My 2 year old niece

December 23, 2013

These events happened last week ( December 17-22, 2013)

My dad came from the market and bought a small plastic bag of dried fish (tuyo). My niece, who always looks forward to anybody who'll come through the door with take out, would always take whatever it is that you're holding. And so...

My mom (to my niece) : You smell.

My niece (without knowing what she's gotten herself into, smelled the contents of the plastic) : Eeewww...dirty...trixie (meaning: eeww, it's dirty, give it to trixie-our dog)

My mom : do you like to smell it again?

My niece : No

==================================================================

When I got home from work, they were busy taking the box of cake away from my niece. She was holding a spoon and wanted to get some of the cake's icing. 

Me: Hi baby, what are you doing? (I didn't expect an answer when suddenly she answered with a firm...)

Niece: Eating

==================================================================

While watching her favorite youtube cartoon series "Peppa Pig" on her own sofa, she noticed that her feet were a bit dirty. She looked at me and said...

Niece: Eeewww...Feet dirty...hol (meaning: Eeewww, my feet is dirty, put some alcohol ) 

March 9, 2014

On the way home after driving my uncle to the airport, they experienced traffic.

Niece: "Mom, push, push", "Shoo cars", "Move"

My free PANTENE treatment kit

December 10, 2013

I would like to thank Viviamo! Inc. for this free Pantene treatment kit:

I hope that my hair wouldn't need another rebond session.

Where is He?

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with You above the storm
Father you are King over the flood
I will be still, know You are God

- "Still" by Hillsong United

I have recently viewed videos/pictures of the aftermath of the typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) that devastated the Visayas and part of Palawan and Mindoro in the Philippines. I have also experienced the feeling of hopelessness during the typhoons Ondoy (Ketsana) 2009, Habagat 2012, and Habagat 2013, but not in the degree of hopelessness that the victims of the storm Yolanda might have been experiencing. During these dire times, I wonder why some people would ever take the time to share in social media their own bitterness in life by saying hurtful remarks to those who have suffered and survived the storm. I have even encountered this comment: "...where was God...". Honestly, I am angered by this comment, but more than being angry, I feel sad and burdened that there are still many people who need to know the Lord. So in this blog, I'd like to respond to this comment. God is with each and every person during the storm. He is present when a father, a mother, a grandparent, or a child died. He is within that person who saved another person, He is that tree that served as a lifeline for someone who was swept by the flood waters, He is within the building that protected those who survived. What I'm saying is -- He is there. In case you are wondering why I kept on using the present tense "is" instead of "was", that's because He is still there. He is within that person giving out relief goods, He is within that person comforting those who are broken and He is within that person of the search-and-rescue team. I can't visibly prove it because all I have is faith. Let me give you another question to answer: "If God was not there, why were there survivors?" I am not posting this to have an argument, all I ask is for an open mind and an open heart. All I ask is for people to stop making such unhelpful comments and start being a blessing to other people. If you can't share our faith, I hope and pray that you will soon see God's blessings in your life. To my fellow Filipinos, I share to you this verse:

Philippians 4:6-7

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don't forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ.

Kids say/do the darndest things!

November 10, 2013

Setting: Evening. Inside the bedroom. Watching TV with my dad.
My 1 yr. and 10 month old niece, not wearing a diaper, pee-d on the bed.
My sister (who takes care of my niece) enters the room.
Knowing that my sister would be really mad at her for wetting the bed, my niece took the blanket and rubbed profusely on what seemed to be the wet spot.
Seeing her reaction, my sister, instead of getting angry, changed my niece's underwear and laughed while telling us the story.

Setting: Later that night. My niece is usually washed by my sister before letting her wear bedtime clothes.
My sister: Come, let's go wash.
My niece articulately says: I don't want.
But of course, she doesn't have any say in it once my sister carries her over to the bathroom

November 24, 2013

Setting: Morning
My two sisters went out to buy a birthday cake for my mom. My niece saw them go out then she cried. My other sister took pity on my niece, so she offered that she could take her to walk outside provided that she wear her slippers by herself. So my sister went up to get changed while I sat beside my niece figuring out how to wear her slippers. The moment I sat, she pushed me while saying:
My niece: away...don't like (meaning: she doesn't like me. she could only be assisted by my sister)
Me: ok (That was new. It was a bit heartbreaking but it was also a bit funny)

After being assisted by my sister(instead of letting my niece wear slippers, she wore shoes), my mom double checked on her attire and teased:
My mom: Maybe you wore your shoes the wrong way.
My niece: No.

Setting: Evening
My niece: Mi-milk. Mi-milk.
Me: I'll give you milk but don't play with it okay?
My niece: Promise. (So at almost 2 years old, she knows how and when to use this word. Little did she know the gravity of the meaning of this word because after a minute, she played with her milk.)

Kids say the darndest things!

Setting:
Evening. I was sitting on my bed. My sister and my 1year and 10-month old niece were also in the room. My sister was busy playing with an app on her smartphone and my niece was busy playing on her own. A moment came to pass when...

