Our Bohol vacation (February 23-26, 2010)

Feb 23 - Tuesday

We woke up early on D-day to have an early breakfast and traveled for two hours from our house in Bulacan to the airport. Our flight was scheduled at 12:10 and we got there 2 1/2 hours early - I guess that just shows how excited we all were for this trip. We initially planned to just eat sandwiches (which I made and packed the night before) at the airport and then eat a full lunch upon arrival in Tagbilaran so for the first hour we did nothing much but engage in one of our favorite past time - people watching. But with too much time on our hands and after all the running around that the kids did to keep from being bored - they eventually got hungry so our plan to subsist on sandwiches did not materialize.





It was almost 11 when we finally decided to eat at a Jollibee food kiosk at the NAIA 3. We had to eat hurriedly and almost ran to the boarding gate which seem a mile away...or so it felt! Then, when we passed thru the airport x-ray there was a bit of a delay because they scanned a blue torch lighter in the hubby's bag which they had a bit of difficulty locating! By the time we finally got through ...they were already making the final call for passengers bound for Tagbilaran. All this made me realize that maybe it's not so cool an idea being too early after all coz even if we checked in early... we were almost the last ones to board the plane...





Plane left on time and arrived ahead of schedule at 1 pm at the Tagbilaran airport. Upon arrival, we were met by Albert, the van owner/driver who will take us to the Panglao resort where we will be staying for four days and three nights. The driver/owner was a good guy and he charged us the regular rate of Php 500 for the airport transfer even if we didn't go straight to the resort. We requested for a slight detour to buy some food stuff and groceries at Plaza Marcela in Tagbilaran city.



Finally, after about 20 minutes of travel - we arrived at Alonaland resort and were given House number 10 - truly a very pretty place - a quiet and relaxing resort with our neighbors (mostly foreigners) keeping mostly to themselves, and with very clean and comfy surroundings. The only downside is that we had to walk about two blocks to get to the beach - well, at least we figured we could all use the exercise. They do provide free shuttle service that goes to Alona beach every hour...so I guess it's a bit OK. Also, at the rate we got this place, it already is a bargain (@2500 a night for an entire bungalow with 2 rooms, our own kitchen and living area)coz all the other beachfront cottages range from 5k and up. If we had wanted someplace near the beach, the ones within our price range were only fan rooms that could accommodate 4-5 pax and didn't have a kitchen. So we saved much not only on the lodgings but even our food since we cooked most of our meals. Never mind the walk to the beach...hehehe







After checking out the rest of our "house" the kids decided to take a dip in the pool - it was only 3 pm by then so I let them go while we prepared dinner. Here are pics of the rest of the house...






By 5 pm, we decided to have an early dinner so that 30 minutes later we were on our way to the beach. It was just our luck that the shuttle sked is 5pm, 6pm, 7pm and so forth so we were thirty minutes early for the next one. But rather than wait, we decided to walk the two blocks. Besides it gave us the chance to check out the area and saw that there was a bakery a few houses away where we could buy our morning bread... we also passed by an ATM and a convenience store in the street corner - things we never would have noticed if we rode the shuttle.






Finally, the beach! and boy ...Alona beach did not disappoint - the sands were so white and fine, the water so clear and blue --- my only problem was the very limited coastline available to swimmers. With the proliferation of too many shops and restaurants on the beach, there was very little space left for the swimmers to sunbathe or for the kids to play in...the kids and the hubby swam for about an hour and a half, I and my mother-in-law preferred to keep ourselves warm on the sand and just watched them and the beautiful sun set view. We then took the shuttle back to the resort, played billiards, and frolicked in the pool some more before finally taking a hot shower and settling in for the night.



ITINERARY FOR DAY 1 + EXPENSES:

8:00 AM - left early for airport
9:30 - check-in at the NAIA terminal 3 (terminal fee PhP 200.00 each)
early lunch at Jollibee food kiosk (PhP 500.00)
12:00 - departure from Manila
1:30 PM - arrival at Tagbilaran airport
travel to Panglao (van transfer PhP 600.00)
side trip @ supermarket for groceries (around P2K)
3:00 - arrival at Alonaland resort (house rental @ Php2500 per day)
unpack/cook early dinner/ SWIM time for the kids @ the resort pool
5:00 - early dinner
5:30 - to Alona beach for more swimming!
7:00 - back to resort for some billiards and frolicking in the pool
9:00 - time to rest...


