Bloggers Fest 2011 in Thunderbird Resorts Rizal – Fun, Fun, Fun!

Last April 16th, I was scheduled to attend the Bloggers Fest in Thunderbird Resorts in Binangonan, Rizal with over 200 of my fellow bloggers.

It’s a yearly event spear-headed by Azrael where we get to meet-and-greet with other bloggers and learn from various speakers covering topics that range from blogging basics to more technical discussions like DNS and domain management for blogs.

It was my first time to go on an out-of-town blogger event and with that many attendees of people who have the same interests – blogging.

So, as early as 7am (I was supposed to leave earlier, but my bed won’t let me leave LOL), I left and headed to Makati to take the bus that’ll take us to Thunderbird Resorts.

It was fun seeing a lot of very familiar faces, especially people whose blogs I’ve been following and those that I’ve met through our Facebook Group Pinoy Bloggers (join now if you’re not a member yet!).

Here’s a photo I took while onboard the bus. I’m seated at almost the middle of the bus so there are more bloggers in front of me.

We left Makati a few minutes past 9:30am. I knew the program will start really late ‘cause there’s no way we can be at Rizal in 30 minutes, as the schedule said we’ll begin at 10am. The traffic on a Saturday morning is still crazy so we arrived almost at 12 noon.

After registration, we proceeded to Thunderbird Resorts Rizal Events Center. It’s HUGE! I love the lighting and the comfy feel of the whole place! It was the perfect venue for the Bloggers Fest.

We learned that there were 2 other buses that we have to wait for before everything starts. We were all very hungry ‘cause I only had coffee for breakfast. So, here’s Divine passing the time while playing The Idiot Test on my iPad.

Finally, the program started with Herbert Williams of Thunderbird Resorts telling us a brief background on their resort, their facilities, and how they’ve decided to tap into blogs and social media to further promote their resort.

After his speech, we were informed that the buffet is now open. We intentionally sat right beside the buffet line on the right side of the events center. They had various dishes prepared for us, and we all noticed that they kept it at healthful food like vegetables, chicken, pasta and fish.

Day 5 - Baguio + Partas Bus' Poor Customer Service

It's already March and it's only now that I'm posting about Day 5 of our Northern Luzon getaway in December. Hahahah. I completely forgot that I haven't posted about this yet 'til I had to write a post on my other blog that linked to my post about Day 1 of our trip. Yeah, that's one thing I need to work on - procrastination!

Our last stop was Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte. We had lots of fun in Pagudpud and I even thought of staying there for another night, but I really wanted to go to Baguio again. And, so, in the afternoon of Day 4 of our trip, we headed to the Partas bus station in Laoag.

We thought we'd have a fun start on our trip to Baguio. But, we were welcomed with a VERY bad customer service experience from this certain Partas bus conductor.

We arrived a few minutes before the next Partas bus going to Baguio arrived at their station in Laoag. We were the first ones there so we got the front rows seats. When we were settled in, the bus conductor RUDELY informed my mother that she HAS to transfer because the front row seats were reserved for someone. We questioned him because if it was indeed reserved and PAID FOR, the ticketing office would've advised us about it. So, NO, we didn't agree to transfer seats.

After a few seconds, we saw this bus conductor blabbering about like a pesky old woman, speaking in Ilocano to the bus driver and the driver's wife. We, then, figured out that the driver's and the bus conductor's wives were the ones they reserved the seats for. The bus conductor's wife was to be picked up at Vigan station, which was like a few hours away from Laoag. So, that really angered us and my aunt Zeny and I started telling them off to the point that we almost reported them to their office. We decided not to 'cause we don't want to ruin the rest of our day.

What pissed us off the most was the bus conductor yelling and threatening to not come aboard if we don't transfer seats. ARE YOU FRICKING KIDDING ME? You're throwing a tantrum, you old piece of sh*t?! ARGH.

Anyway, in the end, he knew he can't do anything about it. We saw the driver, guard and the guy from their ticketing office talking to him and were also mad at him for going off like that. Yeah, he's a complete jerk. So, I decided to take a photo of him while he was handing us our tickets.

