Saturday, December 20, 2008

I'm back!

After 5 days or so of hibernating, I'm back! I just had a very fun and relaxing vacation at Tondol White Beach in Pangasinan and Baguio City. From the time we left Manila until we got back from the lalawigans, the weather was so so sunny! Clear skies... No sign of rain at all... God loves me! :) It was the perfect summer in December...

December 15, 2008
6:00 PM - Josh fetched me sa office and we had dinner at Mc Donald's. We spent siguro an hour and 30 mins chitchatting over our burgers... trying to buy time kasi 12MN pa biyahe namin.
Salcedo Park at Night
7:45 PM - Josh and I went to Salcedo Park. Lakad lakad lang. We planned to leave Makati mga 9:30 eh, para sakto lang dating namin sa Victory Liner in Cubao. This was the first time I saw Salcedo Park at night... and the first time without the tinderos and tinderas of the weekend market.
9:30 PM - on our way to Victory Liner sa Cubao. Traffic was not that heavy naman and it took manong driver 45 mins lang to drive us from Makati.
10:15 PM or so - we were waiting sa terminal and buying time. Josh handed me a pack of Maltesers, kainin daw sa bus--was so surprised! =) While waiting for our bus, meron dun nag-aabang din--cute kid named Nico. Ayun, pinicture-an namin ni Josh. May pic din kaming dalawa ni Nico. :) and ang ganda ganda ng comment ni Josh "bakit kaya minsan kahit na yung parents ng bata hindi masyadong maganda, yung anak nila ang cute" simpleng pintas laaannggg =D
Nico...
December 16, 2008
12MN - off to Pangasinan! ETA was 6AM. But, the bus' fan belt broke and we had to stay in Pampanga for an hour. Naisip ko... ilang oras na naman ako matutulog nito before we get to our destination. Ang layo... but I didn't care coz I know this vacay would be very worth the time and effort... and money! Alam ko maganda yung pupuntahan namin eh.
6:30 AM - we finally reached Catubig where we got a tricycle to bring us sa Tondol White Beach in Anda. Every turn ng trike was an anticipation na makikita ko na ang beach. Nakailang liko na ang trike wala pa rin akong makitang anino ng dagat! And the tricycle ride was sooo looong... 40 minutes talaga! And it costs us 200 bucks!
Catubig Trike Stop (nasa loob na ko ng trike... so sleepy)
7:15 AM or so - we're already at Tondol White Beach... right there and then, I fell in love with the beach... so peaceful... so quiet... we can even hear our whispers. I can only hear the waves of the sea and the chirping of the birds. It was heaven!
8:15 AM - After settling down, Josh and I decided to go to the local market to buy our food for our lunch. I need to locate the Iglesia ni Cristo church na rin so we went back to the bayan, which means another looonnnggg trike ride... good thing though, hindi na 100 pesos ang ibabayad namin kasi meron kaming kasamang iba pa na papunta din don. Tig 30 bucks na lang kami. =) Before mamalengke, hinanap namin ang church at natunton naman namin... Thank God! It was just walking distance from the plaza. There we met Ka Beth Santos and her family. Very warm talaga ang mga taga Anda. Winelcome nya talaga kami and sinabi nya lang na bumalik ako before 6:30 PM kasi yun ang schedule ng devotional prayer. Punta na kami sa market after then we bought bangus (my favorite); tomatoes, ginger, and onions (for the bangus' filling); hotdogs and liempo. We were planning na mag-ihaw for lunch. Bumili din kami ng cooked rice. We were trying to find an ATM too but to no avail... sa Alaminos pa daw ang ATM (which is an hour++ from Anda), paktay! Lesson #1: mag-withdraw ng bonggang bongga before going to Tondol. And bring everything na dapat dalhin para di na bibili sa bayan. The manong of the trike was kind enough to wait for us para maisabay na kami going back to the white beach kaya di na kami nahirapan.
