I’ve decided to create my own blog for the purposes of honing my memory (coz these signs of forgetfulness may lead to dementia or worse Alzheimer’s! LOL) and becoming a creative writer (writer wannabe) as if…it’s just a narration of some of my lately blahs…=)
As I mentioned before I will try to try photo blogging this time so my posts would liven up a little and also trying to post a little less wordy this time around. :) A different style for a change. So just enjoy the captions!
My family went to visit one of my mom's closest friend whose province is Catarman, Northern Samar and is one of the island's millionaire! They built there own resort and their family own a 20 hectare farm with poultry business and soon to open meat shop. There main business their is Copra and is earning more than a hundred thousand per month! I'm pretty sure their property is worth more than 20 million in Samar and they also have probably more than 10 million worth of properties here in Tondo. Talk about the simple rich life. :)
That's my mom and her friend Tita Cora. We rode a motor boat from Catarman, 1 hour drive from CRM airport to the docks and 15 mins boat ride to get to Laoang.
The first day was cloudy and it rained for a while. Most people here owns a motored boat so people can travel from and to Catarman. Their lodging is called Cesar's Place. Funny story it was suppose to be called Cesar's Palace but some guys from the department of tourism advertised their resort and mistook the name as Place and not palace so they changed their resort's name to Place since it was already found on travel brochures!
Everyday we had gold priced seafoods for every meal here! I meant gold priced in Manila! Huge crabs, sugpo, and the fishes are excellent and in which you can eat only at one of those fancy restaurants. Too bad I destroyed the evidences while trying to get first dibs.
It was a cloudy afternoon. I saw blue shells here! unfortunately I didn't take much photos during this trip. :( I was too busy exploring. This photo reminds me of the opening FMV of FF8! Fitos Lusec Vinosec! ahaha, I'm not sure if I spelled the Latin words right. :) I'm no Latina.
The next day we visited their farm, we rode their own motor boat since this was located in another island. It's a 20 hectare land! See the eggs? They just pick that up and sell to the market. This place have cattles, cows, chickens, pigs and ducks! Kind of remind me of harvest moon only life and business in harvest moon's way easier.
This is Brackish water. The further part is the ocean and this photo here is a strait! Connecting the ocean and the river. Salt water is lessened then you can find fresh water much further. :) Amazing!
By the way the photos are somewhat distorted I don't know what happened maybe because I'm downloading and it's affecting speed and quality bits of uploading. But don't upload and download speed different depending on your settings? Anyway I don't want to waste time uploading. Just check out my facebook for more shots. And also maybe I should stick to wordy posts as this is definitely eating my time and I don't have the patience for it. This post took almost 2 hours.
My last day in HP sucks, got all moody and got escalated for a certain application. I was planning to lay low in the afternoon to enjoy the food I prepared and mingle with people I've invited (DBAs, Ops, Former Colleagues, etc.) but didn’t go exactly how I wanted. It’s a good thing I have wonderful teammates who brought me cake and a bunch of notes which pretty much balances the equation. I guess the lesson here is not to volunteer work if you have enough CDOs. :P Anyway life goes on.
It's a gloomy Friday my plans for a certain someone got canceled and here I am trying to add another post. I hope someone invites me to kill time this afternoon.
I guess I’ll talk about my Ilocos trip with my travel buddies last August 15-18, 2010.
Our flight to Laoag (capital of Ilocos Norte) was a bit scary. It was night around 6:30 PM, the plane bound to Laoag is an ATR type, meaning twin turbo propeller plane (not an airbus!) so we were flying on thunderclouds right through. You know the weather here at night right? Thunder along with light rain. I suppose it’s not built to fly above them. It was turbulent and I think lightning hit the plane because we heard a thump sound. The pilot flashed the seatbelt sign on the whole flight too. It was one of the longest hour I’ve experienced thank God we arrived safely. Well because of this experience, I decided to search what an aircraft is made of in case of lightning strikes. The answer is aluminum! Good conductor of electricity so mostly just flows through the plane although there are cases in which the power of the plane gets interrupted or knocked out, if this is the case, an emergency back up is in place. Anyway most flights are cancelled if there are storms and there are also static wicks on the wings edges to keep the plane safe. As they say, the safest way to travel is by means of air.
We booked at Java Hotel although we were starting to regret it the moment we saw FortIlocandia, still the place is very comfortable and at the same time affordable. We went first to Vigan then Pagudpod and last stop was Laoag off course for easier access to the airport on our way home.