Okay, enough about him. The whole trip from Laoag to Baguio was really exhausting. We paid Php 410 each for our tickets (total of Php 2,050). We left Laoag at 2:30pm and we arrived in Baguio past 11pm. That's more than 8 hours of travel and we were really hungry. So, I had 2 cups of rice at Andok's where we had dinner. *LOL*

We had a good night's sleep and we were up really early the next day. We were scheduled to go back to Manila in the afternoon so we had to make the most out of the few hours we got left in Baguio.

We hired an FX taxi for our quick tour in the morning. We already brought our bags with us 'cause we were staying inside the PMA compound in Baguio, at my aunt Zeny's home. It's a bit far from the bus station of Victory Liner.

The FX taxi, by the way, can be rented if you want to tour around Baguio. They charge Php 300 per hour, but just ask for a discount. The driver we hired agreed we pay only Php 900 for an almost 4-hour rental since we didn't really tour around the city.

Our first stop was the Strawberry Fields in Baguio. My mother was planning on preparing Strawberry Sinigang so we wanted to pick our own strawberries for that. Plus, I wanted to see the farm myself.

My mother and I, along with Tita Beth (her best friend), decided to pick strawberries. I'm the only one without a photo while picking strawberries. Boohoo!

The price is Php 300 per kilo for strawberry-picking. We tried to ask for a discount, but they were pretty firm with the price. They said it already covers all strawberries and plants we'd crush, damage, eat and throw away. *LOL* We went over a kilo and I tried to haggle yet again. The seller agreed, but she was whispering so the others after us won't hear. Hahah.

My Dream of Horseback Riding

Most people who know me might be surprised that I once wanted to be an equestrian, a horseback rider back when I was younger. In fact, on the photo below taken decades ago in Baguio, I was enjoying the ride that my mother had to scold me multiple times to stop me from daring the horse to get us away from there. *LOL*

I thought it was scary to ride horses, but when I finally did it, it was pretty cool! I think I got my love for horses from my mother.

It was too bad that after my grandfather passed away, we had to give up the horse pictured above 'cause of financial reasons. My mother was telling me about the stable where our old horse was staying in Baguio. It was hard for her to give the horse up 'cause they really cared for her. My mom even said she used to go on mini-races with her friends.

She said the owner of the stable was pretty good in maintaining it, the farm and the arena where the horses spend time to exercise and run around. Some of them even were running in horse races and so they made sure the whole arena is maintained.

I wonder if they used some kind of arena footing back then like Surefoot Equestrian Arena Footing from Rubberecycle. It is low-maintenance because it reduces dust and mud, and insects / bugs don't breed on them. Horses will definitely enjoy trotting around with Surefoot's bounce-back surface. It's something I'll definitely use if I happen to fulfill my dreams of owning my own stable and horses.

On the right is me again, this time a li'l older, in Baguio riding this beautiful horse. My mom was a li'l scared that I was near the cliff when this photo was taken, but I was so enjoying it. I'm thinking of adding horseback riding to my bucket list. It's really something I'd love to try.

Day 2 : Vigan and Laoag

I hope you've read / seen the first part of this series (Day 1 - Pangasinan - My Best Friend's Wedding) about our 5-day vacation, 4 destinations. Call it crazy, but we still had a lot of fun.

Now, on to the next stop of our trip - VIGAN! This is another long post so I hope you'll bear with me. I promise to keep it interesting… at least most of the time. ^_^

From Baguio to Vigan

Right after my best friend's wedding, we headed over to Baguio because we decided to sleep over at my Aunt Zeny's house and head out to Vigan the next day. She was coming with us for the rest of our trip so we had to go to Baguio first. From Urdaneta, Pangasinan, we took a bus going to Baguio. We paid Php 130 each. After a few hours, we were in Baguio.

And as soon as we stepped off the bus in Baguio, we immediately felt that really cold chill. We were already wearing our jackets. I was forced to wear the hoodie, too, 'cause it was just cold. But, I loved it! I prefer the climate in Baguio over the really hot weather in Bataan or even in Metro Manila. My bro and I even wanted to jog right there and then 'cause the breeze was just so cool.

