i gotta go!

this is looking to be a travel-heavy year

2012-01-18T16:06:00.002+08:00

...and yay for that! :)

it's not like i haven't traveled much the past year, but the way trips are getting booked so early, it's looking like i'll be on the road a lot. this excites me. a lot.

next month, i'm off to taipei for the first time, with a friend who's just as much of a vagabond as i am. it's going to be our first trip together, and we thought discovering a new destination together would be exciting. we're getting all riled up just reading about taiwan's capital, and it doesn't help that the city offers plenty of shopping. my wallet is going to take a beating, that's for sure.

and since i promised to hit the beach more this year, i have two beach trips lined up already: guimaras for holy week and bohol for labor day weekend. i miss being by the sea, i used to go every month. i really hope there will be more beach trips in the months to come.

the big trip planned for the year is for the US, with the mister. it's going to be my first time there, too, and i'm hoping i can snag tickets for the comic-con in san diego to see the cast of community (i'm a huge fan, to say the least). of course, since i'm already there, i plan to stay for a month and drop by los angeles and san francisco as well. then over to the east coast for chicago and new york. crossing my fingers that things go according to plan and that fares drop soon.

how about you? where are you going this year? :)

2012 is here!

2012-01-03T18:56:00.001+08:00

and it made me realize what a slacker i was last year. i wonder if i can live up to my goal of writing and sharing more things and trips. i no longer want to make any promises, but i really want this blog to be more active this year.

wishing all of you plenty of amazing adventures! enjoy every minute on the road!

well, i gotta go!

the singapore airlines experience

2011-10-14T19:36:00.002+08:00

i have been in london now for a good six hours, but haven't gone out for a romp yet. so while i'm relaxing, i'll share my first-ever flight with singapore airlines.

everyone keeps saying that singapore air is one of the best, and while i never really doubted it, i didn't realize what the difference really was until i got the SQ treatment. it wasn't anything mind-blowing, but i sure felt that i was taken care of. very thoughtful service characterized by touches of hospitality.

boarding from NAIA terminal 1 was surprising orderly; no people rushing to the front of the line or trying to board even though their row numbers haven't been called yet. boarding procedure was the same in changi. i've been on other carriers before, and while boarding wasn't chaotic, there was still a sense of being rushed that i didn't feel this time with singapore airlines.

the overhead bins also didn't get filled. i remember worrying about not having space to stow my carry-on luggage, because i've seen happen before. with SQ, it looks like i didn't have to worry about that. i initially thought it was just because the MNL-SIN flight wasn't full, but our SIN-LHR leg was, and the bins still weren't jam-packed.

passengers are given warm towels while waiting for take-off, and before meals. so far, the meals i've had were great, but my friend kate hasn't been so lucky. i do like that they give a lot of meal options as well as an extensive drinks list (that i didn't take advantage of).

in-flight entertainment quality was good, though i was disappointed about the absence of "community," when the SQ website indicated there was going to be at least one episode. nonetheless, i spent a good part of the flight being entertained by the pritchetts of modern family and leslie knope & co. of parks & rec.

all seats were equipped with a socket where you can charge your electronics, and the entertainment system even allows you to connect your PC or a USB flash drive to the screen so you can view your photos or files.

pillows and blankets were provided to all passengers as well, and both made the flight very comfortable. passengers were also given a small comfort kit with socks, a toothbrush, and toothpaste. this may not come as a surprise for some, but i didn't get this when i flew economy with KLM and air france.

the airbus a380 for the SIN-LHR leg had a pretty spacious lavatory, and in there, they provided mouthwash, dental kits (in case you lost yours from the kit they provided), shaving kits, and even sanitary napkins. that's a lot for an airplane lavatory.

since we only paid for standard seats, we got the usual legroom and comfort. for the MNL-SIN flight, we got seats that had one inch more pitch than the most standard seats on the flight, but for the SIN-LHR leg, it was just ordinary.

the staff was always very efficient and accommodating, and even when there was a bawling child in the cabin with us, they didn't lose their cool, and even assisted the mother in setting up a baby cot. a lot of the passengers also requested seat changes, and they were all handled quietly and effciently. even last-minute meal requests were handled well. no fuss at all.

so will i fly singapore airlines again? oh, you bet! but only if i can get it for the same price that i did for this trip. kate and i were very lucky to have gotten our fares for just USD 1130, and if i'm ever this lucky again, i'd go for SQ in a heartbeat. another plus for SQ is that flight connections usually take place in changi, a very well-planned, efficient airport.

next time you have a long-haul flight tp book, try checking out SQ fares, you never know when they're having some sort of promo.

europe, once more

2011-10-13T00:57:00.001+08:00

i'm hitting the road again tomorrow, and i'm hoping it will give me the push i need to breathe new life into this blog.

i've been in a very dark kind of funk the whole year--i snap and get stressed so easily, and i've discovered a baul-ful of things that frustrate me. it drove me into a cave, and i have to admit, while i was unproductive, i did enjoy staying indoors whenever i could.

but travel has always helped me gain perspective and balance, and i hope that they come to me now, when i need them most.

of course, aside from such a serious, soul-searching purpose, i know i will have fun on this trip. and i'm crossing my fingers that i can share that part of the trip with you while i'm on the road.

so if you still haven't grown weary of my empty promises to fill this blog with stories of my supposed adventures, then please, check back and stay tuned. :)

see you tomorrow, singapore

2011-06-10T10:55:00.003+08:00

tomorrow, i fly to SG to see one of my oldest friends get married. it doesn't hurt that the trip doubles as a vacation as well. susie and i didn't get to enjoy singapore the last time we were there, so we're hell-bent on doing that this time.

this is where we'll be staying:

Loading hotel video : :Berjaya Hotel - Singapore

baguio tomorrow

2011-04-01T15:34:00.002+08:00

march has come and gone, but the sun still continues to hide. it's hard to be in a summery mood when the skies are as gray as they have been for the past few weeks. although this kind of weather is ideal for my daily walks to work, i'd like to wish for a few days of sunshiny goodness.

tomorrow, i'll wake up in chilly baguio. i'm excited to see the (former) summer capital of the country and see what there is to do. ukay-ukay and a strawberry scrubbin' at the north haven spa sounds enticing.

before i go on the long drive to the north, i leave you with this song by a group that i've been obsessing on lately:

enjoy your summer, everyone!

