Family vacation @ Puerto Princesa, Palawan (February 3-6, 2009)

…at long last after such a long wait, our family is taking another vacation…by ourselves again (not an office outing or a family affair) just like what we did way back in 2007 when we all went for a short weekend trip to Baguio city…just the four of us… this time, we decided to take the kids on a plane ride to visit Palawan since after Jun and I visited the paradise last year, we vowed to take them there…and we are just staying true to that promise…

And so last year when we I saw the opportunity to avail of discounted tickets for Palawan I decided to take the risk and bought tickets for our dream destination even if it’s still around four months away! I reckoned the time spent waiting could be spent saving up for it din naman e…SO GO! Our departure from Manila was at 8:30 AM and so we all got up early because we have to be at the airport at 6:30 am (2 hours before boarding!). Thankfully, we didn’t have a problem waking up and getting there on time…(so excited!) We reached the spanking new NAIA Terminal 3 (for Cebu Pac flights) and it was indeed very clean and sparkling. We had fun while waiting for two hours for our flight, we had breakfast at a Jollibee kiosk there before we boarded our flight that left as scheduled at 8:30 a.m. Our flight was quite uneventful…had a good laugh though coz our daughter (her first time to fly!) almost squealed in delight when she saw the plane slowly taking off…all the time saying (ayan na! ayan na! tumataas na!) She was just a joy to be with…


















DAY 1 – CITY TOUR

One hour later and we made our touchdown at the Puerto Princesa airport in Palawan. We rode a trike to our hotel/inn beside the famous Puerto Pension, the Audissie Pension(because it was much, much more affordable!) After checking in, we went to the city proper and contracted a trike to take us on our very own personalized city tour. But first, we ate lunch at Elmer’s Pares, the same turo-turo that we went to last year before we went on our Island Hopping. After we were full, we proceeded to our first stop…we opted to go the farthest place first in our itinerary – the Iwahig Penal Prison. There was no entrance fees here…it was in fact, a very wide open expanse that did not seem at all like a prison! There were walls but only superficial ones. The prisoners can freely roam around and interact with visitors – they are allowed to farm, breed animals, do crafts and other sorts of livelihood. But there are still some hardened criminals that stay behind bars. We stayed awhile and talked with them and bought some of the souvenirs they themselves made – like keychains and T-shirts. Key chains here had the same price as in the market priced at 12 pcs for PhP100 while ref magnets are PhP50 for large ones and 3 pcs for PhP100 for the small ones.











Next stop was the Crocodile Farm, it was another place we weren’t able to visit the last time we were here because it was a bit far…entrance fees were PhP40 for adults and PhP20 for children. We marveled at their display of the skeleton of the largest crocodile captured in the country. The also had live crocodiles in cages and we saw them lazily sleeping the hot afternoon away. The highlight of the trip is the picture-taking session with a real-live crocodile (but it was just a small one! Hehehe and its mouth was even sealed shut with tape!) The experience was still kinda creepy holding the ‘creature’ with your bare hand. The photo op just cost us PhP30 per pic.











After buying a crocodile stuffed toy for Kaye and a T-shirt for Keith, off we went to our next stop – Mitra’s farm. The place was one we already visited a year ago and it was still just as relaxing and refreshing to visit. It reminded me a bit of Tagaytay or Antipolo with a great view overlooking the city. The place is owned by the Mitra family, whose most famous member is former congressman who ran for President Ramon Mitra. The place seems to be neglected though, maybe they don’t really live there anymore but it’s good that the caretakers allow visitors to enter and rest a bit (without charging any entrance fees!)





Next was a visit to Baker’s Hill – where we bought some snacks and lots of baked goodies - some for pasalubong and others for munching as we go along. The kids also took the opportunity to have their pictures taken among the numerous animal and cartoon character statues that littered the restaurant cum bakeshop.











Final stop for the city tour is the Butterfly farm…more pic taking and we watched a short video presentation on how butterflies evolved…the kids had fun taking pics of the fleeting butterflies. Entrance to the place was PhP25 for adults and PhP10 for children. After awhile, we went back to the pension house, paid our trike driver PhP500 – how’s that for a half-day city tour eh!?! We rested for awhile in our bedroom before dinnertime.