This is as creepy as the roads inside the PMA compound at night. LOL (source)

Aunt Zeny lives with her husband at the PMA in Baguio. The security was really strict and it was a longggg drive to their house once you're in the PMA compound. I'm actually scared of long winding roads with tall, gigantic trees. It was a bit creepy, even from inside the taxi cab. *LOL*

Anyway, we had a good rest and the next day, we were ready for Vigan! But, before we even get to that, let me share with you what happened to us at the start of Day 2 of our vacation.

First, we had to CLIMB / hike from Tita Zeny's home up to the area where jeepneys pass by. It was a very longggggg and exhausting walk. Just look at us.

 The start of our longggg and steep hike towards the jeepney stop! Hehehe.

 Me taking photos while I "climb" just to get my mind off the exhaustion hehehe.

I So Miss Pagudpud!

I have yet to post Day 2 (Vigan), 3 (Pagudpud) and 4 (Baguio) photos of our 5-day vacation over a week ago. Ever since we got back, I just couldn't stop thinking of Pagudpud and how much I want to go back there, especially to Blue Lagoon. Just look at the strong waves and the beautiful beach. That's my bro Kenneth trying to brace the waves. Hahahaha. OWNED!!

We didn't stay at Blue Lagoon. We only quickly toured Pagudpud (it was already getting dark) so we didn't get to dip in the waters of Blue Lagoon. Plus, it was so freaking cold! Hahahaha. Well, what would you expect coming to that windy part of the Philippines in December?!?! ^_^

Anyway, I've been looking at our photos from Pagudpud and I just can't stop wanting to go back. In fact, I've asked friends to plan out-of-town trips to Pagudpud. I especially would love to stay at any of the resorts in Blue Lagoon. I want to experience those waves again! They were strong enough to push me towards the beach when we were taking photos. Hahaha. Imagine high pressure commercial pumps. That's how strong the current was. I actually took a video while we were there, but my bro deleted them 'cause we didn't have enough space for our Day 4. Tsk! I'll make sure to get at least 8GB of memory when I buy a camera.

It'll be perfect to go to Blue Lagoon in the summer 'cause you can expect the water to be a li'l warm. *sigh* I miss Pagudpud! Next time, I'll make sure to enjoy the beach for at least 3 days. :D

Have you been to Pagudpud?

Holiday Greetings + Quick Updates!

Apologies for the late greetings, but believe me when I say that in my heart, I wished everyone had a warm and merry Christmas.

I just got back from our 5-day vacation which turned out to be a marathon. 4 destinations in 5 days! Hahahah. It was crazy, short, but fun! I learned my lesson. I wanted to see all the places (Vigan, Pagudpud, Baguio - the other one is Pangasinan but we didn't really tour the place, only attended my bff's wedding) and I didn't anticipate how long the travel time would be, especially from Baguio to Laoag and back. Hahaha! I so want to go back to Pagudpud!!

Good thing I was with 4 people who wanted to have fun alongside me on our vacation - my mother, my brother, aunt Zeny and my mom's best friend, Tita Beth. That's us on the photo above at Oh My Gulay in Baguio. Killjoys weren't allowed! *LOL* I'll be posting about our trip next so stay tuned! I've already posted some of the pasalubongs from Baguio that we bought home on our food blog. There are some of my recommendations and some you should avoid. Hehehe.

For the winners of my Thirty on 30 blog contest, I have already sent most of the prizes. For the shirts, Adgitize advertising, and SMS load - including the ones from my viral posters, my apologies for the delay. I forgot to reload my account for the holidays so I only got 120 load left. *LOL* The shirts, I'll be purchasing this week online so they'll be sent to your mailing address directly. For the Adgitize ads, I'll send them this week, too. Please be patient. It was really hectic since I got back. And I'm also a bit hung over from our vacation.

Please stay tuned for further updates. Thank you all for being patient and dropping by my blog. I'll be moving this blog to Wordpress permanently so you might notice a li'l downtime. Wish me luck, please? ^_^

I'm sending you all warm big hugs! *hugssss*

Baguio in December… Brrrrrrr

You might be wondering why I have that Baguio weather ticker on this post. Well, if you've read my previous posts, you probably already know that on Saturday, my family and I are heading to Baguio. Waaah! Can you just imagine how cold it would be?!?!