PNR adventure from makati to tutuban

2011-03-21T10:37:00.002+08:00

last saturday, my friends and i were finally able to take the PNR train from pasay road in makati to tutuban.

i was able to find schedules online at the philippine railways blog. we were supposed to catch the 932am from the buendia station, but since we woke up late, we aimed for the 1030am train instead. we were running on the road behind waltermart and cityland at about 1028am, thinking we were going to miss the train. luckily, all our watches were set in advance, and we made it with a couple minutes to spare.

fare from pasay road to tutuban is a very affordable P10.00 each, and the ride took about 35 minutes--hard to beat if we had driven to binondo instead. the trains resembled the LRT2 trains, were air conditioned, and looked sturdy. there were a lot of people inside, but since the trains were pretty spacious, we all fit quite comfortably.

i was very, very happy to see that a lot of people were using the train, which means it will be in use for a long time. i hope they can add more schedules to it, because at the moment, trains arrive at hourly intervals.

i'm currently perusing the philippine railways blog, and i am pleasantly surprised to read that we will soon be having sleeper trains for long journeys. there is also one entry about a trial timeline to naga, which is exciting news, as this means we can get to the bicol region via the railway.

las casas filipinas de acuzar

2011-03-05T18:18:00.001+08:00

we are currently coasting along sctex, on our way back from las casas filipinas de acuzar.

it was lunchtime when we got there, so we availed of their 'la parilla' lunch offering, where we got to choose from a variety of fresh meat and seafood, and it will be served grilled. susie and i chose the prawns, and had an additional dish each for Php 150 more--he the pork belly, and i the squid.

on top of that, entrance to the complex is at Php 650 per head, which includes a two-hour tour of the estate.

i have absolutely nothing bad to say about their staff--they are all very warm and accommodating, and more importantly, knowledgeable.

as for the whole complex, the place definitely has a lot of potential. it isn't fully operational yet, there are still houses that are being fixed and restored. but there are four or five houses that can already be rented, and the hotel rooms are already open for guests. there are two restaurants, a tavern, souvenir shop, and a refreshment stand.

the houses from the outside are impressive, even moreso when you realize that they were all transported from their original locations to bagac, bataan. mr. acuzar, the owner, tries his best to use original materials when he rebuilds them.

the interiors, though, could use more authenticity. there are a few touches that i found quite tacky, which took away from that sense of being in another century. will expound more when i review my photos.

despite that, though, i can't wait to be back there again in a few months. i'm sure the place will look a whole lot better, especially when casa binondo III, their first class accommodations, is finished. :)

photo: the plaza at las casas filipinas de acuzar, casa luna on the left.

on our way to bataan

2011-03-05T10:50:00.001+08:00

susie and i are driving through sctex at the moment to get to las casas filipinas de acuzar.

the view on the highway is just stunning. so many beautiful views that passed too quickly that there wasn't time enough for a snapshot. i saw men sitting on the branches of a sturdy mango tree, farmers busy harvesting, with mounds of the day's harvest dotting the square parcels of green.

hatd to believe that these landscapes are just a couple of hours away from busy, insane manila.

sunday in shang mactan

2011-02-06T13:16:00.001+08:00

as i write, my tummy is taking a nap after a buffet beating at tides. i'm hoping it'll wake up just in time for rounds 3 and 4. maybe 5? photo on the left is of my third plate.

we landed at 9 this morning, and got on the free shangri-la mactan shuttle from the airport straight to the hotel. we got our day passes at senses, and hit the beach.

day passes have gotten more expensive since the last time i went here. they're now PHP 2,500 net per person each (up from PHP 2,000), and includes access to the pools and beaches, and buffet lunch at tides. they provide towels for you as well.

sadly, there are a lot of people here right now, so we couldn't find a prime spot on the beach with enough shade. which is fine by me, i need a tan anyway.

after this, we'll be enjoying more time at the beach, then we.go to the city for some zubuchon. :)

*sigh* it's gonna be a bitch going to work tomorrow. :p

okay, what just happened?!

2011-02-06T00:05:00.000+08:00

i blink, and suddenly, it's february. work has taken centerstage when the curtains went up in 2011, that i hardly noticed it was time for our cebu daytrip and my hk 'me-time' pre-birthday trip.

in a few hours, i'm off to hopefully sunny sugbo. the plan is to laze around shangri-la mactan, pig out there for lunch, laze around some more, then feast on some delectable zubuchon. all in one day. gotta love promo fares for making crazy trips like that possible.

i'm hoping this quick getaway will pick me up a bit. my nerves have been all wrung out the wrong way, and a beach trip might just straighten them all out.

i'll be reporting on the trip when i get back tomorrow night, or when i gets me some wifi.

getting my pho fix at pho 24

2011-01-09T14:37:00.005+08:00

pho 24 is a new vietnamese restaurant in swanky ayala triangle gardens. as someone who can eat pho every single day, i knew i had to try it.

i ordered a "well-done brisket noodle soup," or pho chin. my order arrived in less than five minutes, steaming hot. at this point, i was liking pho 24 A LOT.

their regular bowl is a tad smaller than pho hoa's (where i usually go for a pho run), which isn't actually a bad thing, because i almost always end up being ridiculously full after a meal at pho hoa. the bowl at pho 24 was just right, and the taste hit the spot as well. condiments, such as sriracha and soy paste, were placed on all tables. no more competing with other tables for seasoning.

the staff were quite friendly and attentive. didn't take long for my bill to arrive, and there was no need to call their attention after i've placed my moolah in the bill folder.