We had dinner at Chicken Inato – their specialty is BBQ chicken and the kids truly enjoyed it! It still tasted great and I still liked the same warm cozy ambiance that we enjoyed here last year. Since we have our kids with us, we can’t take them to that popular resto here that serves the Palawan specialty – tamilok! Anyway, even I am not brave enough to try eating it…maybe next time when they are a bit older and much bolder in their food preferences. Our entire dinner cost is around PhP800 but truly, truly worth it! After eating, we decided to shed away a few pounds by walking along their Baywalk…the place was quite near our hotel and my daughter already saw earlier that the place was teeming with youngsters and had bikes for rent! And so we let them rent out bikes while we just sat around in the benches after walking a bit. After awhile it was time to retire for the night since we had to be up early tomorrow.







DAY 2 – UNDERGROUND RIVER TOUR

The next day we were up early at 5:30 to bathe and get ready for the Underground River tour. We ordered two breakfasts from the Audissie kitchen but found it wanting. Last night, we passed by Jollibee on our way home and ordered burger steak takeout as the kids’ breakfast while for us, we had their so-called Filipino breakfast (na kakaunti!) at least now we know that we should not order from them again!

The van picked us up at around 7am and we passed by a few more places to complete the other members of our tour group then it’s off to Sabang we went for the Undergound river tour. Of course, there was the usual stop-over at Buenavista viewdeck for more souvenir shopping. Then, after two hours of bumping along the still-unpaved road (well, after a year and so many visitors they should have been able to fix the road diba?) we finally reached Sabang. We waited for our turn to ride the pump boat that would finally take us to our ultimate destination – what is touted to be among the new wonders of the world!








Thirty minutes of riding a pump boat finally brought us to a cove in St. Paul’s Mountain … the entrance to the Underground river. From the beach, we passed a wooden walkway that is littered with monitor lizards and playful monkeys… at the end of the path, we found people queuing for their turn to get on a paddle boat to traverse the wonders of the caves. Finally, our turn came and I could sense that my daughter was a bit fearful she may fall off or that the boat may capsize…but I held on to her hand firmly and reassured her that it was safe. Soon enough she was overcome by awe at what the caves had to offer.











The tour finished at around 11 and we returned to Sabang beach to have lunch once again at Taraw resto…After eating and while the adults rested, the kids took a dip in the beach. At around 2pm, we all returned to the van to go back to Puerto Princesa. There was one more stop at Vietville where we ate Chao-lung and toured their facilities including the souvenir shops and old houses where the Vietnamese refugees used to live. Now, I guess there are just a few remaining which is why most of the houses seem abandoned already. We got back to the pension house at around 5pm, very tired but still happy and satiated with the day we spent. The tour cost PhP1500 inclusive of the van rental, boat transfers and lunch at Taraw resto…a bit steep but at least we didn’t have to worry about anything much! Besides, they gave a discount naman for my daughter so I only paid half-price for her.









We retired to our rooms to rest and nap for awhile. We went out again at around 7 to eat at Ka Lui, I made prior reservations since the place is almost always fully packed but thankfully it wasn’t full naman this time. It was our first time to visit the restaurant and it was very homey and cool. Upon entering, a person is required to take off his footwear and place them inside cabinets located just after the main door. Inside the resto, one is given the choice of dining in regular tables but we opted to be seated on the floors, atop cushions. We placed our orders and while waiting we marveled at the beauty of the place, it was so rustic and native-looking with all those polished wooden floors and carvings. Then, the food arrived and we were treated to a feast we would never forget! Almost all of the food we ordered tasted great and was worth every penny…just check out the pics!



















After our fully satisfying meal (which cost us PhP1100), we passed by Baywalk once again to try to shed off all the calories we just consumed. After the kids had their fill of biking, we returned to our room to go to sleep.

DAY 3 – ISLAND HOPPING

The next day was another early day for us because we were going Island Hopping at Honda Bay! We had breakfast of luncheon meat and rice…which the Audissie kitchen cooked for us…now, we know better instead of ordering breakfast meals from them we bought a can of luncheon meat and rice from a nearby grocery. Then, we asked the kitchen staff to cook them for us this morning so we could have breakfast before leaving for Honda Bay…they even cooked us an extra pot of rice for our baon later. If I remember it correctly, we only need to pay them around PhP50 for the cooking…how’s that for a cheap breakfast, huh?