10:00 AM - Joshua was already busy setting up his reliable ihawan while I chop the bangus fillings (tomatoes, ginger, and onions). I enjoyed doing this--preparing your own food. Honestly, I was very careful of chopping and preparing the ingredients--nakakahiya kaya kay Josh if I ruined it coz mas marunong pa sya mag-cook kesa sakin.
Our Lunch
11:30 AM - lunch time! I helped Josh set the table then he let me uncork our Apple Champagne (it's non-alcoholic), my first time to do it. We had a yummy lunch--inihaw na liempo, bangus and hotdogs! We also had ripe Mango and Pinapple juice. Kinain ko din yung Maltesers for dessert--partner ng champagne! ;)
12:30 PM - We had to clean up na before we go to the beach. I enjoyed doing this as well... Wala lang. =) sabi ni Josh punta na daw ako sa beach at mag-picture picture, ayoko naman kasi syempre I've to help him out mag-clean ng kinainan namin. Pero sya pa rin nag-wash ng dishes--nakakahiya talaga ko.
1:15 PM - off to the beach! I didn't bring my digicam. Yung disposable underwater camera ang dinala namin ni Josh. Baka daw mabasa ang digicam ko eh. So, wala akong kuha sa digicam ko on our first trip sa shores. Kainis... Ipapascan ko na lang yung kuha sa disposable cam. Ang layo layo na ng nalakad namin ni Josh eh hanggang talampakan pa rin ang water! Naisip ko: YA should reach this place! Kakalakad namin ni Joshua, we reached Tanduyong Island. Dun ako nag-rest, humiga sa isang papag na may bubong na pawid (naks). Sa isip ko: sobrang peaceful... gusto ko to. May nakita si Josh na hammock sa tabi at pinalipat nya ko don, since wala namang tao--that's what we thought ng biglang... "Sir, private island po ito, 100 pesos lang. Barya lang naman sa inyo yung 100. Gusto nyo mag-bangka? 100 lang." buset na manong yon! Pilay na nga sya, lasing pa! Natakot ako non talaga kaya ayun umalis na kami ni Josh. Lesson #2: Siguruhing wala talagang tao sa island para makaiwas sa mga biglang lumilitaw na manggagancho tulad nitong mga to. And, according to Josh, never ever tell them na dalawa lang kayo nagtatravel. Sabihin nyo isang group kayo para wag kayo harrassin. We were so tired and sleepy na so we decided to go back sa cottage. Sa paglalakad namin, nakakita kami ng baby octopus! First time ko makakita non promise! Tapos si Josh naman ay masugid na inaalok nung manang na bilhin yung shell na mabaho. Natapunan si Josh nung black ink nung shell at nangalingasaw sya... Eeewww.
2:30 PM - Cottage na kami at nag-shower. After taking a shower, we took a nap... a nap na parang di namin natikman for years dahil sa biyahe.
4:30 PM - Josh was waking me up kasi nga pupunta kami ng church (na 40-minute trike ride away). Grabe pag-gising ko ang sakit sakit ng ulo ko!!! Josh gave me Advil para mawala ng konti yung sakit ng ulo ko na feeling ko e dinulot ng puyat. Eto pa, sinundan pala kami nung nag-aalok ng shell na mabaho at pinipilit si Josh bilhin yung shell pang-Christmas party lang daw nung anak... sa isip ko "Duh!"
6:00 PM - ang aga namin makarating kina Ka Beth so nakipagkwentuhan muna kami. Sa daldal ni Josh, eh hindi naubusan ng mapaguusapan. Akala pa nga ni Ka Beth mag-jowa kami at ikakasal na. Hehe... Nakibihis pa ko ng pangsamba kasi naka-pants lang ako when we went there, hindi keri mag formal na damit papunta don no. Before 6:30, pinapasok na ng pastor ang mga members ng church at magstart na ang service. Sumama si Josh sa loob ng church, nakaupo lang sya don. After the 15-minute service, nag-comment ang Josh "I like your service, it was straight to the point and heartfelt ang prayer"... I just smiled.