i just have a couple of beefs: while my bowl of pho was served steaming hot, it didn't take long for it to get cold, because the aircon was on full blast! and also, prices on their menu don't include VAT, so what was supposed to be a Php 138 bowl of brisket pho turned out to be Php 151.80. still a good price, but i really want to be able to know how much i'm really paying for something when i'm looking at the menu. besides, aren't they supposed to put the VAT-inclusive price?

still, though, you will definitely see me there again. i want to try their spring rolls and the vietnamese coffee. and more pho, of course. :)

view photos of pho 24 and ayala triangle here.

restaurant information
pho 24
ayala triangle gardens, makati,
and another branch at power plant mall
check out the menu here, thanks to munch punch!
phone number (power plant): (+632) 897-8088

2011 ptaa travel & tour expo

2010-12-09T11:21:00.003+08:00

next year, i'm going to make sure i secure plenty of travel deals for myself. :)

the 18th travel and tour expo for 2011 will be on 18-20 february, at the SMX convention center at mall of asia, with the theme "around the world in 3 days."

it's going to be the first time in two years that i'll be here for this, so i'm going to get myself a lot of deals!

this means, though, that i have to start saving up for the trips already! 2011, here i come!

our best meal so far

2010-10-19T04:29:00.002+08:00

susie and i are now in santander, in northern spain. we arrived by train this afternoon and spent a good part of the day walking by the sardinero, one of the popular beaches here.

lunchtime had passed us by, and we were desperate to sit down and have a bite. most establishments in santander close after lunch and don't open until 5 or 6, so it was tough finding a place to eat in.

we chanced upon dias desur, and soon found that it was a blessing. the waiter was cheerful and pleasant, and the food fantastic.

sus and i each had a plate of this, their fish of the day. it's lubina cooked on a grill, served with vegetables and fried potatoes. maravilloso.

it was not a cheap meal at 12,50 euros, but it came with a primer plato, a drink, and dessert. you'd be hard-pressed to find such a deal in other european cities (save for cities in spain).

lunch at colette

2010-10-11T22:50:00.000+08:00

so there we were, exhausted and dying of starvation after the louvre experience. luckily, i had looked up colette, and found that it was close by, on rue saint honore.

colette is a shop that sells beautiful things. :) it also has a cafe, so when we arrived, all we could think about was food, so we made a beeline for the cafe downstairs and had this:

fancy heineken.
could have given us a plain ol' bottle, but that wouldn't be very colette.

oh, and of course, this:

risotto in paris.
a delicious, creamy risotto with an equally delicious salad

and that's why we left colette with big smiles on our faces.

taking on the louvre

2010-10-11T21:34:00.008+08:00

visiting the louvre is a must, and is probably on every traveler's list. while i certainly did not want to pass up the opportunity to see a fraction of the 35,000 things in its collection, i have to admit that i actually was not completely looking forward to my visit.

for one thing, the musee du louvre is HUGE. it occupies over 60,000 square meters of space. because of this, i took the advice of the well-traveled and told myself that i should not even attempt to take in all the masterpieces in its walls. another thing was that i have read very little about this museum (being too caught up with the orsay), so i didn't know what to expect, or who to expect (save for the mona lisa and venus de milo).

no line had formed yet when we arrived by metro. as it turns out, there's an exit in the metro that takes you to the carrousel du louvre, a shopping space under the museum's famous pyramid. here, another entrance to the museum can be found, with much less people than by the main entrance.

since the museum was not opening its doors until 10am (that's later than usual because there was an event they had to take care of), susie and i decided to explore the area right outside the museum. we ended up walking to the jardin de tuileries, where we were able to sit by the fountain and watch the other people in the park. the weather, however, decided to turn chilly, so we headed back to the carrousel du louvre entrance.

under the pyramids.
another entrance to the museum by the carrousel du louvre

i was shocked to find that an incredibly long line had already materialized in the few minutes that we were gone. so we quickly fell in line, and after a few minutes, the "gates" opened. this line was just to enter the cour carrée, a square that contains information booths, ticket booths, and the cloak room. good thing we already had our museum pass, so we didn't need to line up again for tickets. we decided to pass on the audio guides, so we just got a map of the museum, and dove headfirst into the throng of masterpieces.

we saw venus de milo, ramses II, winged victory. then came the paintings. i saw the card sharper by georges de la tour, a self-portrait of albrecht durer, une odalisque (la grande odalisque) by jean-auguste-dominique ingres, who became an instant favorite. my head was starting to spin with all the colors, the figures, the symbols. i may sound like an ingrate to you, but i didn't want any of these paintings to be forgotten, to be erased in my head. they were all beautiful, all important, and i wanted to allot precious brain GBs in my head for them. but thank god photography was allowed, and i can look at them so i can keep remembering.

in the middle of our visit, an alarm started to go off. "haha, somebody must have touched a painting or something," susie said. then the alarm was followed by an announcement in french, spanish, and then english, of which we only caught "please leave the premises immediately." i looked around and saw that nobody was following these instructions, so i thought i should do the same. susie insisted we go out and see what happened, since there were terror threats at the time.

i was very resistant and reluctant to do that, because we had come so far into the museum, and i really didn't want to go back to the cour carrée, then pick up where we left off if things were fine. it's idiotic, i know, but that's how enormous this museum was. i was tired and hungry, and i wanted to just cover the other things we wanted to see and leave. but susie kept insisting, and it was the logical and safe thing to do, so we looked for the exit.

tired.
where can i get a massage around here?

when we finally reached the exit, the museum guards were just hanging out and talking like nothing happened, while the alarm was still going off inside. we asked them what the matter was. the response? something along the lines of "oh, nothing. false alarm. if we want you out, we'll get you out." i counted to ten, and walked back into the labyrinth.