ViganCity, Capital of Ilocos Sur
1.Kalesa Tour – you need to ride the Kalesa (300 per hour charge!) as some parts in Vigan can only be reached through this one horse power ride! They blocked some streets to maintain and preserve the old look of the city. As they say Vigan is the living museum. We passed by the BellTower, St. Augustine’s church, Juan Luna’s Museum, some place where pots were made (We tried making pots too but we ended up with pot-eks!) and a very old designed street (Sorry I forgot but this was beautifully made very classic look, just view the pictures in my facebook!).
2.La Preciosa – is a known restaurant here in Vigan. We tried Ilocano’s best dishes such as Bagnet, Pakbet, Poqui-poqui (it's eggplant dunno how it’s cooked), Bulalo etc.
3.Baluarte – owned by Chavit Singson is a park and a mini zoo free of public entrance. Well we didn’t exactly walk around here because it was too sunny and we all forgot sunblock. Yessirree sunblock is definitely on my list in my next destination. Instead we just took photos with the cutee parrot on our shoulders and rode a huge camel haha…
4.Hidden Garden – let me just point out that this place is not a garden more of a plant store. :P Did I mention our rented van rocks? It has a cooler inside, surround sound with flat screen tv and electic outlets incase your camera or phone ran out of battery. Awesome right?
Pagudpod Tour
1.CapeBojeador Lighthouse – they say it’s the tallest lighthouse in south east asia. I noticed it’s also solar paneled. We passed by a bunch of cows here too. (Bull, cow and calf!)
2.Bangui Windmills – huge windmills. The city is powered by these huge things at an estimate of 40%! I hope they put more of these so the whole Philippines can be wind powered or atleast a certain percentage. Cost efficient! We should abuse the power of ocean breeze especially we are an archipelago. I wonder how much money these costs?
3.Blue Lagoon – before here, we actually went to the beach too and had yummy seafood. Too bad it’s not lobster season. It was too hot and you know how unprotected we are from the rays. Sunrays. So we pretty much stayed in the hut. Then we went to this blue lagoon. I wonder why it’s called a lagoon because what I saw is still the ocean. A lagoon is supposed to be shallow and has barriers but I definitely didn’t see the whole lagoon thing. I thought it was a resort at first yet… no idea how blue lagoon got its name.
4.Patapat Viaduct – well just a cool looking roadway.
5.KabiganFalls – dear Lord we trekked 3km here but it was worth it. I asked myself how my friends are still able to swim upon arriving. The water is icy cold and I was bushed from hiking. Yet I plunged… in a span of a minute. I hate cold water. It was my first time seeing a waterfall.
LaoagCity, Capital of Ilocos Norte
1.Sinking BellTower – yes it’s sinking. The entrance is halfway seen.
2.MarcosMuseum – a tribute to Pres. Marcos. The Marcos family tree is here and also his achievements. Well I can’t talk about it much not interested in history.
3.IlocosMuseum – not much to see… just what you normally sees in museums.
4.Paoay Church – hey we made 3 wishes here. There’s also some kind of ruins we toured wherein during the Spanish era, it was a prison. They even have a place where people get their heads cut off. It’s haunted. I was looking at our photos to check maybe a spirit was dragged on our shots but alas. Haha..
5.Saint Williams Cathedral – again with the churches.
6.President Marcos – yes we saw former President Marcos… dead! It’s preserved.
7.Malacanang of the North – it is obvious that the Ilocos region is Marcos’ favorite. Huge place. It’s like a Spanish mansion.
8.FortIlocandia – the only 5 star hotel in the northern region. We kind of regret not booking here when we saw its facilities. We also attempted to gamble in the casino but we were wearing flip flops too bad.
9.Sand Dunes – the only desert look a like in the Philippines. I heard Fernando Poe Jr. did most of his filming here.
10.Agora – we went here to buy Bagoong, Bagnet and Longganisa the region’s delicacy.
I will be going to Samar on November with my family. My mom’s friend just built a resort in Catarman and we were invited to stay for free. I’ll be exploring the Samar region next. As for my travel buddies, our next destination is either Puerto Prinsesa or Camarines Sur’s CWC early next year. I can’t wait.
This was an adhoc trip due to the ‘what the F’ moments at work, in other words, STRESS piled. A, C and M are my companions for this Cebu Bohol trip who made the experience more worthwhile. J We stayed at Midtown Hotel in Cebu and at Whites and Greens Resort in Panglao Bohol wherein the beach is just a stone throws away.
Cebu City Day Tour and The Sky Experience Adventure at Crown Regency Hotel and Towers
Upon arrival, our flight was damn early (6AM baby) we got hungry so we had to stop by at CNT to have brunch. LECHON! Hmmm in my opinion, Santa Maria Bulacan’s lechon still tastes WAY better. J (The salsa is what makes it tastier too, Cebu doesn’t have salsa. They gave us soy sauce and vinegar.)