After eating, we rode on a trike that would take us to Honda Bay. (BTW, we rode the same trike that we had during the city tour. We even took them with us island hopping since the poor guy says he’s been in Palawan for more than a year and yet he hasn’t been there yet so we brought him and his wife along rather than just let them wait for us at Honda Bay). We passed by the market first to buy hipon and alimasag costing just PhP150 per kilo. It was much cheaper that way coz last year when we were here, the fresh seafood cost around PhP200 a kilo already and we had to pay for the cooking pa. So armed with lotsa lotsa food and water, off we went to Honda Bay.



















We paid PhP1300 for boat rental (we used a bigger boat than the last time we were here) then we also rented 4 snorkels and masks (PhP100 each). And we were off to our first island – Pandan island. We stayed for only a short while, snorkeling and feeding fishes, with the island entrance @ PhP25 for adults. Then, we proceeded to Snake Island where we would stay for lunch. We bought another fish, more rice (because our baon was kulang pala) and drinks. Good thing this place did not ask rental for the cottages, we are only asked to give donations. But more than the good food I guess the kids just truly enjoyed feeding the fishes at Snake Island…even Kaye forgot her fear of the water and was totallu unaware that she was already too deep just because she was having the time of her life. We took underwater pics…something we learned from our last visit here and we forgot to bring an underwater cam. The shots were a bit dark and blurry but I’m glad we still got some that just showed the underwater beauty that Palawan had to offer.












After the kids had their fill of fish-feeding, we went next to Luli Island for some diving! The entrance here is PhP50 per person (because they say a foreigner owns it!) All of us took a dive, except for Kaye (because she was already sleeping at the time and so we just left her on the boat with the boatmen). Anyway, we didn’t stay for very long and just took one dive each just to get the feel of it! Final stop was Pambato reef and though it was not really as spectacular as our experience feeding the fish at Snake or Pandan island it was still exciting to swim in open water and gaze at fishes in their natural habitat. I was just a bit apprehensive that we may encounter a shark or something but the boatmen assured us that there were none in this area…or so I hoped! After some time, we headed back to the boat and back to Honda Bay to bathe and get dressed.
















We were all tired from all the swimming and eating we made the entire day and so we just decided to have our dinner delivered to us (from Chowking). We all slept early that night knowing that tomorrow would be our last day here in paradise. The next day, we let the kids sleep in late, only Jun and I left at around 7 to buy breakfast at Jollibee and marketing for some fish and shrimp for pasalubong. When we returned to the pension house, we checked out (I paid about 3K for the accommodations including the breakfast we had on our second day and paluto for the 3rd day), packed our bags and were at the airport by 9am…we all left with a wistful smile on our faces…quite content and blessed to have experienced what we did the past four days and knowing Palawan would always hold a special place in our hearts.

IF ONLY (A movie review)

This is another good love story…in fact another fave if not for its tearful ending…it tells the story of a businessman, Ian (played by Paul Nicholls) who lives with girlfriend Samantha (Jennifer Love Hewitt). Ian tends to take Sam for granted and the movie starts with a typical day in their life together. The day however, ends badly with Sam and Ian getting into an argument while dining at a restaurant so Sam leaves in a huff, boards a taxi and while Ian is running after her to apologize, she gets hit and dies in a hospital. Ian goes home, finds her notebook and sleeps clutching it tightly.

The next day, Ian is surprised to see Sam standing in his apartment and concludes that what happened must have been a dream. And so he goes on with the day, happy that Sam is alive and by his side…As the day progresses, however, certain events that occurred in his dream (or what he thinks as his dream of yesterday’s events) begin to happen again – like Sam being burnt on the hand (in Ian’s dream due to a kettle and due to hair straightener today), Coke is also spilt on her, and then he gets on the same taxi cab driven by the same man whom he talked with yesterday (in his supposed dream).

By then, Ian gets convinced that yesterday was not really a dream and so he tries to stop the next succeeding events from happening. First, he convinces Sam to go with her to his hometown…they take a train and he brings Sam to a mountain spot he used to visit as a child. They enter an abandoned cottage usually used as shelter from a storm…inside Ian notices that his watch has stopped (just like in his dream) Ian asked her what she would do if she only had one more day to live and she answers she’d spend time with him, just being together.

The two return to London and as another surprise Ian takes Sam to the London Eye. They return to the apartment and Sam gets ready for the violin concert. While she is distracted, Ian takes a page from her notebook and photocopies it. He then gives copies to the other members of Sam’s orchestra. After the concert, Ian gives Sam a bouquet of flowers, gets up on stage and calls an obviously confused and nervous Sam. The orchestra begins to play the song printed on the photocopied sheets and Sam sings the song she made for Ian and the audience applauds her performance.