February 24 - Wednesday



Today is the day of our countryside tour so we woke up early, had breakfast and took our baths. The van picked us up at 7:30 and we were all out and ready by then. Our first stop was the Chocolate Hills at Carmen, we decided to go to the farthest place first and go inwards toward the city... and besides, we wanted to go while the sun wasn't so high and hot yet. The trip to Carmen took two hours and we made the uphill trek slowly to savor the breathtaking beauty of the hills. I was glad that I didn't view the hills the first time I was in Bohol in 2007 when I attended my sister's graduation coz it allowed me to gaze at the hills with the same awe and amazement as my kids did... we had the usual picture taking at the view deck, took some wacky/tricky photos then we went down for some ice cream near the souvenir shops then left for our next destination - the Bilar man-made forest. We already passed this earlier on our way to the Chocolate Hills but this time we stopped for some more picture taking. The trees were quite majestic looking and provided a very cool respite from the very hot sun.



After the pic taking, off we went to the Hanging Bridge at Sevilla to buy some souvenirs. According to most travel websites I browsed, this is the place to buy cheap souvenirs and indeed they are cheap as compared to the souvenir shops we saw at Carmen and even much later near the Tarsier sanctuary, the Loboc river restaurant and the Blood-compact shrine. After we crossed the hanging bridge, we were met by a man showcasing his prowess in opening a coconut with his mouth - the Buko king of Bohol. We were able to buy some keychains, bracelets, coin purses, ref magnets and other trinkets to give away as pasalubongs to friends and officemates. After that, we proceeded to a tarsier sanctuary where the tarsiers can only be photographed but not touched - so unlike the tarsier place I went to the last time where they allowed us to have the tarsiers photographed on our shoulders. Well, I am sure I couldn't get my daughter to do that anyway, she was afraid to even stand next to one even if I reassured her that they were sleeping or even half-asleep being the nocturnal animals that they are.





After the visit with tarsiers, we were getting quite hungry so off we went to eat lunch at a floating restaurant of the Loboc River Cruise. The van driver (Ludy) did not take us to the usual site (near the church), instead he brought us to a newer and more popular site (or so he says!)...turns out though that the package was much higher than the ones in the regular boat ride because we were charged Php 350 per person...quite steep really coz the other site was only PhP 250-300 but we didn't bother arguing with the driver and just took the cruise (I figured he had a 'percentage'). We had a nice leisurely lunch buffet - the food were plentiful but not really spectacular. It was the funny musician that kept us entertained throughout the hour-long ride across the river. Of course, the refreshing view helped made the meal a totally enjoyable experience,too. There was a stop in one of the coves in the river bank where there were waiting natives (in complete costume get-up) who showcased their fire-breathing skills while the others were jump-diving in the water, some tourists had their pictures taken with the 'natives' but we just watched and returned to the boat when the show was over. The boat turned back after a while and returned to our point of origin where our van driver/tour guide was waiting.





After eating so much food, we wanted to sleep the afternoon off but there were still three more places to go to in our itinerary - The Python mini zoo, The Baclayon church and The Blood Compact Shrine. We saw different animals in the zoo although the most memorable was the famous large python featured recently by Kuya Kim in Matanglawin. After that, it's off to the church we went...I would have wanted to take another look at Loboc church but we already went past it on our way to the river cruise and besides the children's choir wouldn't be there anyway so we just let it go. Anyway, the Baclayon church is also quite beautiful and we spent a few minutes in



its cool interiors to pray and thank the Lord for allowing us to visit beautiful Bohol. After that we left for the Blood compact shrine but since it was so hot by then (around 2pm), there was no more pic-taking at the shrine itself. Besides, the kids were already sleeping in the van. Instead, we just bought some shirts at the nearby souvenir shops and by 3 pm we were back at Alonaland resort to rest the afternoon away.



After an hour, the kids were itching to go swimming and since I wanted to buy some fish at the beach, I relented and went with them and left the others still sleeping. We took the shuttle to the beach where we swam and had fun making sand castles. After a while, I browsed the beach area and searched for fresh fish but there was none available. Some locals I talked to say some fishermen sell their wares on the beach in the early morning but not always...I guess they prefer renting out their boats to tourists than going out to sea to fish...or maybe it's just the season. Nonetheless, we went home an hour later without any fish. So when the hubby awoke, I asked him to go with me to a nearby market where we were able to buy some fish (tulingan at PhP 120/kilo and tamban at Php 30 per kilo) and alimasag (PhP 120 per kilo) for our dinner and baon tomorrow. Getting there was a different story - Jun and I took the habal-habal after a trike driver charged us PhP 200 to go the market and then back again to the resort. Good thing I saw this motorcycle beside the resort who charged us only PhP 120, he was also kind enough to tell us the current prices so we'd know if the market vendors are overcharging us for being tourists. . After our sumptuous dinner(where we also had ice cream! ...an advance celebration for my mom-in-law and so that we could use the plastic gallons for our baon tomorrow), we all slept early to get ready for another big day.