after that, all the other things in the museum became a blur. all i was after was to see the mona lisa. we had entered one of the galleries, and saw a line of people trying to muscle their way into another gallery. and that's when i knew that i was only seconds away from meeting her. my exhaustion melted, my hunger vanished. i went straight for the crowd and used the singit skills that i've acquired through years of taking the MRT. in no time, i was near the front, elbowing my way to a wall covered with glass, to protect the precious little frame inside it.

my right hand lowered the camera. all around me, people were scrambling to get the perfect photo, but i couldn't take a snapshot--i was just staring. some people told me that when they saw her, they said, "that's it?!" because she was so tiny. but the words in my heard were, "THIS. IS. IT." it sounds too dramatic, but i nearly cried. for a friggin' painting. but being face to face with something so important was so incredibly overwhelming that i froze. i managed to get ahold of myself, and eventually snapped a photo, but i think that moment will stay with me for a while.

the superstar of the louvre.
the crowd trying to get closer to la gioconda

before that moment, i was being so cranky, i was being an ungrateful bruha because the louvre was exhausting the hell out of me. but when i got to that moment, and looking back at what i've seen, i would do it again, but next time, i will slap myself silly if i ever feel like complaining. because the things you see in the louvre are worth all the effin' trouble. the expensive admission fee, the long wait in the even longer line, the crowds, the indecipherable french descriptions, the starvation--they all seem so inconsequential when you think about what you take away from the louvre.

more photos of my visit to the louvre here.

museum information
musee du louvre
address: 75001 paris, france
opening hours: 9am-6pm (monday, thursday, saturday, sunday), 9am-10pm (wednesday & friday), closed on tuesdays
admission fee: EUR 10
metro: palais royal-musee du louvre
buses: 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81, 95, or the paris tourist bus
batobus: louvre stop

lighting up at the arc de triomphe

2010-10-11T02:10:00.000+08:00

thanks to my friend des for lending me her glow sticks. :)
this is the start of my "lighting up europe" series. :)

centre pompidou

2010-10-10T23:00:00.002+08:00

jetlag got the better of us after our trip to the musee d'orsay, so we decided to go back to the hotel and rest. we woke up at about 6pm. the only sights we could visit then was the centre pompidou, paris's museum of modern art, and the arc de triomphe, as they both stay open until late.

we got off our asses and took the metro to rambuteau, and were awed when we were faced with the mighty structure of the centre georges pompidou. the entire building have 7 "superstructure" levels, and occupies a land area of 2 hectares. it's mostly made of steel and glass, which makes it look modern despite the fact that it's been around since february 1977. i was intimidated from the sight of it alone.

we were there an hour and a half before closing time, so we didn't get to see everything on display. we did get to check out elles@centrepompidou, which is an exhibition of and about different kinds of art pieces by women. my favorite part of the museum is the fifth level, where i got to see modern works by picasso, matisse, miro, modigliani, gris, among others. it was a pleasant surprise, as i wasn't able to do a lot of research for this particular museum.

aside from the artworks, the 6th level also gives you a darned good view of paris. there's a cafe and restaurant there, but we decided to have dinner somewhere else.

check out the things i saw at the centre pompidou.

museum information
centre pompidou
metro stops: rambuteau, hôtel de ville, châtelet
RER stop: Châtelet - Les Halles
bus: 21, 29, 38, 47, 58, 69, 70, 72, 74, 75, 76, 81, 85, 96
notes: closed on tuesdays and may 1st
admission: EUR 12, EUR 3 for panorama ticket (access to the panoramic view at 6th floor only, no entry to museums and exhibitions)

first paris museum stop: the musee d'orsay

2010-10-10T18:52:00.000+08:00

after paying our respects to sartre and de beauvoir, we walked along boulevard raspail to the musee d'orsay. being a big fan of the impressionist movement, i just HAD to see it. in fact, the musee d'orsay was the main reason i included paris in our itinerary in the first place. i had been ready to abandon the louvre, but nobody would have been able to convince me to skip the orsay.

it took us 45 minutes to walk from our hotel to the orsay. along the way, we chanced upon a small street market selling fresh produce, as well as cheese, sandwiches, and quiches. we each bought a quiche and had that for breakfast while walking to the seine.

the museum is on the left bank of the seine; the louvre faces it from the right bank. the orsay's impressive collection is housed in the beaux-arts structure of what was known as gare d'orsay, an old rail station where trains to southwestern france would depart from. however, the gare d'orsay's short platforms could not conform to the longer trains that were starting to be used, so in 1939, it had to be closed. it then became a mailing center during the second world war. in 1977, the french government decided to turn it into a museum, and started conversion works that spanned six years (1980 to 1986). the museum opened in 1 december 1986, under the government of president francois mitterand.

when we reached the museum, there was a line snaking from its revolving doors. it didn't take long for it to move, though, and before long, we were by the ticket counters. susie and i had agreed earlier to get the two-day museum pass. it's EUR32 for two days, and gives you access to a number of museums and sights in the french capital. it also lets you skip the long lines at the ticket booths, which is the reason we went for it. in paris, you not only line up just to enter, but the line at the ticket booths can take up a lot of your time. if you're staying for four days or more, you can also avail of the four-day paris museum pass. this is actually a lot better than the two-day one, since you can spread out your museum visits in four days, and have time to see the rest of the city. before you do get one, though, make a list of the museums that you want to visit, tally the admission costs, and see if you can get your money's worth. the museum pass is available in the establishments that it grants free access to, as well as airports and tourist centers.

after paying for our tickets, we made our way to the gate that leads to the main hall. i paused by the entrance for a bit to take it all in. this is it, i told myself. i'm in the orsay. i'm in paris. there were plenty of people milling around, but it wasn't noisy at all. the museum was undergoing repairs, so there were new signs to lead visitors to the different halls. i look to my right and saw IMPRESSIONISM and POST-IMPRESSIONISM, and made a beeline for them, with susie trailing behind. here, i saw works by degas, manet, renoir, toulouse-lautrec, pissarro, and other greats.