The couple then have dinner and Ian gives Sam a charm bracelet with different symbols depicting their happy moments together – a violin, a musical note, a flower, the train (to symbolize the day they had today) and the Eiffel tower (which Sam always wanted to see). As they leave, it rains and while waiting for a taxi, Ian realize they are in the same spot last night when the accident took place and so Ian professes his love for Sam and says that if it weren’t for today of her…he wouldn’t have known true love at all… Sam begins to cry and says she doesn’t know what to say.

Then, a taxi pulls up and the two get inside. Ian sees it is the same cab man they take a ride in and so when the clock strikes the ominous hour of 11, he grabs Sam tight for the last time. Sam’s screams is heard and the next scene shows them in the hospital with Lottie (Sam’s friend running towards a hospital room). Inside she sees Sam sitting on the bed and she tells Lottie about Ian’s premonition and how she refused to believe him. But in the end, it was Ian who died in the accident instead of Sam.

This is a really good and touching story because it gave Ian the chance to have just one day to do something special for the person he loved before she dies…not knowing that in the end it is him who will actually die…making the ultimate sacrifice for the person he loved so much… It tells the lesson that one should not take his or her partner for granted and treat her special each and every day because one never really knows when he or she will be taken away from you.

PAPA’S 60th BIRTHDAY!

Papa celebrated his 60th birthday today and just like what we did with Mama…we planned a ‘surprise’ party for him…this time though we decided to hold it at his office because it was a weekday and since he won’t be going on leave naman. We connived with his officemates to make sure that he will be going to his office in Pasig, you see for the past few years since Union Bank merged with Ibank he has been holding two offices – one in Pasig and the other in Makati. And since the Makati office is just near his residence, he usually spends his time there and just goes to the Pasig branch once a week. So this week, we made sure he will be going to Pasig today and I connived with Norie (his secretary) to make up some excuse (a meeting maybe or some important papers to sign) just so he’ll be there…

They were also the one who prepared the other stuff for the ‘surprise’ – like the food for the staff and us to share, the tarpaulin announcing his turn to becoming a ‘senior citizen’, and we brought the cake – his favorite chocolate cake from Aristocrat. We came there early and waited… we took some pictures around the office, but surprisingly…I couldn’t find them na??? I remember I even took pics of the food…but they’re all gone! All that’s left is a pic of the cake… and the memory of happiness that I saw in my father’s eyes when he saw us there at his office…waiting for him! I know it could’ve been better organized – but the lead organizer (Tita Espie) wasn’t here but at Dubai …his 60th birthday should’ve been held at the hotel with many of his friends – specially ones that he has not seen in a long time all there to greet him and recount wonderful memories with him…but it wasn’t meant to be…maybe when he’s 70 na lang! At least, we made some kind of effort to make him happy on this special day! Happy Birthday Papa! Thank you so much for always being there for me… I love you!

A funeral and a wedding

I don’t know why these two so very disparate events are often lumped together …maybe it’s because of Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts’ movie back in 1994...or maybe because these two events have in common the capability to turn people emotional though in totally different ways. Before the year 2008 ended, I had the misfortune to attend the funeral of a person quite close to my heart.

The funeral happened in the beginning of December, I woke up one morning to find a text from my mother asking for prayers for her sister Ate Fe. She was my mother’s closest sister – her confidante, the one she turns to in times of despair. Despite the many times that Ate Fe has conned her…my mother has forgiven her many times over and has welcomed her back with open arms. Ate Fe has become a semi-permanent fixture in our lives – especially there in our times of trouble – like when our babysitter just quits and we had no one to accompany us at home while both our parents are at work… she would willingly leave her abode and be there for us. Or when our weekly labandera/plantsadora failed to report for work…she’d be there and do the laundry and ironing chores (for my mother’s sake!) Or when an older relative dies or suddenly falls sick and my mom had to go to some far-flung province to take care of said ailing relative – she’d be there always willing and able to accompany Mama as they accomplish their earthly missions.

When I finally saw her body …I couldn’t believe it was actually her… no, it isn’t that I didn’t want to accept that she was dead (or maybe that was a bit part of it) but because her picture in death was not exactly as I recalled her to be – always fun and lively – with a kind word or two to everyone she meets. In death, she seemed sad, desperate even – as if totally unwilling to let go of the people she knew would be left behind… The people who were with her in her last moments recall that she kept praying to God not to take her just yet. But I guess God has other plans … and it’s for us to just accept it.