ITINERARY FOR DAY 2 + EXPENSES:

5:00 AM - wake up sleepyheads! bath time
7:30 - leave for COUNTRYSIDE TOUR
9:00 - Chocolate Hills - Php 50.00 entrance fee
picture taking (PhP 100.00 for a 5R pic)
Bilar man-made forest (FREE)
Sevilla Hanging bridge - PhP 10.00 entrance fee
souvenir shopping (around PhP 500.00)
11:00 - Tarsier sanctuary - PhP 50.00 donation
11:30 - Loboc river cruise - PhP 350.00 per pax
12:30 - Python mini zoo - PhP 10.00 entrance fee
Baclayon church (FREE)
Blood compact shrine and souvenir shop (around 1K for shirts)
2:00 PM - back to Alonaland resort (PhP 2,500 for tour/van rental)
2:30 - short nap/rest
4:00 - to the beach for swimming
6:00 - back @ the resort
7:00 - to the market to buy some fish (PhP 120.00 for the habal2 /PhP 500.00 for fish/crabs/fruits/bread etc)
8:00 - eat dinner
8:30 - Sleeping time

February 25 - Thursday



Another early day for us...I was awake at around 4am to cook our baon/breakfast then I woke them up na so they can get dressed and help fix the food and things to bring for our dolphin watching trip. By 5:30 our boatman arrived at the resort to pick us up and walk with us to the boat docked at Alona beach. We had to walk the entire two blocks because the earliest shuttle leaves at 7 am pa. And that would be too late for us na. So off we went with all our stuff and we even stopped by a nearby store to buy pandesal and more mineral water.



By 6 am we were out at sea and we began our quest for dolphins. We saw the sun rise and it was truly amazing...the boatmen said this is the usual time for dolphins to feed but at first we were frustrated when we only saw very few of them...then as we speed up to get a bit nearer, they would suddenly disappear below the water's surface. After a while we transferred to a different location and we were rewarded with numerous sightings of dolphins...they were quite playful and some even jumped above water like in dolphin shows but these ones aren't trained. I guess they are really quite used to human interaction in these part of the waters...it would have been more fun though to actually be able to swim with them but considering the speed with which they swim, I guess it would be impossible.




By 7:30 am we grew tired running after the dolphins and decided to go to Balicasag island to have breakfast. We also ordered some fish which the locals cooked for our lunch. After eating breakfast, we took another small boat to the fish sanctuary for some snorkeling. Fish feeding in Bohol was a totally awesome experience - they were quite plentiful and swam freely in a protected area where the fishermen aren't allowed to catch them. The only downside though was that since it was still early in the morning, the water was a bit cold...so my daughter had to get out at once and did not spend more time with us feeding the fish like in Palawan. Then, my mother-in-law who didn't fancy swimming but gamely fed the fish while in the boat, felt a little dizzy since the waves were rocking the boat a bit. So she and Kaye decided to return to our cottage on the beach and left the other boat for us to use. We stayed in the water for another hour more feeding the fish and even went farther out into the sea.





It was already around 10:30 when we decided to return to our cottage and get ready for lunch. But instead of having our lunch there, the boatmen recommended that we pack up and have lunch at Virgin Island. And boy we were not disappointed! We ate lunch on the boat amid the breathtaking view of the island and the calm tranquility of the deep blue sea. I guess I would just let the following pics speak for themselves.





After a delicious lunch we all felt sleepy and tired (some of us were looking for a restroom already and since there were no resorts ...not even a store in Virgin island) we decided to head back to Alona beach and back home to the resort. We each took our baths and spent the afternoon sleeping. By 7, we had dinner of fried fish, sinigang and some pork BBQ bought at the street corner. We, then spent the evening just watching TV while the boys played billiards outside before going to bed.



ITINERARY FOR DAY 3 + EXPENSES:

4:00 AM - wake up/cook breakfast/fix things to bring to the beach
5:30 - walk to Alona beach (Php 1500 boat rental)
bought mineral water and bread for fish (Php100)
6:00 - Dolphin watching at Pamilacan
7:30 - Balicasag island to eat breakfast
bought more fish/pusit(PhP350.00) for lunch(paluto at PhP 100.00)
snorkeling at the fish sanctuary (smaller boat rental at PhP150/pax)
(snorkel mask - PhP100@/aqua shoes - PhP100/pair)
10:30 - Virgin island for more swimming and LUNCH
1:00 - back to Alona beach / Alonaland resort
take bath...short nap
4:00 - watch TV/ prepare dinner
7:00 - eat dinner
10:00 - sleep...