Niece: Me (pronounced with short letter e. Meaning: "May I have?" or "Give me some")
Sister: What do you like? What are you asking for?
Niece: Money.
Sister: Don't ask money from me, ask from Tita(Aunt-pertaining to me)
My niece approached me and spoke the same words with her hand stretched out, palm-up.
Me: What are you going to do with the money? (This seemed a little too confusing for her to understand so I rephrased it) What are you going to buy?
Niece: Ph-Phone
<I was dumbfounded>

Setting:
Evening. I just got home. My niece was busy watching cartoons and she looked towards me:

Niece: Hallwo (Hello..that's how she pronounces  it)
Me: Hi baby!
Niece: bong? (bong = pasalubong = take out = "Do you have something for me?")
<At least she had thought of saying hello first!>

Setting:
Five minutes after the setting above, I was looking for something in my bag when she approached me-wanting to look into my bag as well.

Me: Do you like 'kiss'?
Niece: Eeeww!
<Again, I was dumbfounded. She usually smiles and offers her cheeks.>

Setting:
She was playing with her cooking toys. She wants me to just sit down and watch her. I had to ask for her permission before I could stand up otherwise, she'd throw a mini-tantrum.

Me: You wait for me and I'll just change, ok?
Niece: ture ture (Sure, sure)

Setting:
In the bedroom. Playing with her stuffed toys.

Niece: chain chain
My sister: What's chain chain?
<My niece falls silent and proceeds to play with the toys. After 10-15 seconds..>
Niece: choo choo
My sister: Oh! train train
<Then my niece smiled--probably feeling proud of herself for finding another term so that we could understand her>

Bust your diet at Buffet 101

August 2, 2013(late post)

My vouchers (c/o Ensogo) will soon expire so my sister and I decided to use them. Buffet 101 is located at the 2nd level of Robinson's Magnolia. The restaurant will open at exactly 11am. If you're a little early, you could sit on one of the chairs located outside. 

 

 

 

I wouldn't enumerate the names of the dish that I ate but I'd give you tips based on my experience:

• Cheese balls - these contain potatoes and a bit of cheese. I honestly thought that these were mozzarella balls. They should've labeled it as 'Potato balls' instead of deceiving diners. It's not bad tasting but it barely had cheese in it.
• Steamed shrimps can be ordered right where the aquariums for shrimps are located - near the dimsum area.
• Cheesy brocolli and cauliflower - get more of the cheese :)
• Prime rib - you have the choice to have it cooked through but it would be tough then. I tried the beef gravy, peppercorn gravy and the mushroom gravy. I preferred the peppercorn over the other two.
• I loved their yogurt, chocolate panna cotta, and coffee panna cotta.
• Pata tim - it was ok, but you could just as well skip it.
• Fresh salmon at the Japanese area is better than the spicy fried salmon.
• Chocolate pudding with oozing chocolate inside and where you put hot milk - we didn't get that "soft, oozing" chocolate. "That Chocolate Thing" of Bubba Gump still is the most comforting chocolate dessert for me.

I didn't get to eat the other dishes because I was too full. :(  If I could redo the whole buffet experience, I would've ordered more of those steamed shrimps, tasted the pasta dish, skipped on the cheese ball, got myself some of those fresh salmon fillet instead of the fried and spicy ones.

Celebrate like a Viking! :)

September 19, 2013

It's my birthday!! I've decided to celebrate my birthday(you get to dine for free as long as you are accompanied by a paying adult) at Vikings SM North The Block branch with my special man. I had it reserved 1 month prior to my birthday so I had no worries. We were early yet the line was already long.

First plate

Contents:

3 pcs. of ebi tempura - not too oily, batter not crisp yet thin so it's not too filling.

Steamed shrimp - I'm a fan of shrimp so I filled my plate with these. This sums up my first plate.

Side plate

Content:

2 pcs of grilled squid - I loved it so I had it again with my third plate.

2 sticks of bbq - I liked the taste of their bbq and the meat was tender.

2 sticks of chicken wings - I didn't get to eat this. I'm just too lazy to take out the bones (but not too lazy to remove the flesh of the shrimp from its shell ;) ) According to my special man, it was a bit sweet.

Grilled squid

Second plate

Contents:

A slice of roasted lamb - absolutely divine together with the mint.

A slice of beef tenderloin - loved it with the peppercorn gravy.

A small scoop of mashed potato - not too creamy. simply mashed. I liked it with the tenderloin.

A spoonful of ratatouille - light vegetable dish with tomato sauce. 

Third plate

Contents:

4 pcs. of hakaw - I wish I still had stomach space for more. :(

1 pc. chicken feet - it was ok. Usual.

1 pc. chuchow dumpling - I had no idea what this was but it looked harmless. It had taro(i think) inside.

Steamed shrimp - again :) Obviously I love 'em.

I would've gotten something from the sushi area but I'm just too lazy to line up and wait for people to make up their minds. So in the end, I didn't get any from that area.