Though I lived so far from them and was often not able to visit them during family affairs … I decided to attend her funeral rites to pay my last respects to a woman who has stood by my mother no matter what --- and at the same time be her rock of support. As the last cries of Ate Fe’s sons, daughters, nieces, nephews and grandchildren echoed on that fateful afternoon, I heard my mother whisper words of comfort to finally let Ate Fe go in peace and accept what happened --- I just hope she takes these words to heart and not dwell on her grief and sadness too much.

The second event was a wedding of a close friend in the office – both of them are our officemates and no…it wasn’t a sad occasion for us that they got married but rather a truly poignant one. They have been together for quite some time already – maybe as long as we have been together – they have three kids na together and they all stood as sponsors to the event. It was a pretty picture that the family made…and why am I writing about this? Well, I was just wondering why they got married at all…no, I don’t mean that in a bad way…it was just that I figured the cost of having a church wedding is so high these days so I was thinking why they had to bother when they were already married in civil rights in the first place???

If you ask me, I wouldn’t waste money on a church wedding…maybe if we renew our vows in like…fifteen, twenty or even twenty-five years, maybe that’s the time I would get married in church or have a priest solemnize our vows…Sure, every girl dreams of walking down the church aisle in a long white dress and the man of your dreams at the end of the altar with a choir serenading in the background…but I don’t have the extra money for it…I’d rather spend it on the kids’ education and the regular upkeep of the household…but that’s just me! Back to the couple friend of ours – I wish them luck in keeping their marriage…it’s gonna be tough-sailing…well, that’s what every marriage has to go through, even one like ours. Here’s wishing all of us lots of luck and love to keep the flames of togetherness alive for many more years to come.

New Year resolution

I know, I know it’s another late post but please bear with me… I’m still not a hundred percent back in writing mode--- I guess this writer’s block (if you may call it that) is a bit more complicated to cure and even quite harder to simply ignore… I guess that should also explain why I do not find the need to write a whole bunch of promises for the year…which I never really get to keep anyway. In fact, this piece’s title should be self-explanatory – there is only one promise to myself which I intend to make – just one… and that is to not push myself to do something that I don’t intend to finish; not to bite any more than I could chew --- just take each day as it comes… maybe I can write in this blog everyday…maybe once a week…maybe once in a month… It doesn’t really matter – what matters is that I find the time and the inclination to write – without any pressure from me or anyone else…

MAMA FE IS DEAD

Today, we said goodbye to a dear aunt - a sister of my mother, the one she is closest the most… I know she had her faults and made some mistakes against my mother countless times but knowing my mother…she was quick to forgive. Whenever, Mama had her problems, it was to Mama Fe that she ran to, even back to the days when they were still young teeners. It was her that she confided in with all her problems, her dreams, her ambitions…but now she’s gone, my mother did not just lose a sister, but she also lost a best friend.

The hubby and I visited her wake earlier in the week which was held at their house in Luzon. Looking at her face, she looked old and a bit withered with age and I guess with many problems in her life. I never knew she was sick with anything and her children said she probably kept her pains to herself so as not to burden them…which was why most of her relatives were surprised with her sudden passing. She had some problems with her children, well most mothers do… but I wasn’t sure it was enough to keep her depressed.

And so as she was laid down to her final resting place at Holy Cross Memorial Park, most of her children cried …maybe in regret for not loving her the way she should be loved… maybe for not being able to ask for forgiveness for all the mistakes they have made…maybe for their loneliness for losing the mother they loved. I cried, too, because I regret not being able to know her more, as my aunt and my mother’s sister and best friend…and for not being able to show my appreciation for what she has done for my mom…I cried too for my mother…since I feel her loss and desolation. I just wish she would get over Mama Fe’s death soon and learn to accept her passing no matter how difficult.