Well, we'll just be sleeping over on Saturday and we'll be heading to Vigan in the morning. But, still, it'll be so cold at night, I wonder if my aunt Zeny has a heated blanket at her house so I won't worry too much about my mother getting too cold.

As much as I would love to bring a thick jacket, I couldn't 'cause I want to keep my backpack light as much as possible. We won't be staying in a hotel anytime on Sunday so we'd be bringing our bags with us as we roam around Vigan. Okay, our itinerary isn't as finalized as I wanted it to be. *LOL* We might just go to Pagudpud first to book a hotel or something so we could leave our bags there. I don't know. We'll just see what happens.

I can't wait 'til the 18th. I wonder if I'd be able to sleep on Friday. Hahaha. Wish me luck! And, yes, I promise lots of photos and note-taking for y'all! :)

Preparing for our Northern Luzon Vacation!

In about two weeks, I will be heading to Northern Luzon for a four to five-day vacation. This is part of my bucket list (remember, bucket list #1) so I cannot wait! I'll be joined by my mother and her best friend, my brother and one of his friends, plus a very close family friend.

I know, I've mentioned about our trip like more than I should on this blog, but I'm just excited. It's been awhile since I enjoyed a vacation and travelling with my family. The last time we went on vacation together was like 6 years ago! So, I'm hoping you understand why I'm excited about this trip.

Another reason why I'm excited is because I've never been to Vigan, Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. This will be my first time so I already did my research. I've got a ton of things for our itinerary. Let me share with you some of them. If you have more recommendations, please, let me know! ^_^

• Vigan Longganisa - Everyone I know who's been to Vigan recommended that I have a taste of the longganisa. Hmmm… I wonder what's different that makes them all giddy about it.
• Baluarte - The zoo owned by Chavit Singson. There's no fee in visiting this place and I love zoos so definitely, we're not going to miss it!
• Padre Burgos Museum - I happen to love the part of our history about the GomBurZa. I mean, I love hearing about the stories and how they sacrificed their lives for us, which then resulted to the other events which led to our freedom from the Spaniards. Wow. I actually remember my Philippine history. Hahaha.
• San Agustin Belfry - I want to see its magnificence myself. Waah!
• Herencia Cafe - I'd like to dine here and try their Crispy Dinuguan and Pinakbet pizza! Woot!
• Bagnet - Of course, we won't miss enjoying a meal or two with bagnet. Ack. So hungry now. *LOL*
• Calle Crisologo - As I've mentioned before, I would love to have a photo of myself taken while walking these old streets. Woot!

• Wind Mills in Bangui - We wouldn't miss seeing these giant wind mills! I wonder how windy it is out there.
• Cape Bojeador Lighthouse - I want to climb up the lighthouse to see the view from the top. I'm not sure though if I'd have the energy to go all the way to the top. *LOL*
• Patapat Viaduct - This is the famous highway in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. I just want to take photos here. *LOL*
• Pagudpud Beach - Of course! We're planning on staying for one night here to bask in the sun and lovely beaches of Pagudpud, then party at night! I'm a li'l allergic to the combination of sea water and wind. So, surely, I'll be bringing some anti-allergy medicines PLUS sunscreen, of course! My allergies to sea water isn't really bad. I won't need anything like a treatment for eczema or anything that worse. My skin just gets too dry and itchy, even with lotion on. But, that won't stop me from enjoying my time at the beach! Woot!

• Ukay-ukay - Okay, we've been to Baguio numerous times already, but we haven't gone to any of the ukay-ukay stores there. Well, I didn't have my own money the last time we were there so now, I really want to go back there 'cause I can shop all I want without having to ask for money from my nanay! *LOL*
• Zenz Restaurant - We want to try the Strawberry Sinigang! Hahaha! They're at Mines View Hotel, by the way.
• Oh My Gulay! - The famous vegetarian restaurant in Baguio. Waahh! I've been longing to go there like forever!
• Market in Baguio - I want to buy broccoli and strawberries! I know, the latter is not yet in season there. But, I love the fresh strawberries in Baguio.