February 26 - Friday

We woke up a bit later than usual and had a leisurely breakfast. We had nothing much planned in our itinerary today except the airport pick-up at 10 and a short visit to Dauis church. After eating, we proceeded packing our things na, took our baths and got ready to leave. I paid the resort the remaining Php 5000 balance (since I deposited Php2500) as our downpayment. We left at 10 am and went to Dauis church to once again thank God for granting us the opportunity to visit Bohol as a family. I hope we would be able to do this again some time soon - in another famed tourist spot in the country...or even back here in Bohol to savor once again the treasures Bohol had to offer.



After that we left for the airport, had lunch at a nearby cafe and waited for boarding time at their small waiting area. By 3:30 we touched down at NAIA airport and we boarded a bus that would take us straight to our place in Bulacan. Indeed, the past few days have been a bane on the budget but no amount of money can beat the happiness and excitement in the faces and hearts of my kids and mother-in-law. I am sure, this experience will be something that they would cherish and treasure for the rest of their lives.

THAI MASSAGE AT VLUNA

On the day before we would embark on our trip to Bohol, the hubby and I decided to de-stress a bit and avail of the promo discount at a Thai massage near our QC office… Tonton Thai massage. This is not the usual place we go to for our massage but since they’re only priced at just PhP250 for a full body massage na (instead of their usual PhP300), we decided to just go for it na!

I am not really sure what kind of massage it was that we always avail at the Heaven and Earth spa in Cubao (I think it was Swedish!?!) but it would be the first time that I would try the Thai massage and frankly speaking – it was great – truly relaxing! And what’s more, they don’t put oils on your body and instead they just let you wear a pajama that’s made of a smooth and cool cloth that enables the massage to take place even without oil. However, one difference this place had with the other massage parlor that we frequent is the fact that their cushions were placed on the floor instead of elevated which in a way made the experience a bit hard on the back…but in all the massage itself was good and the relaxation I felt afterwards more than made up for the ‘not-so-cool environment’. So would we return to this massage parlor – maybe – if they have a promo again!

TWILIGHT


The hubby surprised me today with an early Valentine’s gift…supposed to just buy some crimping shears for Kaye’s project at National bookstore, then he led me to the new books section near the cashier and asked me what book I wanted…at that time, Twilight was among the many books on display and so I chose it…even if I already had the entire Twilight saga in e-books and even if I am, in fact, already reading New Moon…still I didn’t flounder on my choice because my husband may change his mind so I had to decide quickly… so here it is…Hurrah! Hurrah! My first book for the year!!! And my first in the collection of Stephanie Meyer’s books!

ANOTHER REBOND SESSION




Today is the second day of the kids’ exams and since it would be another lazy day today… I decided to take advantage of the time while they are at school to have another hair rebond session at David’s salon. Anyway, it has been three years already since my last rebond (when Jun joined the LPSA in Bohol in August 2007) and what’s more they have a promo discount of just PhP1999 for any length of hair so might as well take advantage diba…? After all, this is one of the few things I promised to myself to do for the year and I am just so glad that I am now finally able to accomplish one such promise this early! Hurrah! Hurrah! I realize that I need to do more things to boost my sagging self-esteem – like visit a derma for a facial, have more massages, and visit a gym or take up running/jogging/brisk walking again! Here’s hoping that with such a good start for 2010, I would really really have the time --- and of course the money to do everything I had hoped to do for myself this year!!!

RETURN TO SCRAPBOOKS

Weekend cleanup day - I started the day intending to clear out the voluminous files underneath the big built-in closet - maybe throw out the old ones I don't need anymore and just keep the ones I need in a neat little plastic organizer. But instead, I found my old scrapbooks and diaries underneath all the rubbish and ended up reminiscing with my kids about the past...my past!

The kids started looking at old pictures and asking questions about the strange faces they see and it was fun looking back at those moments and seeing the expressions on our faces as we savored the experience...I saw too that my 2006 scrapbook was only halfway done ---just shows how much of a procrastinator I am - always very eager to start a project but never really ending or finishing the project! Then, I found my 2006 diary and I figured, maybe I could still do this - finish the scrapbook since I was still able to record most happenings and emotions I have felt during that year...

That was also when I realized that it was TOTALLY WRONG for me to NEGLECT writing in my diary in 2008 and 2009 and just relied on my electronic blog since during the times I neglected my blog there is NOTHING that I could go back to...no record of events that happened...no recollection of emotions that I have felt...because you see...it was a fun moment to look back and remember what happened last year or even five years ago...it was even more fun to share with my kids what I did in college ...and recall to them my experiences with friends in high school...it's like I'm reliving the moments all over again just by reading an entry in a diary or a page in a scrapbook...so I guess I need to make a firm resolve to truly do these things once again - doing scrapbooks and writing in diaries - it's one sure way to preserve memories - whether good or bad.