i had to request for a break once we were done with the halls on the right side of the museum. it's surprising how walking from one gallery to another, and looking at paintings, can be tiring. luckily, there was a cafe at the ground level of the orsay, so susie and i bought drinks and shared a ham and cheese sandwich to tide us over. after that, we tackled the halls on the left side of the museum. here, i saw works by honore daumier (sadly, "rue transnonain," the only daumier work that i'm familiar with, is not in the orsay), and paul gauguin's tahiti paintings. there was also a sala dedicated to van gogh, where i saw "the church at auvers" and "le docteur paul gachet" both painted the year he died.

after that, i scoured the rest of the museum for edgar degas's "young dancer." we went upstairs and sped through the art nouveau furniture collection, but took our time with the rodin sculptures. when i couldn't find degas, i decided to go to the information counter to ask. there was a man asking for the specific locations of every painting he wanted to see. he asked for "bal du moulin de la galette" by renoir, another painting i was looking for, i strained to hear the response: "sorry, that painting is on loan." when it was my turn at the counter, i asked about "young dancer," and received the same reply.

i felt disappointed, since i wanted to go to paris to go to the orsay, and wanted to go to the orsay to see those two things. but of course, when i look back on the paintings that i saw that day, i can't really say that the trip was a disappointment. the orsay wasn't just about those two works. i got to see an amazing collection of artworks in one of my favorite periods in art history. i actually stood in front of a picture that renoir painted many, many years ago. it's not every day that i get to meet these images, and i am very, very thankful for the opportunity to see all these masterpieces. as for "moulin de la galette" and "young dancer," they shall be the next excuse for me to visit paris again.

view more photos of the musee d'orsay.

more information
musee d'orsay
address: 62, rue de lille, 75343 paris
metro: solferino (line 12)
buses: 24, 63, 68, 69, 73, 83, 84, 94

paris museum pass
2 days for EUR 32
4 days for EUR 48
6 days for EUR 64

grave sightings in paris

2010-10-10T09:38:00.000+08:00

on our first full day in paris, i decided to drag susie over to the montparnasse cemetery, which was a two-minute walk from our hotel. a lot of famous people are interred at various cemeteries all over paris, and montparnasse's most famous residents may probably be the people i went to see that day: the philosopher jean paul sartre and his lover, simone de beauvoir.

it was a nice sunny day in paris. the place was quiet, but not grim. right by the gate is a map that shows you the way to the graves of the cemetery's memorable residents. among them are writer samuel beckett, sculptor constantin brancusi, andré citroën (of the automobile brand), gustave coriolis (of the coriolis effect), the artist henri latour, author guy de maupassant (whose story, "the necklace," i read in high school), historian edgar quinet, and writer susan sontag.

sartre and de beauvoir's graves were just a few steps from the gate. from the map, all we needed to do was turn around and take a couple of steps, and there they were. the stone was adorned with kisses, the gravestone was also laden with gifts, such as a small, golden replica of the eiffel, plenty of roses, and even a lighter.

after that, susie and i walked around for a little bit, not looking for anyone in particular, but just looking at the stones and the graves, checking how long some had been staying there. we were pretty impressed at the variety and artistry in the tombstones. art in paris definitely permeates even its cemeteries.

some people would have said that starting the day by seeing the dead is a sad way to start any day, but i beg to differ. visiting one of the most influential personalities the world has ever known is one of the best ways to start any day for me. and it definitely fits what would become of our trip to paris--we ended up chasing personalities, both real and fictional, all over the french capital.

but that's getting ahead of the story. :)

list of cemeteries in paris:
montparnasse cemetery (Cimetière du Montparnasse)
3, boulevard Edouard Quinet 75014 Paris
Tel.: +33(0)1 44 10 86 50
Metro: Edgar Quinet or Raspail
Buses: 28 or 68

père-lachaise cemetery (Cimetière du Père-Lachaise)
16, rue du Repos
75020 Paris
Tel.: +33(0)1 55 25 82 10
Metro: Père Lachaise or Philippe Auguste
Buses: 61 or 69

montmartre cemetery (Cimetière Montmartre)
20, avenue Rachel
75018 Paris
Tel.: +33(0)1 53 42 36 30
Metro: Blanche or Place de Clichy
Buses: 95, 80, 74, 54 or 30

admission to these cemeteries is free.

view more photos of i gotta go's trip to cimetière du montparnasse

bienvenue a paris, i gotta go!

2010-10-09T21:00:00.003+08:00

our flight to paris was delayed by an hour, and in hindsight, i should have taken that as a sign that our time in paris would be... funny.

our air france flight went rather well--the food was great, the choice of films were pretty entertaining. the length of the flight was just right, so i didn't feel restless (like i did when i took KLM to amsterdam from manila).

air france lunch: glazed duck with fresh salad, beef bourguignon, cheese, fresh fruit, cherry tart, and tea

we landed at 630pm, an hour and 20 minutes later than we were supposed to, but since we did have a flight delay, we actually did good time.

charles de gaulle airport was not what i expected it to be--it was huge, but quiet and empty. i wasn't sure if we had just caught it at a time when there's very little traffic, but it seemed a tad hollow to me.

we went to the RER station to get our tickets to the city center. it was a good thing susie was listening to the PA system, or i would have gone ahead and bought tickets to a train line that was being fixed at the moment.

after some confusion, it was established that we were still to buy our tickets in the CDG station, so we had to search for a machine that gave change, or a machine that's solely made to change bills into coins.

the station's information center had printed out little guides in english and french on where we're supposed to go to catch the other train from mitry claye, which connects to the RER as well (the line that takes you from CDG to paris city center). the airport had provided a bus to shuttle people from the airport to far-flung mitry claye, and the ride was looooong.

when we arrived at mitry claye, i was shocked to find a rather small and starting-to-get-run-down station. we were made to carry our bulky suitcases down and up flights of concrete stairs before we reached the dirty train. paris airport authorities didn't come up with a solution to make this convenient for passengers, especially the elderly ones.