Ka Beth Santos and Family
7:30 PM - namalengke pa ulit kami, bumili ng water, hamburger sa tabi-tabi (pinaka Jollibee na nila yon), barbecue and rice na dinner namin. Hinatid kami ng taga-church and dumating kami ng cottage mga mag-10PM na. Naubos oras namin ni Josh kakaikot kasi naghanap kami ng makakain. Lesson #3: mag-stock ng maraming food na pwedeng lutuin or kahit instant para di na mahirap maghanap sa bayan.
10:00 PM - "dinner" time. Kinain namin ni Josh ang barbecue at rice na binili namin. Kakainin ko dapat ang hamburger together with our Swiss Miss kaso di daw masarap sabi ni Josh. Di daw kasi masyado luto. While eating, nagulat ako ng biglang nagpakita ang red moon! It was my first time na makakita non! Josh said na sa beach lang daw talaga makakakita ng red moon... New moon na daw kasi. Grabe! I was in awe... After dinner, naka 2 cups pa kami ng Swiss Miss under the stars... Kwentuhan lang and mga 12MN na kami natulog.
December 17, 2008
6:30 AM - Good Morning Sunshine!!! Nagising ako sa tawag ni Josh, na-lock nya yung self nya sa labas. Hehe... Mga after ilang minutes pa ko humiga before bumangon to help Josh prepare our breakfast. Di pa nga dapat ako babangon kaso sabi ni Josh "o, Avs, ayan na yung hangin mo sa umaga". O nga naman, yun nga pala yung isa sa mga pinunta ko dito... We had scrambled eggs with mushrooms and onions, ripe mango, fruit cups, oranges, peanut butter sandwich and Swiss Miss. Akalain mo nakapag-breakfast ako ng walang kape?!
Our Breakfast
10:50 AM - off to the beach! We went to the other side naman this time... where the mangroves were planted. Lakad lakad at picture picture with the manongs na nanghuhuli ng clams pangkain nila. Sinulit talaga namin ang beach! At si Josh walang ginawa kundi picture-an ako. We spent almost half day sa beach, mga 2PM na kami bumalik sa cottage. Pagka-shower, punta ulit sa bayan kasi may panata ulit ako sa church. We had lunch sa isang carinderia don at di ko naman na-enjoy ang food. Haayyy... We planned to go to Alaminos for McDonald's or KFC kaso ang layo so hinde na lang. Sa paglalakad namin, may nakita kaming nagtitinda ng mga handicrafts at hindi na si Puti (the kalabaw) ang naghihila kundi si Kawasaki na. Hehe... We bought cotton candies for us para kakainin namin while naglalakad lakad. Meron din kaming nadaanan na school program at ito si Josh ay pinagkukunan ng pic ang mga Mr. and Ms. something-something. At, may pa ko with the school principal. Tawang tawa talaga ko... grabe talaga to si Joshua...
8:06 PM - nag-papainit ng water ang Josh, mag-Swiss Miss kami dapat e... and manginginain ng Cracklings na kine-crave ko, kaso... nakatulog na ko. Di man lang ako nakabangon to wash my face and change my clothes. Tinulugan ko si Josh... Sorry... Sobrang pagod lang talaga...
December 18, 2008
6:00 AM - nag-sorry talaga ko kay Josh pagkagising na pagkagising kasi tinulugan ko sya last night... lakad lakad muna kami for siguro mga 1 hour before we eat our light breakfast. We're heading na sa Baguio ngayon eh. Naisip ko... haayyy, matatapos na ang bakasyon namin ni Josh. We walked sa may beach ulit to take a last look of the "paradise" na iiwanan na namin (in the meantime) tapos picture picture ulit. Meron kami nakitang lolo na pinapanood ang mga apo nya maglaro ng saranggola (walang ganitong eksena sa Manila promise). After an hour siguro, we went back to our cottage na and ate a light breakfast...