My fourth plate

Fourth plate

Contents:

A slice of roasted lamb - again, with mint :)

A slice of beef tenderloin - again, with peppercorn gravy :)

5-6 pcs. of nachos topped with chili, cheese and a bit of sour cream on the side - yummy! Now, if you're not used to the smell and flavor of cumin, skip the chili.

Dessert

A bowlful of vanilla yogurt topped with peaches (from the salad bar) and three assorted fruit preserves (blueberry, cranberry, and strawberry - all from the crepe area)

A shotglass of coffee panacotta - I would've loved a stronger coffee taste

A shotglass of strawberry mousse - lacks the taste of strawberry. It was like eating a pink-colored whipped cream.

An extra mini ramikin of leche flan - not creamy. I didn't like it.

I wish they had fresh oranges in the fruits area to balance the sweetness of the other desserts.

Drinks

I normally drink water, but I tried their strawberry lemonade - too sour for my liking but it was good. You should go for the blueberry lemonade. 

Birthday Cake

Since it was my birthday, I got a free mocha cake. :) They even have employees who sing a "Happy Birthday" song for you, you get to wear a Viking hat, and they dance too! Thank you Vikings! I had a great birthday! 'Til next year :)

One saturDate

September 7, 2013

I haven't been to food trips lately then I remembered Yabu. A branch opened up not too long ago at SM North The Block so we decided to give it a try. 

Menchi Katsu Set

The Food

Kurobuta Pork

I ordered the Kurobuta-90g Tonkatsu Set at 515php. For me, it was steep but I would like to try the one on the menu labeled as "Premium" . My date ordered the Menchi Katsu Set at 350php. The set include unlimited servings of the ff.: rice, cabbage, fruit, pickled vegetable, and miso soup.

While waiting for our orders, we were given a small dish of sesame seeds and a wooden pestle. You have to grind the sesame seeds for added aroma and flavor to the katsu sauce.

The Service

I liked their service. They greeted us with a smile. Gave us water. Offered service tea. Offered for refills. Explained the use of all the bottles of condiments on our table. Unlike others where the customer would still have to wave or raise their hands like children just to get the table attendant's attention.

My Opinion
I don't understand why some people rave about this place. The food was just ordinary.  The katsu sauce lacked something that it just couldn't complement the taste of the katsu. Not even the presence of the crushed sesame seeds/pickled veggies nor the addition of the other condiments helped. On the plus side, the pork was tender and the katsu was not oily. Another plus side is that everything else is unlimited. So you'd still end up full. :)

Laid Back Bohol -- Day 2

July 5, 2013

Breakfast at Coco Grove Tourist Inn starts at 6am. These were the options: Ham, Longganisa, or Corned Beef -- all served with fried egg, plain rice and coffee. I suggest you order the Longganisa because it came all the way from Lucban. Skip the ham and the corned beef since you could get these in any supermarket.

Our original schedule was 9am. But we requested it to be re-scheduled at 7am. Thankfully, our driver picked us up on time. He was a different driver/tour guide from the previous day and he didn't bother introducing himself. He was more of the silent type. 

Our trip for the day was the Countryside Tour: Blood Compact Shrine, Baclayon Church, 'Prony' the Python, Chocolate Hills, Billar Man-made forest, Simply Butterflies Conservation Center, Tarsier Conservatory, Hanging Bridge,  Loboc River Cruise with buffet lunch.

Blood Compact Shrine

Blood Compact Shrine
From Panglao Island, it will take you less than 20 minutes to reach this. From this spot, you could also take a photo of Pamilacan Island.

Baclayon Church
This is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. Work your imagination a little and you'd see the image of Padre Pio. The church was still closed when we arrived.

Baclayon Church

We went back here in the afternoon -- after finishing all the other tourist spots. They say that you haven't been to Baclayon if you've never been in the Museum. I was a bit tired then and I thought that I would only see a lot of religious artifacts so I decided to skip it. Entrance fee to the museum was 50php and taking photos were prohibited. Baclayon Church is also home to one of the oldest pipe organs. Important reminder: Dress appropriately when going inside churches.

Prony the python

Prony the python

I could only say that Prony is one huGe snake! It was amusing to know that the caretakers use shampoo to bathe Prony. (That's a lot of shampoo!) You could also see several birds here and 3 civet cats.

Billar Man Made Forest

Billar Man Made Forest

This is a cool, refreshing spot along the highway going to Chocolate Hills. It makes you want to stop over and take a nap under the trees.

Chocolate Hills halfway up the steps

Chocolate Hills
You could reach the viewing deck after climbing up a long set of stairs (150+ steps). Actually, even if you don't reach the main viewing deck, you could still see the hills. I was expecting the hills to be more brown in color, but much to my disappointment, it was green. There were 2 legends on how the hills came to be but there's really a scientific explanation with regards to the formation of these hills.

Caterpillar!

Simply Butterflies Conservation Center
This was my initial thought prior to going inside the conservatory -- "Boring. I've seen butterflies." But believe it or not, I really enjoyed this part of the trip. It was an educational tour, and I got to hold a caterpillar! I felt a bit squirmish about the idea of touching it but hey! this was just a once in a lifetime experience so make the most out of it rather than regret it right? Right!