we shuffled into the filthy train and found our place, then heard another announcement, in french, over the PA system. next thing i knew, everybody was hurrying out of the train, one parisian shouted expletives at the speaker on the train, and there was a huge commotion as everyone struggled with their suitcases again down another flight of stairs so we could transfer to the next train. as it turns out, the first train that they ushered us into was broken.

so finally, we were on our way to the city. this was around 830pm, i think. we changed metro lines to reach raspail, which is where our hotel was. i was not prepared for the fact that the paris metro is not at all suited to travelers. there were no lifts or escalators, only stairs that seemed to stretch forever. poor susie had to lug two heavy suitcases up and down flights of stairs. thankfully, one guy with a beautiful pair of white leather shoes helped me carry my suitcase down to the platform. and, as i will find out later, the french are actually quite a helpful lot.

we were finally able to check into the hotel at 930pm, tired, but happy and relieved to finally be where we're supposed to be. our receptionist, maia, was the nicest. he let us get settled in first, and gave us helpful tips when we decided to check out the neighborhood after we had everything in order.

so that was how we reached paris. more bloopers came after that, but the city endeared itself to me. :)

touch down, hong kong

2010-10-08T17:23:00.002+08:00

we took the 8am flight to hong kong via philippine airlines, and i gotta say, i was pleasantly surprised. the flight boarded and left on time, and landed 10 minutes early. quite an uneventful trip, which is how i prefer my flights.

we left our big suitcases at the airport's left baggage facility. HKD 120/bag/day. a tad steep, but it sure is convenient.

then we went to casa g&c discovery bay (our friends' place) to drop off our stuff and play with their little one before setting off for tung chung.

one of the main reasons for the tung chung outing was to check out the canon s95 for susie. my man left the mall quite happy--he got the camera for HKD 3,280 (PHP 19,047.00) from fortress, and it included a bunch of freebies to boot: 8gb sd card, extra battery,a mini tripod, camera case, and even an sd card reader. a damned good deal.

i walked around the mall for a bit, trying to find something to buy, but nothing called out to me.

so now we're back at casa g&c. :) i think i'll go and join susie for a nap. i feel exhausted all of a sudden.

and we're off!

2010-10-08T06:23:00.001+08:00

well, we're actually still at the airport. i had forgotten my carry-on on the conveyor belt at the inspection area before we got to the boarding gates. haha, talk about excited.

seems our flight is still on schedule. let's hope it stays that way. :)

blogaway, once more

2010-10-04T20:47:00.001+08:00

i liked how blogaway handled posting, and the fact that it had a similar dashboard as blogger, so i thought of retesting.

as it turns out, you CAN resize photos. silly me.

testing blogger-droid this time

2010-10-04T20:38:00.001+08:00

checking how this one goes. photo taken at fat michael's gastro pub in ortigas.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

FAIL.

2010-10-04T11:09:00.002+08:00

okay, so that previous post wasn't a complete success. the photo wasn't resized. blogger app fail.

but i was told by my friend mark, who's using blogger-droid, that that app is much better. :D will download and test. :)

testing

2010-10-02T01:18:00.001+08:00

i'm posting this using my htc desire, through an app called blogaway. testing how posting goes.

attaching a photo here as well, to see if it works. (dammit, i can't get the hang of typing using a touch qwerty keyboard!)

the photo was taken in fat michael's gastro pub in ortigas.

countdown to europe 2010

2010-09-30T18:47:00.004+08:00

i can't believe we're going to be leaving in a week's time. i don't feel ready yet. i've packed my clothes, but the underwear, socks, electronics, and toiletries are still out of the bag.

things started piling up after we applied for our schengen visa. when we got our passports back from the spanish embassy, we had to make an appointment with the UK embassy for our visa application, and when that got approved, we rushed through all the hotel reservations and flight/rail bookings.

on top of that, PAL cancelled our flight to HK on october 8 and moved us to october 9 at 8am. i had to call them to rebook us to an earlier flight on the 8th, since we were going to catch our flight to paris at 10am on the 9th. it took me a while to actually connect to an agent, and when i did, they had to transfer me to two more agents just to give me my booking. no matter, though. after all the stress, i was able to get us the flight. i really just wish we didn't have to encounter these things.

and because of these mishaps, i'm kind of expecting the trip to be awesome. i usually try not to put such expectations on my trips, because that actually ruins them, but i can't help it this time. i think susie and i deserve this break after all the grunting and running around we've done for it. and i swear that next time, i'm going to book everything A YEAR early, and not wait for the last minute.

aside from the trip itself, i'm looking forward to testing out my HTC desire. it went through some repairs a few weeks back, and is now in tip-top shape. it now holds our itinerary using tripit, and even has links saved up on springpad for places of interest in the cities we're visiting. its 5MP camera will be used heavily, mostly to share photos on twitter and facebook of the things i find curious along the way. i hope my new gadget steps up.

so here's hoping tiny annoyances end now, and that we can sail smoothly through next week, and dive happily into the trip. :)

ba noi's: the second time just sucked

2010-09-08T13:20:00.003+08:00

ba noi's is a new vietnamese restaurant along perea street in legazpi village. since i love pho and will never say no to a bowl of beef pho noodles, susie and i decided to have dinner there a couple of weeks back.

the place was simple and pleasant. the crew friendly enough. i enjoyed their fried spring rolls, and the pho bo was yummy, despite the reviews that said it was bland. i had forgotten what susie ordered, but he enjoyed it, too. we went out of ba noi's then with satisfied smiles on our mugs.

banking on that first experience, we decided to have lunch there last saturday.

it started out well enough: the place wasn't too packed, and the waitress gave us our menus; she was still attentive enough. we ordered the shrimp pomelo salad as our starter, and i got a pho bo again (because i loved it the first time), and susie finally got to try the lemongrass chicken (which wasn't available last time).