8:45 AM - off to Baguio City! Hmmm... parang ayoko na nga pumunta sa Baguio at magstay na lang sa beach... Grabe 5 hours ang biyahe from Pangasinan to Baguio! at wala pang derechong byahe. Lilipat lipat ng sasakyan kamusta naman yon. Nung malapit na kami sa Baguio, nagising ako dahil ang init! at ang usok!!! Bat ganon?! Parang wala ako sa Baguio... Ibalik nyo ko sa Tondol!!! We arrived at Baguio mga 2:30 PM... kumain lang muna kami and naligo tapos konting nood ng TV.

6:00 PM - punta kami ni Josh ng church kasi may worship service kami. Josh attended the worship service, well I hope he liked our way of praising and worshipping... =) after the service, mga 8 PM na ito, we went to SM and had dinner at Gerry's (we had bangus sisig and molo soup!). Mejo tired na talaga ko nito, but sayang naman kung di kami maglilibot... so naglibot libot kami sa mga ukay ukay at bangketa. Meron kaming nakitang stuffed toy cum sex toy... hahaha... kakainis! At gusto pa talaga kunan ng pic ni Josh... Ayoko nga! Feeling ko naeexploit ako. Haha... So yon... Kakaikot pa rin ng kakaikot, Joshua saw this very cool high cut sneakers (na tatak intsik)! Ang ganda grabe! Pinasukat talaga sa kin ni Josh and he took a picture of me while sinusukat ko. =) eh, ang lamig sobra so di ko na hinubad, Josh paid for it na lang at suot ko na sya hanggang sa hotel. Mga 12 MN patulog na ko, Josh was still watching TV... Bukas, mamamalengke kami at pupunta sa Bell Temple at magpapapicture sa mga Buddhist monks...

December 19, 2008
2:30 AM - ubo ako ng ubo at nagising si Josh... Sorry... Ayun, nag-worry ata sa ubo ko kaya he asked for hot water sa attendant at nag-Swiss Miss kami. Nagkwentuhan lang kami forever at di ko namalayan na 1 and a half hours na lang e gigising na ko ulit para pumunta sa church. Nakaidlip pa naman ako kahit konti before pumunta sa church around 5:30.

7:00 AM - finish na ang panata at naglakad kami ni Josh from church hanggang hotel... malapit lang naman. Kinausap daw sya ng pastor. Hehe... Mga 7:30 na kami dumating sa hotel at humiga ako ulet. Antok pa ko eh... ayun, awa ng Diyos hindi kami natuloy sa Bell Temple at palengke... hehehe... tinamad na ko eh and antok na antok pa. So, we spent half of the day watching TV.

12:00 NN - check out na kami. Punta na kami sa SM for lunch and para ipadevelop ang pix na nasa disposable camera. We went to Don Henrico's to eat (buffalo wings!!!) at etong Josh e kino-correct na naman yung waiter kasi di ma-pronounce ang Salisbury steak ng maayos. Haha... Sobrang busog talaga kami grabe! Di na nga ko makalakad sa kabusugan, e maghahanap pa kami ng dress ko at gift ni Josh para sa monita nya. May pinuntahan kaming carpet store ni Josh kasi naisip nyang yun na lang ang ibigay nya sa monita nya... We asked how much yung rug ang sagot ni manong "180 per each". Hindi ko na nga pinansin, etong Joshua nag-side comment na naman. Tawang tawa tuloy ako. Pati dun sa tindahan ng souvenirs sinabi nya sa manang artista daw ako at tinawag ba naman akong Maricar. Haha... Speaking of Maricar, sa Don Hen pala, hinihiram nya sa manager yung name plate at pinapasuot nya sa kin at pipicture-an daw nya ko... Maricar kasi yung name nung manager. Aynako talaga... kung ano anong pinaggagawa nito ni Josh! Pati yung nasa tabing table namin, kinunan nya ng pic na yung ulo e pinalitan nya ng ulo ni Osemeña at Ninoy Aquino. Tawang tawa talaga ko promise!