Okay, that's about it. I still have some things on my list, but this post is getting too long already. If you have recommendations, again, let me know at the comments section.

Image credits: Vigan, Pagudpud, Baguio

Christmas Shopping in Divisoria

Last Tuesday, my mother and I decided to go to Divisoria for some Christmas shopping. It was a holiday here in the Philippines so we were expecting a huge wave of shoppers crowding the different stores in Divisoria.

Before we headed out to Divisoria, the night before, I listed what I wanted to give to my friends and my godkids this Christmas. Most of my godkids are already grown-ups so the typical toys I give them during Christmas time won't be of use to them anymore. So, I searched for great Christmas gift ideas for 2010, and even asked some of my friends what they're giving their godkids this year. Most of the suggestions were really expensive toys. Well, ultimately, I ended up thinking I'd rather give them money than spend that much on Christmas gifts alone. That way, they get to pick however they want to spend that money (we call it aguinaldo here in my country), right?

If you think shopping for your godkids is the easiest task, well, for me, it isn't. I guess it could be because of my limited budget or I'm not really close to most of my godkids so I don't really know what they would want to receive. I don't want to be tagged as the boring godma, y'know. So, the safest choice is to give them money instead and just pick some gifts for the ones who I really know.

Now, shopping for friends is also a difficult feat. I guess it's the obsessive-compulsive side of me that makes the whole gift-shopping thing hard. But, no, I believe it's the pleaser in me who wants to make sure that the recipients of my gifts would feel special and would think that I really took time to find them the perfect gift. Hah! If only my budget allows me to spend thousands of pesos on Christmas gifts, all my friends would be very happy! *LOL*

I LOVE gift-giving! I enjoy it more than receiving gifts, actually. I just love sharing my blessings with people and seeing the smiles on their faces. I guess that's why Christmas is my favorite holiday, just like any kid out there. But, my reasons is I love the spirit of giving and the desire to be close to people you love. *sigh* I love Christmas!

Anyway, I wanted to show you some of the things we bought from Divisoria (YES! I was taking photos.. but not inside the crowded malls). But, first, I want to show you this store where my mother brought me. She told me they sell a lot of items and you can buy them at very affordable prices. She wasn't kidding! My jaw literally dropped when I entered the warehouse.

That's my nanay, picking out items for her gifts list.
I got the love for gift-giving from her.

I forgot the name of the store, sorry. There was no sign outside. But, gosh. I went crazy with the shopping. I picked out items I'm not even sure who I'll give to. I just told myself I'll give the rest out as Christmas giveaways to our computer shop customers. There were hair clips, toys for kids, hair accessories, clothes accessories, purses, clocks, school supplies, and a whole lot more! I even shopped for myself. *LOL*

Everything I bought only amounted to Php 600+. Big savings, indeed! I'll try to ask my mother about that store. She knows even the very outskirts of Divisoria. That's why she's the BEST companion to go Divisoria-shopping.

Afterwards, we went to the new wing of 168 Mall. We didn't get to buy a lot of stuff there 'cause I believed Divisoria Mall stores sell them cheaper. And, I wasn't wrong. We bought a few more items and here are some of them.

My right wrist got twisted because of how heavy the huge plastic bag I was carrying. We would've bought more items if I weren't complaining too much. *LOL* I promise, next time, we'll bring our stroller/cart so I won't have to worry about carrying too much.

Oh, by the way, I was surprised that there weren't too many people at Divisoria. The traffic was really heavy, but the amount of shoppers weren't as many as I expected. I'm guessing most of them preferred to spend it with their families since it was in the middle of the week. Or, maybe only a few got their 13th month pay early.

How about you? Are you done with your Christmas shopping yet?

We're Heading to Vigan!

If you've been following my blog posts in the past months, you'd know that I've started writing my bucket list. It's actually really fun and it makes me want to do a lot of things!

Number one on my bucket list is to travel around the Philippines. I've been to different places in the Philippines already, but there are still a ton of beautiful places here in my country that I haven't visited yet. And, one of them is VIGAN!

My brother has been to Vigan a few years ago. That's him with a couple of his friends on that above photo. I want my own Vigan photo, walking those old streets, with those ancient homes as a backdrop. Woot!