I have wings! :)

Another plus for this trip is that there are excellent spots where you could take photos. I also recommend that you try their ice cream -- they're packaged like ice candies but are really ice cream. I got the lychee-flavored one and it tasted creamier than the ice cream I had at Bohol Bee Farm. Make sure to eat it immediately because it melts quickly. I forgot the price but I think it was around 25? 35? It was worth it -- for me (in my opinion).

Sleeping tarsier

Tarsier Conservatory
I thought that we would be led inside a greenhouse to see these little creatures closer. I was surprised to see that we would enter a mini-forest and we would see the tarsiers up the trees. I guess they made it that way to prevent tourists from touching these fragile little primates. Tarsiers are nocturnal so most of them were sleeping during our tour. I loved the idea that the entrance tickets to the conservatory could also serve as postcards! :)

Hanging Bridge

Hanging bridge

You'd be crossing this twice so think long and hard if you'd have the courage to cross the bridge. Honestly, for me, it's nothing to be scared of. It was quite safe. You would only see more souvenir shops at the end of the bridge. You'd be fortunate if "Buko King" decides to perform and have you see his amazing talent of removing a coconut's husk with the use of his teeth.

Platform where you could watch
the natives perform

Loboc River Cruise + lunch buffet
This was the least satisfying part of the trip. We boarded a boat operated by Busai Monark. The food was nothing special. My mom could cook better. What's really irritating here was that, they waited for the boat to be filled up with guests. A group left even before the cruise started and after they left, the boat finally moved. The trip was delayed but we were not in a rush so we waited, and besides, we wouldn't want to waste the money we paid for the cruise. There were several platforms setup along the river so you could watch a sing-dance performance by natives that live within the river's vicinity. Depending on what you chose, you could see a small waterfalls or you could visit a local tribe.

Literally a house. Just knock and ask
politely for their product

House of Ube
Ask around where this is and try their ube products. Their ube pastillas, ube halaya, and ube polvoron were really tasty and made with real ube(no fake extenders like purple-colored sweet potato).

After going back to Baclayon to see it's interiors, we headed back to our inn. We rested until 4:30pm before going to our planned dinner place.

Note: From here on, there'll be no pictures since we decided to leave our things at the inn. We later found out that it was a wrong decision.
Acacia de Bubu
We went here by tricycle for 10php/pax as fare. It was a good thing that a passenger of the tricycle knew the place and instructed the driver where we could be dropped(since it was a one-way street). We thought that the driver was irritated with us, but at least he dropped us there safely. This is located on Burgos street near a big acacia tree - thus the name. It's a big, open-air bbq eatery. There would be several plastic containers where you could choose which ones to grill. Here are some of your choices: traditional pork bbq, liempo, hotdog, visayan longganisa, chicken feet, chicken liver, chicken gizzard, chicken intestines and others. Their bbq sauce was good, I just wished that they cleaned their grill properly and they shouldn't have burnt our hotdogs :( 1 liempo, 2 hotdogs, 3 bbq, 1 longganisa(visayan longganisa tastes different than your typical longganisa), 2 rice, and 2 softdrinks were approximately 200php.

After dinner, my sister and I decided to walk home because it was downhill and most of the public transportation going back where we came from were filled up to the roof-not exaggerating(plus, the fare back would be higher) The distance was approximately 2.5km. When we reached the bridge connecting Tagbilaran and Panglao, we decided to try Alfonso Pizzeria.

Alfonso Pizzeria
They use a brick-oven and firewood to cook the pizza. We ordered the Margherita. We watched how the chef made our pizza and I loved how he generously topped it with mozzarella. There was an incident here(an insect went inside my eye) that ruined my mood, but the whole eating experience was enjoyable. The pizza was freshly made and while watching, you would see that the chef values cleanliness in the kitchen. Their pizza looked healthier than those oily commercialized pizza. Their price was also affordable so if you have the time, visit their place. 6-7pm will be the most ideal time because their pizza could be easily sold out.

Our flight back to Manila was 10am of July 6, 2013. It was a rollercoaster ride and one of the most nauseating flights I've had. So that was it! Our trip to the 10th largest island in the Philippines - Bohol!

Fun-filled trip to Bohol

July 4-6, 2013

This trip was made affordable by:

Cebu Pacific offered a 12-peso promo fare which totalled to almost 2,300php for 2 people. 

For 7,260php, or 3,630php/pax, we were able to go to the ff. tourist spots in Bohol-all thanks to Bohol Life Tour Services:

Mag-Aso Falls, Dauis Church & Miracle Well, Hinagdanan Cave, Bohol Bee Farm, Panglao Church and Watch Tower, Nova Sea Shell Museum, Walk along Alona White Sandy Beach, Blood Compact Shrine, Baclayon Church, Bohol Python 'Prony', Tarsier Conservation Area, River Cruise with Lunch, Bamboo Hanging Bridge, Billar Man Made Forest, Butterfly Garden, and the famous Chocolate Hills.