KIDS GOING ON A FIELDTRIP

Before, I have always felt hesitant to allow my kids to join their school fieldtrips. In fact, as far as I can remember I never allowed Keith to join any of their fieldtrips either at Ebenezer or Academia…not because I don’t trust the school officials to take care of my kid (well, partly na din!) but also because I don’t trust my kid to behave himself during such occasions so there’s always a danger that he might get lost or destroy something or even hurt someone…just accidentally of course, for I have never known my son to be of the violent type…

This time, however, when they moved to their new school at VMS I began to relent a bit and have allowed them to join their class field trip. After all, Keith is already in high school and I knew he’d be able to behave properly and join his friends wherever they go so he won’t get lost…my problem now is my little daughter who is currently in Grade 1…I am sure she would insist on joining their field trip, too, especially since her Kuya is joining. So I had no choice but to allow her to join but with a companion…so that makes it doubly expensive! Nonetheless, I knew they would both savor the experience of joining fieldtrips since it truly is enjoyable being with friends and going beyond the four walls of the school campus. Sometimes, it may even be educational too especially if the school chooses places of historical interest where the students may learn a lesson or two from our nation’s past.

Here are some pics of the fun times they both spent, Keith had their field trip last September 27 at the Ocean Park, the National Museum (I think?) and the Aerospace Museum near the airport. While Kaye went with a cousin last November 21 to the Marikina Science World (where she saw Tolits), and also the Aerospace Museum and the Ocean Park …

Wish I could blog more often

This post is not intended to explain my infrequent posts in this blog…well not quite…?!? You see, I have noticed that during the beginning of the year, I have blogged a bit more regularly like once a week and at times even 2x a week. These past few months, however, I have noticed myself putting together an entry once every two weeks na lang...And I wonder why??? Most of the time when I have finished all my regular tasks in the office (usually this is around three or four pm), I browse my fave blogs and whenever I read other people’s blogs I feel a sense of regret that I am not able to write as often as they could… or say the words I want to say like the way they do.

There are even times that I wish I could just stay at home more often so I could just write and write to my heart’s content. But in truth, even if I am home, I still am not able to write. There are times when I feel too tired… like when I am at home during weekends, it gets too taxing doing mommy chores like cooking, washing and ironing clothes(especially the kids’ uniforms), cleaning house, etc. etc ( because our yaya goes home every Saturday morning and only comes back on Monday before we go off to work) so I am left to do everything by myself during weekends.

And when there are rare times that I am able to get some precious time for myself… I do not find the inspiration nor the inclination to write. I would just be staring at my blank computer screen for a few agonizing minutes then I would end up turning it off altogether… which is why I would often wonder where these ‘professional bloggers’ find the inspiration to write about anything and everything under the sun… I wish I could be more like them. I wish I would find the inspiration to write every time I face the monitor…I wish I would have more time to blog…I also wish I’d have permanent internet access at home because even if I do have a laptop or desktop to use, I still can’t post or browse as much as I wanted to…I’d have to save my work in a flash drive and find the time and opportunity to post only when I get to the office…I wish too that I could someday find for myself a true-blue genie in a bottle to make all these blogging wishes of mine come true…

SUBIC FOR SOME R AND R

One of the nearest conferences we have conducted is the one that was held in Subic, Zambales and yet unexpectedly we spent a longer period here, not because the conference itself lasted long…it was just the regular three days that we regularly spend (one pre-conference day for the preps, the workshop day and then the PGMA day). The last two days were spent touring Subic and savoring the treats it had to offer…after all this may be the last LPSA we’d have this year so we might as well take advantage of the opportunity right??? (P.S. In fact, this turned out to be the last LPSA that the office held)









The conference/workshop and presentation to PGMA went smoothly. It was the treats afterward that we looked forward to – the chocolates, shopping at the duty-free stores, pic- taking near the baywalk/pier since the Legenda Hotel is near it and we even saw a huge ship (with Americans on R and R for Balikatan) and of course, swimming at All Hands beach and visiting the Zoobic Safari. It was also the hubby’s birthday weekend and so our extended stay was made even more special since we celebrated that occasion with him there. We also visited JEST Camp though we did not partake anymore the activities they offered but just ate a hearty lunch there. Next time when we get the chance to return we intend to visit the Ocean Adventure park…

BUYING TICKETS TO PALAWAN

Today, I was finally able to fulfill my promise to the kids that we would take them to Palawan someday. You see ever since the hubby and I visited Palawan last March (yes! By ourselves!!!), we made a promise to also take them there…and now with the Piso fares promo being offered by Cebu Pacific, I was able to book four tickets for our family for next year February 2009…and the kids are just so excited to learn about it! But I told them, I would need to capture their money from their Christmas gifts this year in order to finance our expenses for the Palawan trip coz surely we will need a whole lot of money to be able to tour all the places we want to go to – like the Underground river (which costs PhP1500 per pax) and the Honda Bay tour (another PhP1500 for the entire boat excluding snorkel rentals) – plus of course, our daily meals, hotel accommodations and transport for the day/city tour. Whew… getting the tickets was the easy part… I could easily use my bonus to pay for the almost 6K for our air fares. I guess I need to put aside about 20K for our expenses for the 4-day stay in Palawan…well, anyway I still have four months to save up for it… so wish me luck!