5:30 PM - umandar ang bus pa-Pasay... Tulog lang kami ni Josh sa buong byahe at 1AM na kami dumating sa terminal. We ate at McDo sa may Taft LRT at dapat e pupunta pa kaming Christmas Party ng SPA. Kaso, 2:30 na yon and we're so damn tired so yun, umuwi na lang kami. Haaayyy... It was a very tiring byahe but it's all worth it! I enjoyed my vacay sobra! Sa isip ko... Trabaho na naman sa Monday...

During my vacay, first time kong...
  • makakita ng sand dollar, baby octopus, buhay na starfish (at marami sya), sea slug, snail, crab na naglalakad while nakatago sa shell nya at shells na may creature sa loob.
  • makakita ng red moon (new moon)
  • maglakbay ng malayo na naka-tricycle at 200 ang pamasahe
  • makarating sa isang white sand beach na walang katao tao
  • maka-encounter ng taong nag-aaccommodate ng total stranger at sasabihing "pasensya na di pa ko nakakapaglinis" (walang ganito sa Manila)
  • maka-encounter ng very appreciative folks. Binigay namin ni Josh yung isang bottle namin ng champagne and yung 1 pair ng wine glass sa family na nakilala namin sa church and super na-appreciate nya ito.
  • makakita ng isang barrio'ng ang lahat ng bahay e may well
  • makarating sa isang bayan na walang ospital at ATM. Pag nagkasakit ka, ang sagot e botica ng bayan... at ang ATM ay nasa Alaminos
  • makapunta sa isang lugar na hindi uso ang fastfood
  • ma-experience ang ganitong type of vacation... =)
Gastos sa trip (Fare and lodging only. Food and Trike Fare to and from the bayan on our palengke trips not included):
Manila-Tondol White Beach, Anda, Pangasinan
Bus Fare from Cubao-Alaminos: PhP 370.00
Bus Fare from Alaminos-Tara: PhP 35.00
Trike Fare from Tara-Tondol White Beach: PhP 200.00 (c/o Josh)
Star Inn (where we stayed): Php 1,200 (for a night)

Tondol White Beach-Baguio City
Trike Fare from Tondol-Anda Bayan: PhP 100.00
Bus Fare from Anda Bayan-Alaminos: PhP 43.00
Van Fare from Alaminos-Baguio City: PhP 101.00
Taxi Fare from Van Terminal-Blue Mountain Inn: PhP 40.00 (I think)
Blue Mountain Inn (where we stayed): PhP 1,200 (pero discounted at di ko alam kung magkano binayad ni Joshua)

See more of our Vacay Pix...

Monday, December 15, 2008

Bakasyon Galore!

Magmumuni muni muna ako sa karagatan at kabundukan ng Hilagang Luzon!
Sa mga tagasubaybay ko: Abangan na lang ang blog entry ko next week about my bakasyon galore!
Ü

Friday, December 5, 2008

So what if I reposted this from Angel's? Malapit na birthday ko!

Avee Our Birthday Girl

Our bestie Avee celebrated her 29th birthday last Monday. We were texting Sunday night, counting down til the clock struck 12. She was at 19 East daw with her Tita so I stayed up a little later because I wanted to be the first people to greet her a happy birthday.

Some interesting Avee facts:

* She was my busmate kay Tita Terry and Mang Ytable.

* We used to pick on our other best friend in grade school, Angela Tripon. Bata pa lang maldita na talaga kami. I wonder where Angela is now?

* When we were younger, we both shared a passion for Romnick Sarmenta and Jennifer Sevilla. As in the poster-on-your-bedroom-wall kind of passion. Si Achie maka-Sharon and Gabby, si Ann maka-Jigo Garcia and Jean Garcia. Woohoo!

