A THREAT. DO TAKE IT SRSLY. HAHAHA.

Sparkling Red.

2011-01-19T22:20:00.004+08:00

I want yellow lights but they were already kept somewhere I'm not aware of. Maybe i'll get one very soon and put it up. I want my room to be always this dreamy and fun. :) I'm looking forward to get faerie lights or something of the like on our trip to Bangkok this March. I'm pretty scared that all that I'll purchase there are things to put up in my room and not to mention, toys. Oh boy.

And tomorrow -- CEBU again for the weekend!!
HELLO BLUE SEAS! I'LL SEE YOU VERY SOON! PLEASE DON'T RAIN ON US SKIES!!
And to peer pressure, I actually gave in into getting something appropriate for the beach aside from my usual shirt + shorts get-up. (-__-;;) It's for photofun shoots purposes as the officemates suggested.I am channeling my inner gayness already. *w* It's scaring me. LOL.
See you then next week guise! Have a lot of weekend fun!

Touya.

2011-01-19T11:00:00.002+08:00

source.
I have been always wanting to have it.
And after a long and patient wait, I can finally have one. :D
The godfather once promised that he'll help me to buy my first (budget-defined) lens and this is it! Settling for a second-hand, I don't really mind as long as it's in pristine condition (whenever the word 'pristine' comes to mind, a scene in NCIS always plays in my head wherein they were talking about butchered body parts in their 'pristine' condition) I just really have to say that. (-__-;;) LOL.

I will name him Touya! After Touya Kinimoto of CardCaptor Sakura (cookie points for those who knows who I'm referring to)~ *u*

Yue (my beloved Nikon D90) + Touya will be so perfect together. ♥ I will forever love you if you know the whole point of naming them like that. But of course I can't tell, coz' that's a dark secret of mine -- well, unless you're into it. *wink wink*

We'll be tagging him along when we go to Cebu so that means there will be a lot of photos using Touya! On the other note, I'll see you again tomorrow Cebu! I will never get tired of you!

2011 Travel Destination #2: CEBU (Sinulog)!

2011-01-18T20:36:00.001+08:00

Back from the Sinulog Festival!! It was a rainy weekend and it was difficult to take photos. But I was still able to muster some for everyone. :) Hope you enjoy them! I swear i'll go back next year and actually take better pictures and hope sunshine will be cooperating. I'll be going back to Cebu (again! I know!) this weekend, and this time with my officemates to have a mini vacation. I hope it doesn't rain anymore.
PS. We're gonna try the SkyRide Adventure! Goodness who knows what came to me. I actually forgot I'm afraid of heights.