Coco Grove Tourist Inn offers 1,000php/night stay. They also have an accommodation+tour package. You may visit this site for more details - http://www.infobohol.com/bohol-hotels/coco-grove-tourist-inn-and-hotel-panglao-bohol/. We thought of availing their package, but the trip to Balicasag Island will consume a lot of our time. But if you're going to stay for 4days, you may want to avail this package and contact Bohol Life for additional tours.

Our flight

I was shocked when we boarded on time. So much for expectations - our plane took off 20 minutes after ETD and we circled Bohol twice because there was "traffic". 

First day tour

We were picked up by Bohol Life and our driver's name is Mr. William. He did a great job. Not only did he take us to our destinations safely, suggested restaurants and pasalubong(s) to buy,  he also shared stories and jokes to entertain us. And he was kind enough to introduce himself, unlike our second day driver.

Mag-Aso Falls

Mag-Aso Falls

Our trip for the day was composed mainly of tourist spots that are located in Panglao island. Our driver suggested that we go here first since this was the only one in the list that was located in mainland Bohol. 

We didn't exactly count the steps down towards the falls but thankfully, the steps were cemented. They offer lifesavers for those who don't know how to swim. Prices for the lifesavers are as follows: small - 50php medium - 75php  large - 100php. The pool formed by the falls was deep(around 30ft.), so if you're not a swimmer, it's better to rent a lifesaver and have your swimmer-companion pull/push you towards the falls. Or you could just stay at the shallow portion.

We planned to stay there for just an hour - in time for lunch. But the refreshing water and the perfect rock formations where you could just lie down and feel the rushing water made us not wanting to leave. So we spent 2 hours before we decided to get some lunch.

Lunch at Golden Cowrie 
For those who don't know what a Golden Cowrie is (including me) - it's a kind of seashell.
So when we asked the driver where we could eat food aside from burgers and fried chicken normally served at fastfood joints, he took us to Golden Cowrie. Surprisingly, our orders came in after waiting for only 10 minutes. These were our orders: Calamares, NgoHiong(10pcs), Sinigang na Hipon(Shrimps in Tamarind Soup Base), Kinilaw na Tanigue (Ceviche), Rice.  Their rice is unlimited worth 39php. I was not in the mood to eat that much since it was waAay past lunch time, but their initial rice serving was approximately 2 cups(comparing to fastfood rice serving size). I loved their sinigang - it had that right amount of sourness. Our food amounted to approximately 700php, with food to spare for dinner.

Dauis Church and Miracle Well

Dauis Church's Miracle Well

After lunch, we proceeded to Panglao Island. It was already past 2pm. According to our driver/tour guide, long ago, the town experienced a disease where a sighting of Mary instructing the people that only the water from the well could cure them. There was no church in this island then. But because they couldn't move the statue of Mary near the miraculous well, they've decided to build the church there. In addition to what he told us, the water from the well is clean - even cleaner than some commercialized drinking water. If you want to try the water from the well, you could get a bottle at the back part of the church.
Important Note: Dress appropriately (no tubes or spaghetti straps or tank tops, no mini shorts/skirts). Follow the dress code when going inside churches.

Hinagdanan Cave
To give you a brief history of the cave, here is a photo of their signage:

Hinagdanan Cave's brief history

First thing that you have to do before you visit this place, is to study how to set your camera to capture images with few light sources. But don't worry if you don't know how to set it because the guides were taught the perfect setting.

So my initial thoughts before entering the cave were -- "Okay...usually bats live in caves..and it would smell like guano inside..eeww". Much to my surprise, creatures that live here are no less than the Balinsasayaw  birds. It's a good thing that taking their nests from this cave is strictly prohibited.

Balinsasayaw's Nest 

Drawings on the cave walls

From the photo on the left, you would see drawings on the cave walls. Inhabitants of this cave from long ago drew these.

There is also a pool of water inside the cave. According to the guide, it's a free flowing body of water. You wouldn't want to take a dip here since it's a bit deep and there is only a little light available so you wouldn't know what to expect underneath. In addition, I think it's prohibited. :) Kudos to the cave guides, they know what they're presenting and they were quite amusing.

Around this area, you could buy t-shirts worth 99php. I suggest you buy your souvenir shirts here. :)

Bohol Bee Farm
Our farm guide was new and he's such a slow talker that we finished later than we expected. He also got stung by a bee during his demo. We also got to try weaving using the traditional loom. You could try their freshly baked bread or ice cream. They say that their Malunggay-flavored ice cream is their best seller, so I tried it. Honestly, it tasted like any ordinary vanilla ice cream. If you have a check-in luggage, good for you. You could buy their honey to take home. We bought a small jar of honey and had trouble at the airport. So if you're planning to buy honey, make sure that you're allowed to check-in your baggage to avoid the hassle. We also bought a small jar of their malunggay spread. I also liked their other spreads but we had to choose one. So we went with the most interesting flavor of all the spreads.