My mother is a bit of a traveler, too. She's been to different places down south. And, I'm glad I get to enjoy travelling now with her. I miss those days where she'll organize a trip with our whole family and a couple of her friends. Now that we're all available, we'll be able to travel more.

This December, we're attending my BFF's wedding in Pangasinan. Vigan and Baguio are easily accessible when we get there, so we're definitely going on a short trip / vacation to these places!

I'm still trying to convince my mother that we go straight to Baguio after the wedding and go to Vigan the next day. I miss Baguio. The last time we were there, I was still not earning my own money. So, my nanay had full control over where we're going, how much we're going to spend, and all that jazz. *LOL* Now that I'm more mature and I've got my own money to spend, I want to visit Baguio again! We've got a place to stay for the night anyway since my mother's childhood friend lives there. I can't wait!

And, of course, we're heading to Vigan! I've never been to that place yet and I'm sooooo excited! I'm now trying to research on the places we'll visit and what restaurants or food places we'll dine in for our food blog. My mother's best friend is familiar with the places in Vigan so she'll be joining us. Hah! Just thinking about it gives me butterflies in my stomach. That's how excited I am. I need to contain this 'cause I don't want to jinx it.

I wish we have our own car or means of transportation (like an RV or something) so we can really travel around the places there. If only we've got rv loans here or RVs just like in the US, the travel expenses wouldn't be a problem and we would've traveled more places here. Imagine, not worrying too much about where you're going to stay, etc. All you need is a driver who has the energy to keep up with the long drive.

I'll definitely post photos of our trip to Vigan and Baguio on here. Of course, plus photos from my BFF's wedding in Pangasinan. If you've got tips or suggestions on which places we should visit when we get to Vigan, let me know at the comments section.

Bucket List #5 – Learn How to Drive

Yes, learning how to drive a CAR is the fifth addition to my bucket list. I've always wanted to learn how to drive even when I was little. I never got to actually drive except when a friend of mine, who was into cars (big time!), let me drive his car for a couple of blocks in their compound in Marikina. Their area was quiet and no other cars were passing that way, so, I don't really consider that driving. Hahaha.

My mother is the only person in our family who actually learned how to drive. She was taught by my grandpa how to drive. They actually owned a car back then, but they left it with our relatives in Bataan. Not sure why they didn't bother to return here to Manila.

THe only thing I know how to really drive is a motorcycle. And, no, not the manual one where you need to use the clutch to properly make it run. See, I'm struggling for words here since I'm not really familiar with the terms they use or the parts of a car, like the timing belt for instance. I don't even know where the water pump is! I've got friends who are really into cars. They tried to make me understand all that car lingo, but I wasn't really interested. But, I have plans of buying our own car sometime in the future, so I better learn the names of car parts and how they function.

Although I'm not into cars, I still get amused when I see uniquely designed cars when I'm on the road. Having friends with their own cars, I know that different cars really have different motor power, speed limits, levels of comfort and some can really be noisy. I've never ridden in a vintage car yet though. Not even a Ford Escort. But, I've already enjoyed a ride in a semi-race car. I forgot the name of the manufacturer and the make, but I really enjoyed when we took it out for a spin in Antipolo City.

See, I miss that. I want to experience that again. Y'know, just driving around, enjoying the sceneries, etc. My brother already got to experience that when they went on a 3-day joy ride to Vigan. I want to learn how to drive so I can go to more places here in Luzon without worrying about the costs and hassles of commuting. I'd love to enjoy lunch at Tagaytay and be back in Manila for dinner. Whew! Who wants to take a ride with me?! :)

Despicable Me 3D Bloggers Screening at Newport Cinema

Last week, the 3 of us from Certified Foodies joined a blogger screening of the movie Despicable Me at the Newport Cinema in Resorts World Hotel. Thank you to Azrael for inviting us, by the way! :)

You can check out my actual review of the movie and Newport Cinemas on Pinay Reviewer.

Before we headed out to Resorts World Hotel, Mai, Kien and I decided to hang out at SM Mall of Asia for lunch and some shopping. We ended up buying my brother a very early birthday gift – the book Eat, Pray, Love that he's been dying for the past couple of days. We happened to drop by Fully Booked and inquired if they have a copy of the book. Kien tried checking other bookstores before that day so he was desperately hoping they'd have one available. And, guess what, they did!