EXPIRATION DATE FOR MARRIAGE CONTRACTS...?

The year started out on a funny note with a pro-women party list group proposing a bill that would put an expiration date on a marriage contract - pretty much the same way a driver's license and a PRC license expires...and you know what? in a vague sort of way I kinda agree with this bill. Well, for starters it would definitely solve the problem of NOT HAVING A DIVORCE BILL IN THE COUNTRY and the fact that annulment is just for the RICH and MONEYED couples. I guess it's high time somebody thought of this since this will give any couple the option to RENEW or NOT their marriage after a period of say, ten years??? Without having to spend a dime on expensive lawyers!

But I guess, with this country being a predominantly Catholic one, I don't think this bill would ever see the light of day! Because as they always say - 'What God has put together let no man put asunder' - whether said marriages are solemnized in Church or not...oh well anyway, still, it was a good idea but I guess it would take something more than this to make separating from one's spouse a bit easier for Filipino couples... so I guess abused wives, abandoned spouses, lonely/desperate housewives may just have to wait a wee bit longer before our largely male-dominated Congress could think up a new bill to help couples get out of a marriage that both of them no longer want...

MY NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS FOR 2010



It's the time of the year once again and everyone seems to be busy dishing out their new year's resolutions so here are some of mine which I hope to really accomplish before the year 2010 ends...


1) return to writing - in my diaries, in scrapbooks and most especially my blog (which I have been neglecting lately!)

2) watch old movies...in DVDs since I can't afford to watch movies anymore inside real moviehouses...and there are no more free movie passes! Might as well take advantage of the pirated DVDs that are proliferating all over the metropolis...

3) continue reading e-books...again this is due to the fact that the price of books have skyrocketed and since there isn't really anymore space in my bookshelf I would have to contend myself with just e-books since it is mostly free and widely available over the internet!

4) tutor kids more often...even if it isn't exam week so we won't have a difficult time catching up on their many readings come examination time...maybe we'd have a better chance at getting a real medal this year and not like her Grade 1's "Best in Writing Award" even if she made it as Top 1 of their class for two consecutive grading periods...I guess they really have different standards for kids belonging to the 'cream' section.

5) continue upgrading/renovating the kitchen especially the cabinets which last year's budget was not able to cover...I just hope I'd have the money for it

6) SAVE...SAVE...SAVE...I know, I know this is difficult to do especially if we have travel plans like the Bohol trip in February and the Malaysia - Singapore trip in July - but I hope I would be able to do this because it truly is difficult not to have a fallback/savings account when some emergency happens...

7) go on more dates - with the hubby! maybe we'd celebrate our 10th and 15th year anniversary in June and September respectively someplace special...but again this would all still depend if there's MONEY for it!

8) DIET! DIET! DIET! - I know this has been a resolution I have made countless times already but I am still putting it down...maybe this year I would be able to do it!

9) Continue to exercise - by brisk walking with Joey and Art at UP Oval or even with my exercise videos at home!

10) Pamper myself more - have the long overdue rebond session (my last was 2007 pa e); have foot spas, facials and more massages with the hubby to relax and ease the tensions away...

11) make inventory of my clothes, books, DVDs and clear some clutter in the bedroom - throw away what's not necessary and keep just the important stuff!

12) finally, since this is already a very long list ...PRAY and GO TO CHURCH MORE OFTEN - to thank God for all the blessings I have been given last year and for the many more blessing yet to come!

NEW YEAR 2009 CELEBRATION

We had the usual fun and games for the new year and suffice it to say everyone had a grand time tonight with the games and laughter and the dancing and singing we all shared the whole night long... truly a fitting way to cap another glorious year! May the year 2010 bring us all even more happiness and blessings!

CHRISTMAS 2009 CELEBRATION

We had the usual fun and food for Christmas and though our festivities were simple, we were all together and quite happy, I guess that's all that matters...here are a few pictures of how our celebration went...

VMS XMAS PROGRAM

Today I took a leave of absence from work to attend my daughter’s Christmas program… she will be performing a dance number with her classmates and I want to be there to watch her. They danced to the tune of All I want for Christmas and I’m glad she danced well and was not at all shy to perform on stage. I’m glad she is starting to come out of her shell na din and is becoming more comfortable with her classmates… here are some of the pics I took, as usual I had a difficult time because the camera’s range was limited so I could only take pictures of her while she was still near me…the place was a bit crowded and stuffy so I could not venture near the stage. Maybe, when we get a better camera I would be able to take better pictures…hehehe. I wish I could post the video na lang, which was a bit clearer…but I really don’t know how.