our salad arrived on time, but it wasn't anything special. it wasn't bad, but i wouldn't sing praises about it, either. i didn't mind much, because i knew the pho bo would make up for it.

this time, ba noi's decided not to prove the reviews wrong. the broth came warm, not hot, and was bland. the basil and lime they provided didn't give it enough flavor, so i asked for more. it took the waitress about 15 minutes to give me my additional spices, and by then, the broth had turned lukewarm.

a really good bowl of pho can turn my mood around, but at the same time, a really bland (bad) one can turn me into a monster. this was not helped by the fact that susie's order had not come, even when i was halfway through my bowl (and i was eating it very slowly since i didn't really like how it tasted). all around us, people who had just come in were already feasting on their dishes, while poor susie had to wait with a grumbling stomach.

we followed it up with the staff, who just nodded and went back to the counter. the dish came after about 10 minutes or so. by this time, i had given up on my bowl, and i decided to order the fried spring rolls so we can at least have something nice to eat. unfortunately, the dish never came even after susie had finished his food.

so we just paid for the bill (we didn't have to wait long for that, how nice) and left a note about how disappointed we were, complete with name and number. no response from them yet. doesn't matter, though. we're never going back there again.

philippine travel mart is tomorrow

2010-09-02T11:18:00.002+08:00

what: philippine travel mart (travel deals for philippine destinations, or SALE NG BAYAN!)
when: september 3-5, 2010
where: SM megatrade halls, sm megamall

i probably won't be going, since i've a big trip scheduled in a month. but i can't not tell you about it--you might be looking for a quick getaway, and this is the best place to find a great deal! :)

burp: create your own burgers at BRGR: the burger project

2010-08-30T13:53:00.005+08:00

since we had been spending a lot of time at the farm (my friend adrian's garden, which we have turned into a mini farm), we thought we'd mix things up and go someplace else for dinner.

so last saturday, we went with adrian's suggestion to bring our monstrous appetites over to BRGR: the burger project in quezon city. i had no idea what was in store for us; the mere mention of the word burger compelled me to say yes.

BRGR is a small and bright burger joint along maginhawa street in teacher's village. the decor was playful, and the interiors kept simple. we walked up to the counter and were each given our own clipboards and marker. attached to the clipboard was an order form, where you can check the ingredients that you want on your burger.
the idea of making my own burger filled me with both thrill and dread--i mean, sure, it's exciting that i could put whatever i want on my burger, but when faced with the choices that BRGR has, it was actually a difficult thing to do, especially when you're hungry.

my order form ended up being the messiest, with a lot of corrections and crossed-out ingredients. i was so befuddled that i actually submitted my form without a choice of patty (you can have up to three 100% beef patties, or a tofu patty). i was initially lured by the idea of a delicious blue cheese burger, but that flew out the window the minute i saw "egg" as one of the choices.

my burger project at BRGR.

in the end, i opted for a single 100% beef patty with a fried egg, sauteed mushrooms, bacon, onions, lettuce, and tomato on a potato bun. i ordered a side of potato fries and a glass of their vanilla milkshake. these extras caused my bill to reach Php400. pricey, yes, but if you loved your meal, price is nothing.

a word of caution: it's very easy to get carried away with your BRGR creations. choosing a lot of ingredients can drive your bill up, so keep a drop of practicality if you don't want to part with your cash (but where's the fun in that?). the average cost of a BRGR is about Php 280, if you skip the milkshake (Php145) and keep your ingredients to a minimum.

taste-wise, though, i only have one thing to complain about: the sauteed mushrooms came out tough when i bit on them, but they were still very tasty. other than that, though, my burger rocked. it took me a long time to finish it (it was very, very heavy), but the price and time were all worth it. the milkshake did NOT help matters any, but i wouldn't have missed that drink for the world.

we left BRGR with all of us clutching our tummies and breathing heavily after the battle that we just subjected our bodies to, but we all had big smiles on our faces.

so next time you're feeling hungry AND creative, head on over to BRGR: the burger project, and whip yourself up a burger that you can be proud of.

view more photos of our food trip at BRGR: the burger project.

restaurant information
BRGR: the burger project
122 maginhawa street
teacher's village, quezon city
mobile number: (0915) 520-2266
business hours: 11am - 11pm daily

planetzips and brigada finale at b-side

2010-08-23T17:36:00.002+08:00

despite the rain, brigada's 5th anniversary celebration at b-side was a success! :)

here's one of my favorite performances of the night,
featuring one of my good friends, des uy, dancing to brigada's beats:

tonight at b-side: brigada's 5th anniversary celebration!

2010-08-20T17:39:00.002+08:00

intramuros with our mabuhay guide

2010-08-19T11:15:00.005+08:00

our friend, bryan ocampo, is part of the mabuhay guides, a group of pinoys who have been trained intensively in the art of tour guiding in the philippines. he offered to take us on a free tour of intramuros last saturday, and what ensued was a fun and interesting morning filled with rizal trivia and other philippine historical info.

our first stop for the day was fort santiago, and while i've been there a number of times, that day was my first time to enter the rizal shrine. it's a museum that houses plenty of rizal artifacts, including photographs, paintings of rizal, and even rizal's vertebra (strange, right?). my favorite area was the staircase, which doubled as a gallery of paintings of rizal as portrayed by different artists.

san agustin church was closed for lunch, so bry took us on a tour of casa manila first. no photography allowed, and i wouldn't have been able to take anyway, because bry was sharing plenty of interesting details, including the placement of the rooms, the little details in each room, how the room you're entertained in by the head of the house signifies his relationship with you. having a guide with you really changes the entire experience. the displays take on a lot more meaning.

jose rizal's business card

after casa manila, we had lunch at barbara's, and went back to san agustin. we entered the church, and learned about the architecture. bry then took us to the different exhibitions in the museum, pausing to expound on an artifact or two. it's funny, i've been to the san agustin crypt a number of times, but if bry (and susie) hadn't pointed it out to me, i would never have known that THE juan luna's remains are in that crypt.