Going back to the movie screening, we arrived about 6:30pm at Resorts World Hotel. We were amazed by the structure of the hotel, the casino stage that you can already see from the entrance, inviting you to come in and play. We would've entered the casino if not for my bro who was wearing shorts. Argh! Hehehe.

Since we were early, we got to take photos of the place. We were scheduled to watch Despicable Me in 3D in Newport Cinema 3. They have 4 cinemas there. Cinema 2 and 4 are for regular screenings (ticket prices at Php 200), Cinema 3 is for 3D movies (tickets at Php 300), and Ultra Cinema 1, which will be opened soon, is for those who prefer to watch a movie in luxury – relaxing on fully reclining seats with extended leg rests, unlimited drinks and popcorn delivered by personalized butlers. Nice, eh? And it only costs Php 450!

Newport Ultra Cinema 1 – soon!! Can't wait!

Around 7:30pm, bloggers started arriving and I, as the official PR manager of Certified Foodies *chuckle*, came up to most of them to introduce myself and our food blog. I already met some of them online through Plurk (add me up if you have an account!); some of their blogs I already follow, too.

My Bucket List – #1 Travel Around the Philippines!

I'm turning 30 in October and I hate to admit it, but, I haven't really lived my life. There are days that I feel I might run out of time to start "living", but, I just brush off the feeling 'cause it'll only bring me down.

I remember watching The Bucket List starring Morgan Freeman as Carter Chambers and Jack Nicholson as Edward Cole. They were both diagnosed with cancer. Carter prepared his "bucket list", things he wanted to do before he passes on, and Edward helped him achieve everything on his list.

I never really thought about writing my own bucket list because I feel that doing so is a bit morbid. I don't want to think about anything negative, but, I'm starting to realize I have to so I won't have any regrets when I finally reach the end. At least I know, I've lived my life the way I wanted, right?

So, here's the first thing on my list:

To travel around the Philippines!

In my almost 30 years of living here, I've only been to a couple of places in the Philippines. Most of the times I traveled was when I was still younger. I guess it's because of busy schedules and my own procrastination which caused a lot of my plans to travel around the Philippines to be postponed multiple times.

I'll try to scour for photos from my traveling around the Philippines. I wasn't really into photography yet so I hope I could still restore some of them so I can share with you the places where I've been.

I remember in 2008, my brother and his friends went backpacking, drove and travelled to different beautiful places in Region 1 in just FIVE (5) DAYS. I want to do something like that. Y'know, just drive around, bring our bikes with us and just mount them on Yakima racks on top of our vehicle, and go where the wind takes us. Argh. That'll be a lot of fun, right?

Here are some of the photos my brother and his friends took when they went travelling. They went to Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte, and travelled to different tourists spots there, including Bell Tower, Baluarte, Fort Ilocandia, Blue Lagoon, Pagudpud, Paoay, Batac, and Vigan. Argh. I so envy them.

Wanna guess where these were taken?
(Photos after the jump)

1st Philippine Chocolate & Ice Cream Show – I'm Going!

I so love chocolates and ice cream, so, this foodie event is definitely right up my alley. My brother Kenneth and my partner Mai share the same sweet tooth so we really are excited to attend the First Philippine Chocolate and Ice Cream Show happening this week, from July 14-16, 2010 at the World Trade Center.

Unfortunately, Mai won't be able to join us 'cause she's in Cebu right now for a vacation. So, it's just going to be me and my bro. He loves baking, chocolate and ice cream, so, just imagine how excited he is to be with me.

I wrote about this on our food blog – Certified Foodies. I'm just posting here to see who among the visitors of this blog will be going to this event. Would love to meet up with you! :)

They already posted the schedule of events on their Facebook page. Here it is:
(Pardon the poor quality. I just got that from their page.)