A WORKING VISIT TO MINDORO

Mindoro will always hold a special place in my heart - because many of my childhood summers were spent there…back in the early eighties, when Puerto Galera was yet unknown. So every time an opportunity arises, I had hoped to go back and relive my childhood memories. But the last time I went there for a visit (with officemates for an outing) I was thoroughly disappointed. Well, for starters the Puerto Galera that we visited did not resemble at all the Puerto Galera of my childhood days. It was way too crowded and too commercial already that one cannot hope to swim in peace just like the old days…well, I guess that’s what you may call progress.

This time around, however, our office will be holding a conference at Calapan, Mindoro – quite far from the province’s pristine white beaches but still, I had hoped to catch even a glimpse of the place we frequent so long ago. But alas, to no avail. We stayed mostly inside our hotel at the Filipiniana Resort and though we stayed behind for one more day (since the others decided to leave immediately after the event) we were not able to go around and see a beach, even the pool of the resort was left untouched!

We had fun though because we crossed to Mindoro via a ferry boat and during the two-hour ride, most of us got busy doing all sorts of things – reading, sleeping, chatting, eating…and playing cards! The hotel rooms were very nice and clean. We even saw that the VIP rooms had their own kitchen and sala for entertaining. Their pool was also quite big, it was just the weather that wasn’t so great at the time…I think it was raining a bit on the last day of the conference so we weren’t able to take advantage of the pool…sayang!













What was surprisingly good was their food! We totally enjoyed the free breakfast that the hotel offered…and though I wanted sana to stay away from rice, I wasn’t able to do so because the rice they served was so aromatic and enticing. We even bought some cavans to bring home…











What was also surprising was the chance I had to meet up with old friends and acquaintances – some reporters from Manila coz the place is just near, an old photographer friend from Crame and a former boss who is now the COP of Mindoro – small world indeed! I even had my picture taken with a celebrity politico – Patrick dela Rosa who is now a councilor or mayor of some town or city of PRO4. The one place we did get to visit was the butterfly shop across the street where they sold lots of pretty colorful butterflies mounted on frames of all sizes. It had a steep price though so I wasn’t able to buy any…I just contented myself taking pictures.








On the ferry boat ride back to Manila, there were only a few of us so we weren’t as raucous as before…so we contented ourselves taking pictures of islands, seascapes and even the clouds. In all, it was also a fun trip though we weren’t able to go out that much (just to eat!) and so we didn’t get to see the sights around Calapan or even nearby Puerto Galera…maybe next time!

MY GIRL IS NUMBER ONE!

Today we received a very pleasant surprise when we got my daughter, Kaye’s card from her new school at VMS… she got top honors for her class…hurrah! Hurrah! I knew she would do well in class considering that she was a valedictorian in her previous school in Kindergarten but I never had hoped she would become the top in her class…I guess the fact that she was a newcomer and was placed in the third level section this Grade One contributed to that fact, too. But even if she was top one, she failed to make it to the entire batch Top Ten…I guess most of the top students would belong to the cream section. I think her standing was only 14th or 15th for the entire Grade One…nonetheless, I am just so proud that my daughter did so well. Now, we would have to strive harder to make it to the Top Ten circle…but at least, I guess I can be assured that my daughter would belong to the Cream Section next year.

LINGGO NG WIKA @ VMS

It’s the first time for us to celebrate Linggo ng Wika with VMS and for the past few weeks I had scrambled for an appropriate attire for her to wear. I was able to finally borrow one from an officemate whose daughter was the same age and built as mine. And since they already had their celebration earlier, she willingly lent the dress so that I don’t have to buy a new one for something that my daughter would just wear for a day…

I went on leave for work today so I would be able to dress her up and put on some make-up on her. Then, we proceeded to the school for the Linggo ng Wika program. The place was small and expectedly cramped with so many stage mommies jostling for space to watch over their kids. I was content sitting at a corner and only went out front when her turn to dance arrived. My daughter looked so pretty in her yellow terno…she looked like a real dalagang Pilipina of old times.