ONE BIG RIPE LANGKA

Finally, after four months of waiting…we have already harvested the first ever langka that came from our very own tree! Imagine that! In fact, I could not even remember anymore when the langka was first planted but I guess it was already there when the hubby and Kuya Ric constructed the fence sometime March of this year. Then, at around August (I think) we began to see some semblance of a real fruit coming out. You see, prior to that, we have already been seeing small bits of langka fruit but it only reaches the size of a normal fist before it would suddenly fall to the ground, all black and withered. But around the third week of August we already saw some that reached the size of an open palmed hand. And when it still hasn’t fallen to the ground after a few more days, we were finally convinced that these were real fruits this time. One tree had as much as five fruits in all while the other one had only about two. Our first harvested fruit came from that tree (the one on the left side) that only bore two fruits but boy oh boy those two langka fruits were huge…and I mean huge! I don’t think I would be able to lift it even if I tried… just check out the pics! What’s even great about our langka, even if they were so big, they were still quite sweet…I guess it was also because the fruit was ‘hinog sa puno’. Now, our only problem would be what to do with all the langka??? Of course, we could only use so much for paladusdos and minatamisan…? Maybe, we could give some to our neighbors and the others bring home to our province and give to the hubby’s sister who cooks puto, biko, espasol and other kakanin for a living…but definitely, I am quite sure not an inch of this fruit would go to waste, after all many in our family love this fruit and could eat it as is after picking out the flesh with our bare hands! Ohhh, thank God He blessed our tree with so much fruit…I hope the tree won’t make ‘tampo’ and just continue bearing this much fruit for many many years to come!

RENOVATING THE KITCHEN

We finally decided to commence our home project of renovating the kitchen – it started at around November 20 though we had the money about a month ago already from Jun’s GSIS Conso loan… We actually had this extension for our kitchen constructed last February 2006 but due to budget constraints we were unable to complete the finishing touches to the kitchen and instead just used it after smooth finishing of the walls was done. At that time, I wrote that we may have to continue the finishing touches (like tiles and cabinets) at a much later time whenever we have the extra money for it… And now I guess is the time… we decided on putting in some tiles, after the hubby had excess money from his GSIS loan that he took out to help him finance his brother’s funeral. But it turned out we spent just a little money and relied mostly on dole-outs from relatives and friends (which were quite many, mind you!) And so we had money to tile and paint the kitchen. We hired the same guy who does the tiles for Ate Ne/Inang in their Norzagaray home. He worked slow but sure… The only problem we had with him was that he tended to disappear for a few days without so much as a text or warning…then he would come back without much ado and go on with his task just whistling and not saying much. He really is a good worker it’s just that he has such an erratic sked that he doesn’t inform us about. We think he may be taking on odd jobs that pay higher than we do…well, that’s his choice but he should have informed us and not left us hanging. As a matter of fact, the last few tiles underneath the sink were already placed by the hubby na…because he never returned…oh well, I guess this will be the last time we will be getting him na…But at least, he did good work on our kitchen – just check out the pics!

KIDS’ FIELDTRIPS

For this year, the kids went to Mt. Samat in Bataan for their fieldtrip. Kit’s class went ahead this time on November 23 while Kaye’s class had theirs on December 14. I decided to go with Kaye though there wasn’t much pretty places to visit this was because I haven’t been to Mt. Samat’s cross in Bataan… I know, I know it’s a common site for field trips since time immemorial but I guess I was absent that year. So I decided to join her ... besides there was an added ‘shopping spree’ at Clark after the kids had visited a museum so that’s another incentive for me to go huh! I let Keith borrow the old camera for him to use but it seems he is not really into taking pics, he would just rather have his pics taken with his friends using their cameras…so he just had a few pics when he came back. In fact, most of his pics were landscapes or trees or taken inside the bus… expectedly, he wasn’t in any of them so that is why he opted to just join in other people’s kodakan!

Kaye, on the other hand, had lots and lots of pics because I was with her and so she had an official photographer. Her fieldtrip started with the visit to Mt. Samat…we spent lots of time there because only a few at a time are allowed to go up all the way to the cross so the students with their parents/teachers/guardians had to go up by batches. After we had our fill of the view, the strong wind up on the cross and of picture-taking, we wandered around the grounds of Mt. Samat and also visited their museum.