Magellan Cross - located beside Basilica del Sto. Nino Church and Museum. When we arrived, there were Cebuanas selling colored candles which represents what you want to pray for. (Red for love and career, Yellow for health, and Blue for your family I think.) Yes we bought some, it was cheap anyway and it’s not everyday I go to Cebu. They will offer you a prayer and a dance (not impressive dance more like shaking the candles while walking back and forth!) in front of the cross in which you pray also and later, burn the candles. The ugly part here was we were pestered by kids begging for money. If you give to one kid, you get popular. We were even followed up to our car by our ‘fans’.
Basilica del Sto Nino Church and Museum – similar to Tondo church structure. The image of the Santo Niño, which is kept in the parish convent, is considered the oldest religious relic in the Philippines. This was the image that Magellan gave to Queen Juana as a gift but I don’t remember what for. And yes I sucked in history. The museum is closed during Wednesdays and Sundays and of all the days of the week; we were there on a Wednesday. So much for our museum tour. Well we didn’t see any relic or treasures at all.
San Pedro Fort – it’s definitely smaller than Fort Santiago. It’s a museum-park where Spanish artifacts, documents, paintings, sculptures, sword fragments, cannons, and helmets displayed at the entrance and a wishing well. J I didn’t read the placards of those so I can’t share anything educational unfortunately. We just took tons of pictures and the FAIL jumpshots! See the evidence in my facebook account.
Crocolandia – FAIL! Hmm just your average zoo. I think Manila zoo is even better. The only time I got worked up here is when a croc trashed when we passed by and looked at it. It was pretty exciting and the rest of the trip was well… nevermind.
Taoist Temple – one word Shanghai! Beautiful temple made by (I’m guessing the obvious) the Chinese community in Cebu. The entrance to the temple is a replica of the Great Wall of China except off course shorter. We got exhausted climbing up. I’m not sure how high but it’s pretty steep. The temple includes a chapel, a library, a souvenir shop and a wishing well. I like my picture there with a lion statue. J
Lapu Lapu Shrine – since as you know I sucked in history and too lazy reading historical background, I’ll just describe what I saw. Just a statue of lapu lapu wearing a diaper and a separate shrine with a painting of some sort. I was eating corn here and that’s all I remember… yes the corn was tasty.
Cebu Guitars – place answered for questions such as what’s a guitar, how to make a guitar, kinds of guitars and how much for a guitar.
Crown Regency Hotel – our sky experience adventure composed of sky walking, edge coaster and 4D movie theatre. I wasn’t scared at all. Ahem. Sky walking lets you walk around the 37th level outer rim of Regency. The pathway is glass and if you look down it’s scary to walk plus it’s windy. It felt like you are being pushed off the edge. The photos are expensive, Php 900 for just the photos in CD but we decided to buy anyway. Money is no object for vain people. The edge coaster is located at the 38th floor and you are being tilted 50degrees down the edge on your seat. You’re initially tilted to 50 deg but you can control it afterwards. Off course we set ours to 1 deg. JWe did this at night so had a spectacular view of night lights of Cebu. The 4D movie is just for 15 minutes. You have 3D glasses and a moving chair plus it’ll let you feel what the protagonist is feeling in the movie. If he gets wet, you will get sprayed by water in your seat. If he falls, your seat will crash down. I hated the part when he was chased by frogs, I felt something sticky under my seat and it was uncomfortable. There were also sky binoculars and telescope for a price, 5 peso coin I think or was it 10? Anyway I think I had enough 40 stories kind of view. And yes we paid for the eat all you can buffet dinner! J
Bohol Country Tour, Dolphin Watching, Island Hopping and Snorkeling
The next day we went to Pier 1 at 5:45 AM, we weren’t able to avail our free buffet breakfast since our boat leaves at 6 AM. Oceanjet was the name and it’s a 2 hour ride. Our driver in Bohol kept rushing us and timing every destination spot so we finished early around 4PM even though the tour started at around 8:30 AM.
Blood Compact – sandugo is the tagalog term of someone and someone and someone spilling blood. Look it up in Philippine history please coz all I saw is their monument. All I know is that it’s a friendship treaty between the Spaniards and Filipinos.
Man Made Forest – yes how can it possibly man made?? There are a lot I mean a lot of Mahogany trees along the highway. The driver said they started calling it twilight since it looked like the forest in the movie itself. It made summer less hot, the cool breeze of the trees and the shades did its work.
Chocolate Hills – one hill was developed so tourists can climb up to have an over looking view of the rest of the hills. The driver said the hills are brown entirely during May. It’s when the grass dries up during the summer. At this time, some are green and some are brown. At the top, the locals are cashing in a lot of dough at the tourists who wants their picture taken at a perfect scenic view of the chocolate hills. They got props too! We had a flying a broom shot. (It’s a jumpshot while you hold the broom. J) Yes we got this as well for Php 400. Pricey.