* Avee detested Kerokerokeroppi. I wonder why. =D

* But she was a big fan of espadrilles.

* Nagka-crush din sa kanya ang aming pinsang si Nokie nung debut ni Apple.

* She likes sampaloc candies.

* She almost dislocated her jaw while eating a Big Mac inside the bus.

* She can burn the telephone lines with no effort. Telebabad from sun up to sun down.

* And since paborito niya ang telepono, na-discover din niya ang 'mailbox' ng mga ADB employees na illegal naming ginagamit to leave ridiculous messages. Haha.

* She wanted to name her daughter Amethyst Julienne when we were in high school.

* Masipag si Avee sumipot sa mga dentist's appointments kaya siya ang may pinakamagandang ipin sa amin ngayon. Kaming tatlo naka-braces pa rin. Ay si Achie pala wala ng braces.

* Gamit na gamit ang kama at kuwarto ni Avee sa mga sleepovers ng YA.

* Avee has this unconscious habit of scratching/rubbing her nose when she tells a story.

* She's not a writer, but she wrote me a novel as a gift for my birthday.

* She loved "No More Guitars" so much, the story I wrote for her as a birthday gift.

* She called up my crushes for me to fish for info. Nakausap na niya si Lawrence Guevarra, si Cablitas, si Dodie, si Trillana (!), heck, even Jon!

* She loves having her picture taken. May signature smile yan na ginagaya ni Suzanne. Basta, nakakatawa si Suzanne.

* Sinamahan nya ko sa liblib na lugar sa Cubao para magsubmit ng article sa magazine. On the way home, we saw her crush from San Beda na si Patrick. Everytime we remember this moment, kilig na kilig ang lola mo at umpisa na ng trip down memory lane.

* Do you remember this guy named Tristan na textmate namin pareho ni Avee na mineet ng YA sa Robinson's Place Manila? Sa Auntie Anne's? Ang stupid, sa Robinson's Galleria pumunta. Haha.

* And do you remember that one summer night when YA watched Nightmare On Elm Street? Yung napatalon si Harry from one end of the sofa to the other end nung biglang lumabas yung dila ni Freddie sa mouthpiece ng telepono? Panalo!

* Mahirap yayain si Avee manood ng sine. I don't know why.

* She gave me free board and lodge when I was househunting last year. =D

* Avee introduced me to my sweetest downfall...Gah! Next!

* Nakakarating sa Marikina, sa Cainta at sa Fairview just for the man she loves.

* She is the biggest fan of my work! =D

* Yun nga lang she suffers from Last Minute Syndrome, yun bang magca-cancel at the last minute. Hee. =D

* She has very strong faith and is very active in her church.

* Migraine, asthma, anemia, dysmenorrhea.

* Kahit ngayon medyo she's out of circulation and missing in action, she will always be a constant in my life. =D

Happy birthday, bes!

Bes, buti at natandaan nyo na kung kelan... =D

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Cybershot...

I got my new Sony Cybershot digicam!!! Yahoo!!!
  • 10.1 Mega Pixels with Super HAD CCD
  • Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens with 5x Optical Zoom
  • 3.5" 16:9 Wide & Touch LCD Screen
  • BIONZ Image Processing Engine
  • Double “Anti-blur” Solution: Super SteadyShot and ISO 3200 High Sensitivity
  • Improved Face Detection Technology for Children and Adults
  • Smile Shutter
  • Intelligent Scene Recognition
  • New Underwater Mode adjusts white balance in water
  • HD Slide Show with Select Music Playback
  • Automatic Macro Shooting

Super best buy!!! Got it for only PhP 16,000... (4GB MMC, Screen Protector and Pouch included) SRP @ leading tech stores is PhP 21,999.
Excited na ko gamitin!!! Bininyagan na nga ng mga agents ko...

1st pic taken by my T300
1st pic of me taken by my T300