After Mt. Samat, the kids had fun in the Clark Airfield playground (the one we went to with Adrian and Budong) and this is where we had our lunch seated on the grass like a picnic. But I guess the highlight of the trip for Kaye is the visit to Feliz Cidade, a mini carnival / theme park with lots of kiddie rides like Star City. It was located in Mabalacat, Pampanga. We spent the rest of the afternoon there and left only when it was a bit dark already outside. We bought some dinner to eat during the bus ride because it would be quite late when we got home to San Jose…Kaye slept most of the ride home and I guess I am just happy that she is happy and that we were able to spend some time together because soon enough when she is a bit older, she will have her friends to go with …so I have to treasure moments like this that we still spend together.

TICKETS TO BOHOL

Okay…okay… I am doing this again…I guess it’s true what they say once it bites you… you're hooked! By what??? The travel bug that is! Well, you see for the past two years, the hubby and I have been going around the country doing travels with the office for work (seminars/workshops) but of course, it can’t be helped that there would be times when we would be given a tour by our hosts (usually politicos) in order for us to savor what their province had to offer. And so this year, to make up for our absence, the hubby and I decided to take the kids with us on a trip to Palawan (well, we’ve been there last year when the hubby went there for a seminar and I decided to follow him there as a birthday treat for myself). The kids thoroughly enjoyed the vacation in Palawan last February and so when my fave flag carrier (CEBUPAC) went on sale again today…I went crazy and decided to book us all on a trip to Bohol. But this time, we are taking Myk and Inang with us. We timed the vacation to coincide with Inang’s birthday since it would be in a way, our birthday treat for her. The only problem was that I didn’t have a credit card and my mother’s credit limit had already been maxed…well, considering her recent ‘troubles’ it would be understandable that she’ll be relying more on her card for their daily needs. The only choice I had left was Ate Ne and thankfully she was more than willing to let us borrow her card for the online transaction. So that before the day ended, I had been able to book all six of us on a trip to Bohol….hurrah! I am sure the kids would be so excited the moment they learn about this! It cost me back some PhP9500++ but it would be okay…we’d be receiving some money naman for Christmas and what better way to spend it than for ourselves. What’s good though is that we still have about three months to save up more money for our lodging, food, and other transportation/pasyal expenses. So here’s good luck to us! And hopefully nothing derails our plans to visit Bohol next year…

MAMA GOT SCAMMED!

It’s her birthday today and in lieu of a gift, I decided to just give her cash…nope not because I want her to buy a gift for herself but because she had just recently been SCAMMED!!! Yup …you heard it right my mom got scammed! I guess all her years as an intelligence officer did not truly prepare her for these kinds of things…or I guess my mom’s gullibility got the better of her and so got victimized. You see it’s not an entirely new modus operandi but when she got a text message from an unknown number telling her that this is his/her new roaming number, she immediately assumed it was my brother (who was in Abu Dhabi). Then, when he asked for some load, at first she thought nothing of it; maybe he was just out of money and needed to call someone. But when the scammer started asking for more and told her that he is doing it as some sort of a ‘loading business’ for other Filipinos in the area, she even felt happy. She thought that finally my brother had become wise enough and business-minded so that his hard-earned money would not just go to waste. And so she thought nothing of pawning her jewelry and borrowing money from friends just so she could buy enough cell cards that he asked – I think about 20 or 50K! The sad part is that my brother failed to call her that Friday (I think the scammer started texting her around Wednesday) as his usual habit (because Friday was his day-off) so he failed to alert her to the scammer’s evil intent. In fact, her giving of load continued up to Sunday when my brother finally called and told her he has not changed his roaming number at all…oh no! And that was when she felt her world crashing on her… And so this is the reason why I am giving her money…not much but just enough to tide her over with her day-to-day necessities. Since all the money she would be earning now would be used to pay her loans and the jewelry she pawned, she would have not much left to buy her food and other stuff… but, I guess my brother would also help her out…after all though he did not intend to it was indirectly his fault that this happened to her. I just hope now Mama would learn her lesson and not be so gullible anymore…I remember when I was still a teen-ager, she almost always gets enticed by some smooth-talking sales personnel to buy something she doesn’t really need – that’s how gullible she is! Or maybe she just has a soft spot for people in need so even if she doesn’t really have the money to spare, she couldn’t help but give it away to someone whom she feels needed it more than she does…