Butterfly Garden – a tour of the lifecycle of a butterfly. I sprayed Victoria’s Secret all over me coz I thought the butterflies would swarm towards me but unfortunately… Anyway did you know that there are gay and bisexual butterflies? The tour guide distinguished them if their wings are not proportional, half smaller half bigger or half light colored and half dark means homoflies. Yes we saw those gay preserved butterflies. The 2nd largest moth in the world is also found here in Bohol. And it’s as big as a parrot.
The Tarsier – so cute! The smallest monkey in the world the size of a thumb. J Too bad it’s not for sale.
Rio Verde Floating Resto (Loboc River Cruise) – buffet lunch while cruising the river while a man entertains you with songs and his guitar. Too bad the songs were really old. The boat was also filled with Koreans!! Even in Cebu, Koreans are invading the Philippines. I ate some kind of seaweed here that upset my stomach but everything else was fine.After some time you will arrive at the ATTI Tribe. They have drumbeats while others are dancing along with their spears, arrows and the other one breaths fire! You can have your picture taken for any amount of donation given.
Giant Python – this baby swallows live pigs whole!
Baclayon Church and Museum – 2nd oldest church, hmm I wasn’t feeling well here so I just trot around.
Bohol Beach Club – we checked in Whites and Greens but we still dropped by this famous resort. We paid to avail its facilities and had exquisite candlelit dinner with a glimpse of their dance troupe performing folk dances.
Dolphin Watching – the next day we had early breakfast served at 5:30 AM. The ocean breeze was cool as we dine together with the rising sun. The dolphins are spotted around 6AM -7AM at Panglao beach. We saw a lot but had trouble taking their pictures. And yes you can hear their language they sounded like mice squealing.
Snorkeling – they have sanctuary in Balicasag Island. Lots of fishes saw Nemo, an eel and other fishes. I held out seaweed underwater and the fishes approached my hand thinking it was for feeding. Bad news is that I bruised my leg here when I dismounted our banca. Bloody bruise.
Virgin Island – it’s shaped like long island and some part of the land is covered by water during high tide.
Panglao beach has white sand, most beaches actually in Visayas region are where there is less oil and pollution. Although the beach leaves a kind of sticky feeling after swimming not like in Bicol. This blog entry is too long already so to sum up, I love our vacation here. I love the ocean, the sand, star fishes and sea urchins. I love the food at the regency and our sky adventure! I love our food anywhere, is delish! I love summer at Cebu and Bohol!
Lately I’ve been thinking of my career paths and I thought to myself that the next probable and preferable path for me if not IT will be marketing or management. The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority as they say. It’s good to work with people and have persuasive skills and be convincing no matter what. Something related to my college degree for a change huh? Anyways, all the time I’ve come across people handing over flyers regarding apartments for rent, condos for sale etc. Well it’s all in the marketing. I believe those people handling real estate can have a jumpstart with their career by coming up with ads. Personal Ads. Hmm… Depending on the type of flat! My flyers would include slogans such as, living with that special someone??
Studio Type Condos: fully furnished condo looking for someone to grab in my drawers, unpack my chest, and jump straight into my bed.
Cheap Apartment: looking for a relationship who is a workaholic individual willing to tolerate leaky faucets, creaky floors and damage left by previous occupants.
Igloos: Perfect for individuals who like to bundle up with lots of clothes on and keep their hands off their thermostat even for that icy look!
Bungalows: Colorful and heavily accessorized home looking for someone to seek hidden treasures. The carpet doesn’t match the drapes, but may be willing to strip down to genuine hardwood floor.
Log Cabin: Wooden house looking for individual with few belongings who enjoys long walks on the beach and eating out. Nature lover.
Well Built Personal 2 Storey Home: Attractive home with impressive plumbing looking for residents who enjoy lots of hot and steamy showers. Must be family oriented.
Scenic view home with terraces: fishbowl-style street-level apartment with large windows and no blinds seeks exhibitionist looking to entertain neighbors.
Villa Dream: Cosmopolitan metropolitan loft dream home with comfortable walk-in closets looking to be shared by a pair of “roommates.” Spacious living area is ideal for a party for when you are ready come out of the closet.
Vacation rental: Seeking short-term fun with no risk of commitment.
Trailer: Couples on the go.
Coming soon to your nearest classified ads section. I think I’m ready to shift in the marketing department. LOL! I’d be fired with slogans such as these.
And yes I sucked in history. The museum is closed during Wednesdays and Sundays and of all the days of the week; we were there on a Wednesday. So much for our museum tour. Well we didn’t see any relic or treasures at all.