Smallest shell species - you'd need a magnifying glass

It was 4:30pm and the driver-tour guide informed us that we're past the time allotted for the tour and we still have 3 spots to see, these were the ff:  Panglao Church and Watch Tower, Nova Sea Shell Museum, and Walk along Alona White Sandy Beach. It would cost us an additional fee of 250php if we would still like to see these spots. So I thought we wouldn't be missing much if we skipped the remaining three spots, but our guide insisted that he'd take us to the remaining spots for free. So we took a quick picture of the Watch Tower, took a quick tour inside the Sea Shell Museum and took a few photos of Alona Beach. He even took us at the frontage of the most exclusive resort of Bohol -- the Eskaya Resort. So it was a good thing that our guide insisted on taking us to the remaining spots because:

Naturally colorful shells

#1 He took good pictures of us at the Watch Tower
#2 We learned a few things at the Nova Shell Museum and the candy-colored shells are so cute
#3 The sand at Alona Beach was white and fine like powder

Of course, we wouldn't let it be free so we paid the additional 250php. It was also our fault because we spent time at the falls. Plus, our flight was delayed. Our take-out from lunch served as our dinner. Overall, it was a fun-filled first day!

Mezza Norte experience

June 29, 2013

I'm one of those people who are fond of reading food blogs, especially when they're filled with pictures. I'm also curious of food markets so when I found out that Mezza Norte is just across Trinoma, I was excited to try it.

My goal - taste food from as many stalls as possible
My strategy - share the food with my companion

Chicken choppers(Php 90 ala carte; Php 100 with rice)

Deep fried chicken breasts chopped to bite-size pieces. You can choose from different powders for added flavor: Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Lemon and I forgot the others. We opted for the safest: Pepper and Cayenne Pepper. This is served with deep fried basil leaves on top. From the first bite, I'm immediately taken back to my childhood where we would buy something similar to this. But the great thing here is that the chicken is boneless.

Grilled hotdog(Php 40/stick - jumbo hotdog)

I just love grilled hotdogs :)

Hickory Beef BBQ with rice from Sultry Chef(Php 120)

The beef was soft but not so much on the hickory flavor It tasted more like beef brisket served in Chinese restaurants minus the Chinese herb they put in it.

Macheesemo Burger(Php 160 - classic burger - beef patty, cheese, lettuce, tomato)

The beef patty had cheese inside so once you bite into the burger, cheese will also ooze out with the juice. I loved the cheese.

Takoyaki(Php 70)

If the server asks you "Sweet or Spicy", choose the Sweet sauce. Their Spicy sauce is really spicy that you could barely taste the takoyaki balls. Still, I'd choose the Takoyaki that you could buy in Little Tokyo's Hana.

3 for Php 100/ 2 for Php 150 cakes

I bought 2 cakes(Mango and Yema Cakes) and 1 leche flan for Php 150. Buy only the leche flan. The cakes were dry. I've also tried their red velvet from another food market. It's just a cake made from butter icing dusted with red powder.

Merry Moo Ice cream (Php 75)

I chose the strawberry shortcake flavor. It was ok. You'll probably appreciate it more than I did. I'm not really an ice cream person.

I also had the chance to taste a sandwich with hungarian sausage pattie. It was a bit hot but I'm not liking the taste of the meat. Next time, I'd like to try the "Silog" stall that serves Hungarian Sausages with fried rice and egg. I'd also like to try the Roast Beef by Chef Anton. I was disappointed that I didn't see the cheese steak food truck. I also expected Ebi Tempura from Nakamura's food stall. Too bad they only served rice dishes. Overall, I enjoyed my foodtrip. It was just bad because it started to rain.

Sunday retreat @ Villa Escudero

June 16, 2013 Sunday

Ensogo offerred a Day tour + buffet lunch voucher at Villa Escudero at 999php, so I immediately grabbed this deal and bought 4 vouchers. My mom also wanted to go here ever since we were young, so I wanted to give her this gift. Since we would only be travelling via public bus, we decided to avail the voucher in pairs to ensure that someone would be left to take care of my baby niece. We-my sister and I-used our voucher so it's our turn to babysit this coming Sunday. But that's another story...going back...

Going there

This info was a bit hard to research via the Internet. Most people have cars or rented vans to go here, so information via public bus was scarce and they didn't have pictures. In order to answer the question of those who are commuting, this was what we did: 

Hacienda Escudero signage and if you walk further down 

the path, you will see the guard post and there will be a 

tricycle available.

We rode a bus going to Lucena and told the conductor that we will alight at Villa Escudero

This was the usual answer that you would encounter. I even asked the booking office via email and they gave me the same answer. I think the fare would be lower if you told the conductor that you'd be going down at Villa Escudero rather than saying Tiaong that's worth 158php/pax(JAM bus). At 5:30am, we left the bus station. Important reminder: Don't rely on the conductor to cue you to your stop because they tend to forget.