A NEW BABY…

It’s another long holiday weekend and we spent some time this year at the cemetery unlike in previous years…well, I guess they just wanted to visit their brother who just recently died…it’s also a perfect time to catch up with relatives who come from far away to visit their loved ones…Many of the people there I didn’t recognize but I went anyway and kissed the hands of the oldies there. We brought with us some snacks and drinks to keep the kids and our mouths preoccupied. Of course, we were already busy chatting with their cousins there while the kids were busy playing around with the candles and running around and above the tombs. But the highlight of this year’s long weekend vacation is the birth recently of another of our ‘grandchildren’ from another pamangkin, who lived for awhile in our place at San Jose - Ate Peng. She also just recently graduated from college but (unfortunately for her Mom who slaved abroad to let her study) she got pregnant immediately after graduating so her plans to bring her daughter with her abroad got delayed. But Peng still has every intention to work abroad (in Qatar, particularly where her Mom also works as a tutor) but only after her baby has grown enough to be left in the care of a dependable caretaker (maybe her mother-in-law). But I guess all of her mother’s anger would surely fade upon seeing this new bundle of joy --- he is so cute and looks just like her…hehehe

ALENG’S BIRTHDAY

We had a simple dinner celebration today for Aleng’s birthday. She’s with us for the year because she’s currently studying at PUP to obtain a degree in B.A. Entrepreneurial Management. It’s basically like Marketing or Business Management din naman. I guess the focus is just more on honing a person’s skills to be an entrepreneur… I think she likes the school naman but she is just so silent always, never really talks and makes kuwento. But I hope she makes good and finishes her course or even just two years of it so she can take the sub-professional civil service exam and maybe enter the government service. A college degree is also necessary even for private companies so I just hope she doesn’t go the way of Annie and gets married before she finishes college. Meantime, here are some pics taken after we had eaten simple dinner fare of spaghetti, cake and ice cream for Aleng’s birthday…

NEW BANK ACCOUNT WITH METRO

This year 2009, I finally decided to push through with my plans to set aside some money for a savings account…it may be used for a planned trip/vacation…or an appliance/electronic gadget …or a birthday party or summer outing with the family…or even just for an emergency slush fund…whatever the purpose may be, the important thing is that I will try my best to set aside a little money each payday into a savings account. I was only able to start this at around March using the money my Papa gifted me as the initial seed money… then from each month’s payday, I would set aside an amount ranging from 200 to 500 to put into this savings fund. Sometimes, I admit I inadvertently get money from said account to buy needed toiletries/groceries but I still try to return the money as much as possible. Then, when the hubby took out a GSIS loan this month to refurbish the kitchen, I decided to finally open an account with Metrobank (which is just across the street from us) and deposit the money while waiting for our ‘tile-man’ to become available ( I think he stil has a pending project with Ate Ne and would be available next month pa…) I guess now that the money is in the bank, it would make it more difficult for me to get it easily well, sure there’s an ATM but I still need to get to an ATM machine diba? Unlike when the money is just stashed inside my cabinet in the house and I could easily get it anytime I want…now, at least I am more or less assured that I would only be using the money for meaningful purposes! So, here’s good luck to me! And I hope this venture of mine to save money would flourish for a long...long…long…time!

KUYA DOMENG IS DEAD!

We got the fateful call at around 6 am last week, as the hubby and I were getting ready for work and I heard him curse over the phone…then, after a while I saw him sitting on the sofa hunched over and emotional though I couldn’t really say if he was crying. I learned the sad news then that his brother died – in his sleep like a bangungot. It seems (from the stories of Ditse who was at BP at the time) he slept the night before with his tummy aching, they figured it was just from too much food intake. Then, in the middle of the night his wife was awakened by restless noises made by Kuya in his sleep. She tried to wake him up but he wouldn’t wake…fearful that he may be afflicted with ‘bangungot’ she called for help and they decided to bring Kuya to the hospital. He never made it alive to the hospital…he was dead before they even got there. Of course, it is expected that my husband, as well as the rest of his siblings, would be affected by his death. They are a close-knit family despite the fact that they were nine siblings in all. Kuya is the second in their brood and when I became part of their family, he was the one who usually tends to their farm. Since their Tatang died, no one else in their family had followed his footsteps except Kuya. My hubby did for awhile, but work in Manila beckoned and was far more lucrative so he left their province for greener pastures. But when Kuya grew old, he found he could not farm anymore so they left their house (which was situated at the back of the compound) to live in Pulilan, where her wife and family resides to help her sell puto and chicharon at the tiangge. Maybe, he had been feeling sick a long time but no one really knows…he is not the type to talk and complain much kasi e… I guess he feels he doesn’t have the money to go for a checkup and so he just lets his body heal itself naturally. But I wish he would have said something…anything to anyone so that his other siblings could have helped him… but now I guess it’s too late…today we lay his body to rest…goodbye Kuya…I will always be reminded of you whenever I prepare your favorite fruit salad every Christmas…I promise to send one out to the heavens for you each year… Rest in Peace brother…