I'm hoping to be there on the 15th 'cause I would love to watch the Plated Dessert Wars competition. But, my brother has something else planned on that day. I just wish they could postpone it or even cancel the whole thing just so I can go there with him for the event. *LoL*

Anyway, either the 14th or the 15th will be my scheduled visit to the 1st Philippine Chocolate & Ice Cream Show. My brother loves baking chocolate cakes so I guess going on the 14th will be okay. Might need something like apidexin after because we might buy or try too much chocolate there. *LoL* I'm looking forward to taking photos during the event, and possibly buy some things for Mai's cooking.

So, if you'll be attending this event, please let me know here! Let's meet up! :)

Bonding with Mai's Family

I mentioned in past few blog posts that Mai's family (minus his dad and second to the oldest sister) was here for a week's vacation. Mai and I prepared an itinerary to make sure we take advantage of their time here to tour them or bring them to popular places here in Manila. And like what I mentioned, it was the first time for Mike and Ann to be here in Manila so we had a lot of things planned for all of 'em.

I want to share more photos of their stay here in Manila. They stayed at our home in Malabon. We had to buy a Uratex Fold and Go mattress for them 'cause our bed's only suited for 2 people. Good thing we were able to buy one at a very cheap price at Maypajo, Caloocan City.

Ann and Mike both recently graduated from college (Nursing) and elementary respectively. We didn't have gifts for them, but I gave Ann the Glutamax Whitening Cream I received as a prize last April. I really have no use for it since I don't usually put any beauty products on my face. Ann and Mama Ging really take care of their skin to the point that Mama Ging even check out Prevera reviews and similar product reviews to make sure she uses the best beauty products on her face and body. I only rely on my genes 'cause I don't really want to worry too much about my looks. *ehem*

Anyway, on their first night, Friday, we didn't really have anything for that night 'cause we were planning on going to Divisoria the next day. However, there was a change of plans. So, we decided to have dinner at Balsa in Niugan, Malabon City.

I absolutely love to dine at Balsa because of their famous Pork Sisig. I've tried sisig from other restaurants, but none of them can beat Balsa's Pork Sisig. It's a MUST-TRY!

We ordered Pancit Canton, Calamares, Sinigang sa Miso, Lechon Kawali and, of course, Balsa's famous Pork Sisig. All that for only Php 1,000+. Yes, the servings, the food and the prices are really good at Balsa. Just make sure you don't wear skirts or shorts or you'll be dinner to mosquitoes in Balsa. *LoL*

On their second day here, we opted to just stay at home and dine together as one big family. My whole family (my Nanay, Tatay and brother) were all at home so we were almost complete.

The next day, we went to Enchanted Kingdom. I blogged about it and posted some of our photos there.

Because we were so exhausted after our trip  to Enchanted Kingdom, we decided to rest on Monday. The next day, Tuesday, we went to Divisoria. I also blogged about that. We shopped for a couple of items. We wanted to show them how much discounts they can get from Divisoria.

Wednesday, we went to SM Mall of Asia. We brought my laptop for repair at SST Laptop and we showed Ann and Mike around.

They didn't completely enjoy the whole stroll. We told Ann that MOA's just a HUGE mall. Nothing really new to see there. Well, maybe except this, which they actually didn't see because we went home before night time.

Thursday, Mama wanted to go to Quiapo to go to the church and continue shopping. I didn't come with them 'cause I was really exhausted from our long walks in EK, Divisoria and MOA. I opened our internet cafe for business instead.

Friday, it was their schedule to fly back to Cebu. I told myself I won't cry 'cause I want to be the one to comfort Mai when we say our goodbyes at the airport. I know how hard it is for her to be away from her family and I'm thankful she decided to support me by moving back here to Manila so I'd be close to my Nanay, who I worry about day and night when I was in Cebu.

Anyway, here's a photo of them while we were waiting in line to enter NAIA Terminal 3.

When we were saying our goodbyes, guess what. I was the one who cried the most. *LoL* I really consider them as my family, and Mama Ging as my second mother. We had a chance to bond and become close when I lived with them in Cebu last year so I felt really sad when we were sending them off to wait at the gate assigned to their flight. *sigh*

We have plans on going to Baguio in December as a whole Ignacio-Giatoro family. I wish that would push through because Mai's family hasn't been there yet and I'd love to go there with all of her family members and mine. I can't wait! :)