Reception Area: pay for your tickets here

Alight the bus once you pass the Quezon arch

This was not an exaggeration. Look to your left and you'll see "HACIENDA ESCUDERO". These are the list of towns that you will pass starting from the SLEX exit: Makiling, Laguna; Calamba, Laguna; Sto. Tomas, Batangas; Alaminos, Laguna; San Pablo, Laguna. San Pablo would be the last, so get ready. Do not depend on the 'McDonalds Villa Escudero' posters, you will be far from where you need to go if you see this. Travel time will be 2 hours. 

Hacienda Escudero

Villa Escudero is far from the highway. It takes a little more than 3 minutes via tricycle to get to the reception area. You could walk or you could ride the tricycle at 50php. Once you get there, go to the reception area to pay for tickets. The day tour included the ff.: museum entrance, bamboo rafting, swimming, carabao ride, and buffet lunch at the Labasin falls.

Museum

Museum

The musuem's facade looked like that of a church. Inside, you will immediately see various religious statues. Another turn would lead you to a display of preserved animals and a wall of deer head mounts. Don't miss the New Testament that looked like an ordinary white wall poster with the portrait of Jesus and cherubs. Another hallway would have an array of religious items. Once you get to the second floor, you'll see old versions of our currency and other countries' currencies, dolls, pots, jars, other things that you'd normally discover on shipwrecks, traditional costumes, guns and a huge frame of knives. If you're not that interested, you could just walk past the display and go towards the exit.

Ligaya is the name of the carabao

Carabao ride

The carabao carts would be just behind the statues of the Katipuneros. During the ride, you will be serenaded by 2 employees singing old Filipino songs. They will drop you off to where you could find the bamboo rafts, Labasin waterfalls and swimming pool.

Bamboo rafts

Bamboo rafting

We didn't try this because we're just too lazy to row and it was too sunny ^_^ I'm not sure if you could fish in the waters but the lake does have tilapia.

Swimming pool

Swimming

We also didn't take a dip even though we brought swimsuits. 

Labasin Waterfalls. Entrance to this area 

will start at approximately 10:30am.

We were the first ones in line to reserve

 the best seat. Good thing it 

didn't rain.

Labasin Waterfalls

Our lunch: Grilled tilapia, ginataang kalabasa, roast chicken
grilled pork, pancit, plain rice, caldereta, misua soup on the side

This is a man-made waterfall and the water came from the lake. I thought that it was a good idea to dine near the waterfall but having your feet immersed in water for the whole time during your meal doesn't feel too good. Don't expect too much from the buffet table. The only dish that I appreciated was the caldereta. Everything else(except for the grilled tilapia) was either salty or bland. You could order a coconut that costs 40php.

After lunch is siesta time. You could walk around or swim or raft or you could simply sit at the restaurant and wait for the cultural show. I suggest you try their halo-halo, though we didn't get to order this because we were still full from lunch, a lot of people did. We tried their Hazelnut Iced coffee and for me, it was really good. Not that sweet and you could taste a slight bitterness from the coffee. We also ordered french fries while waiting for the show. At 60php, it was good for two and the cut was not like the typical french fries. Though I don't understand why it had to be covered in flour, the fries went well with  the mustard-relish-mayo dip.

Singkil dance

Cultural Show
The first rondalla was performed by teens. It was good but I would've appreciated it better if they smiled. The main program was performed by the employees and they demonstrated at least 10 traditional Filipino dances-complete with costumes, makeup, props, and music. I absolutely loved it. Do take time to see the show because it was worth it.

It was tiring yet it was also enjoyable. If I'd be given a chance to go back, I would be there to taste another variant of their coffee and order a glass of halo-halo :)

Free movie night

June 13, 2013

We were given free tickets to the movie "Man of Steel" in 3D with free regular sized popcorn and a 12 oz. drink. I'm not really a Superman fan nor a 3D movie fanatic nor a popcorn fan(except those Chef Tony/Taters/Holy Kettle Corn types)--just watched it because it's free. ^_^  The bbq flavored popcorn was just ok. Don't expect too much from this movie though. More than half of it just contains explosions, collapsing buildings and Superman fighting the bad guys. In my opinion, it's better to wait for it in cable.

Dinner date at Kao Chi

April 25, 2013 6:00 PM (This entry was looong overdue)

I had a dinner date with my family at Kao Chi restaurant located at Retiro cor. D. Tuazon in Quezon City. We came early since our 1 yr. old niece was with us. We were the first customers at that time.

The Restaurant

Dominant colors were red and black. The light was dimmer than the usual lights inside Chinese restaurants. Note: I'm assuming it's a Chinese restaurant. But unlike others, they have rectangular tables (which I prefer more than round tables..though they also have a section for round tables). 

The Attendants

Since we were the first ones to arrive, their attention was concentrated on us. They were also polite and attentive. What I didn't like was they were literally waiting on our table. It had advantages, but it was a bit uncomfortable.

The Food

The reason why we came here was: we were looking for a restaurant serving good Xiao Long Bao. Since Shi Lin ( from my previous post ) was a tad far from our home, my sister's friend recommended this restaurant.

  

Xiao Long Bao

Xiao Long Bao (6 pcs): I liked their version of this soupy dumpling. It was creamy and light. Eat it immediately because it will stick to the paper and you'll risk having the soup flow out of the dumplings. I forgot the price but it was cheaper than the ones in Shi Lin. Though I say that they're both delicious. With Shi Lin's version, you may or may not put some soy-vinegar-ginger sauce, but Kao Chi's version will be enhanced with the same sauce.

Steamed Fish Fillet: We absolutely loved this dish. My niece preferred this over our order of wanton noodle soup. 

Fried Xiao Long Bao: This is the fried version of their steamed ones. We'd still choose their steamed counterparts. Nothing wrong with the taste. 

Shrimp Balls (6 pcs): I've been looking for these for the longest time. I haven't had them since I was young. If your not a fan of the coating(since this could really taste oily), you could remove it and eat the shrimp inside. It's great with sweet and chili sauce.

Wanton Noodles Soup: Rumor has it that they make their own noodles. It wasn't a rumor when a bowl of this was served. The noodles and the wantons tasted good. But there's still something that's missing in the broth. 

Rice: We all ordered a bowl of rice. I don't know why but this bowl of rice seems to get you very very full even if you've just consumed half of it. I'm a rice person and I love my rice. With the taste of the food we're eating, I imagined ordering for a second bowl if it was the ordinary rice variant.

In addition to these, you will be served with hot tea. You may ask for spoons and forks if you're not comfortable in using chopsticks.

In the end, we were really grateful with my sister's friend. She recommended a restaurant that we may visit anytime soon.

Last Hurrah!

Last Day

I hope you could see the Bangui Windmills from this photo

Pagudpud Beach

My sister and I woke up early so that we could have the beach to ourselves before anybody wakes up. From the hill near the resort, you could see the windmills. We brought along our goggles but it's better if you could also bring snorkels. You could see fish even if you're near the shore. After an hour, we washed up and ate our breakfast. The breakfast for our last day was longganisa. This was different from the Vigan longganisa- it had more stuffing and served in pairs. It lacked seasoning but it was better than nothing. I was really against staying beyond 10am, but what can a person do versus 30+ people. So we spent time waiting for the drivers to finish eating and everybody else to finish preparing. They could have done so a little bit faster. In the end, we left the resort a bit late and arrived at Laoag for late lunch(1pm).

Bolusan restaurant

This is a restaurant serving Chinese, Japanese and Ilokano dishes. We ordered shrimp sinigang(I think this had 4-5 pcs of shrimp), Bagnet with KBL(in case you're wondering, KBL stands for Kamatis, Bagoong, Lasona - tomato, bagoong, onions), fried chili squid and Yang Chow fried rice. Our food was a bit expensive and I was a bit disappointed with their Bagnet(deep fried pork) but overall, the food was tasty.Though I really appreciated their chili squid(not tough) and the Yang Chow fried rice. Price ranges from 250-400php per dish. This restaurant also had several pots of orchids used as table centerpiece.



Badoc Museum

This was supposed to be visited on our first day. When I saw it, I knew that I regretted the decision in agreeing to skip it. Museums are closed on Mondays. So what is Badoc Museum? It's no less than the home of Juan Luna. Who is he? He's a great artist/painter and one of his works was the Spoliarium which can now be found at the National Museum. 

After Badoc Museum, we proceeded to the longganisa and bagnet factory in Vigan. (This was not in the itinerary. I think they only dropped us there so that they could get freebies from the owner, OR someone from our convoy asked the drivers to recommend a place where they could buy these and the drivers proceeded there with the entire group without even consulting the other passengers. How irritatingly unfair for those who were not interested in purchasing anything!) I didn't take note where this was exactly but it was at a corner lot and one of the roads near Calle Crisologo. It was also beside a multi-purpose hall. There were no taste samples for the longganisa so we only bought a small pack. If you wanted a longganisa that's more on the sour side, then you could buy these. But if not, I recommend that you skip it. If you want Vigan longganisa, I would recommend the one that's served at Marsha's delicacy. As for the bagnet(local term for lechon kawali), we usually buy ours at Laoag's public market. I didn't get to taste the ones they offered but my sister assured me that it was nothing special.

Vigan Heritage Houses

What you need here is a good camera --one that could produce good pictures even if it's night time. I bought most of my souvenirs here. I suggest that you also try the avocado flavored ice cream sold by the local sorbetero(ice cream man). It is also advisable to come here earlier(around 2 pm) and ride a kalesa for a tour of the town. We stayed here until 7:30 pm before heading home.

So there you have it, our trip up north with SMB using vouchers from cashcashpinoy worth 4k. In my opinion, this was a rip-off. Using 16k(4k for 4 persons) SMB could've provided us with our own car, driver, accommodation and food, since apart from the 4k, we were required to give "tips" worth 150 pesos per person. And we could've arrived earlier and went home earlier instead of waiting for other people to finish their business which was quite a hassle, especially if they're uncooperative. And yes, this is a downside for not having my own car.