now, i didn't tell you what i learned exactly, because that would be giving it away. :) if you want to learn what i learned, the best way to do so is to go on a tour yourself. so why not contact bryan ocampo to find out more about our history?

see more photos of our intramuros tour.

bacolod food trip for a day

2010-08-06T18:40:00.008+08:00

we've done cebu before, so this time, we went for bacolod!

this plan was hatched years ago, when our friend adrian shared a dream he had of going to bacolod for the day just to have authentic chicken inasal. susie and i just laughed at him then, not realizing he was serious.

this year, we thought we'd make his dream come true. so, a couple of months back, we booked tickets to bacolod, taking the 6am flight, then going back on the last flight. on the day of the trip, adrian was obviously excited. he prepared by not eating any chicken dish a week or so before the trip.

upon landing, we went to chowking in front of the former city hall. we landed in bacolod too early, that chowking was one of the few places that was open on a sunday morning. it was our way of lining our stomachs for the chowfest that was to come.

come lunchtime, susie's brother took us to manukan country, where a row of inasal stalls can be found. aida's was the favored stall, and so we sat down and finally ordered the very thing that we came there for. of course, it didn't help that aida's had a poster inside the store saying "aida's chicken is now at makati square."

they have it in makati square?!

still, though, that didn't keep us down. bacolod will always have better-tasting chicken inasal than manila. i couldn't wait to have that tasty pecho, the "motor oil" mixed in with every spoonful of garlic rice i shovel into my mouth. lookit at our chicken inasal orders:

delicious chicken inasal at aida's in bacolod

there's really nothing like the taste of freshly cooked chicken inasal from bacolod's manukan country. to make up for the long trip he made, adrian devoured four sticks of inasal: pecho, native chicken, isol, and another pecho, or i think a leg. he found the native chicken very tasty, and still speaks of it to this day. he was so happy about his meal, and by the price of the chicken, that he paid for all of our orders. we really should exploit this generous gene of his more. :p

so, with that crossed off our list, we all felt like there wasn't really anything else we should do. until we got to calea, dessert-maker extraordinaire. unfortunately, we were all bushed from all the eating, so there are no pictures of calea goodness to be shared. i wouldn't have been able to do them justice, anyway. i think, though, that anything you order from calea is sure to hit the spot. and that's coming from someone who doesn't have a sweet tooth.

susie's brother and his wife took very good care of us--picking us up at the airport, taking us to places other than manukan country, and letting us snooze off when we were all wiped out after the heavy inasal lunch. before sending us off, they even fed us leftover lechon, which was absolutely delicious.

seriously, eating in bacolod is such a pleasure. you'll go back to manila a few pounds heavier, but you'll be a very happy fatty. for this very reason, i vow to come back, but for a longer period this time, to make sure that i sample every tiny bit of yumminess this city has to offer.

philippine airlines' great miles getaway

2010-08-02T16:53:00.003+08:00

i just came back from the mabuhay miles center at pasay road, where i spent a good six hours in line just to book a ticket using my mother's mabuhay miles.

i found out about the great miles getaway promo of philippine airlines via email, and they told me that miles are now at 70% off! it came at the right time, since i needed to book susie and myself tickets to hong kong for the europe trip in october. airfare to european cities from hong kong are cheaper, so i decided to transit via hong kong this time. even with the taxes we paid for the redeemed tickets, it still out came out cheaper than buying tickets from manila to a european city.

booking and ticketing period for the promo is only from august 2 to 4, and travel is until december 7 only. i decided to go straight to the mabuhay miles center this morning so i can book and pay for the ticket already. when i got there at 830am, the line snaked from the second floor to the parking area of power realty building. the maintenance personnel of the building told us that people had started lining up at 5am. i expected a lot of people to be there for this promo, but i wasn't ready for THIS.

a few minutes later, i was finally ushered into the packed ticketing office on the second floor. i was given my transaction number: 5147. i looked at the screen to see what number was being accommodated then: 5023. niiiiice.

during the wait, i had made friends with rheean, who was also there to claim her tickets. she told me that she was able to book tickets over the phone, although she had to stay on the line for 8 hours. apparently, the promo started at midnight today, so she called the mabuhay miles hotline at 12, and was accommodated at 8am. it was an incredible feat, staying on the phone for 8 hours, but her tactic paid off: she was able to secure roundtrip tickets to hong kong for her and her baby, as well as osaka tickets for her and her friends.

while waiting, i asked my mom to try and book my dates over the phone. i was really lucky that she was able to get through and secure flights for the dates that i needed--i owe my mom a lot for this (since she also gave me her miles). at 230pm, my number was finally called, and my transaction went smoothly. at 3pm, i was able to have lunch.

it was one hell of an experience, but quite worth it, because I GOT MY TICKETS! i paid php 9806.00 for both susie and myself, which already includes travel tax. i'm hoping PAL comes up with a way to make their great miles getaway promo less of a hassle, but if this is how it goes next time, i've got a slew of tricks up my sleeve to make it worth my while.

this signals the start of the preparations for europe 2010. next up: visa application requirements.

catching the world cup finals at 121 grille and restaurant

2010-07-12T16:18:00.004+08:00

i've become a regular at 121 grille and restaurant in allegro center, pasong tamo extension since we joined the old farts for quiz nights on tuesdays. i used to go to quiz nights at murphy's, but found the questions to damned difficult, so my team (mannschaft united) stopped going.

quiz nights at 121 are fun and hilarious (if you're on our team, that is), not to mention actually informative. it doesn't hurt that they serve pretty good salpicao and beer below zero at cheap prices. the alcohol definitely adds to the fun. :p

while enjoying quiz nights, i found myself getting hooked on the world cup matches as well, as 121 is among the bars in manila that show the games even at ungodly hours. and since i've gotten myself terribly inebriated while supporting la furia roja, i thought i might as well cheer them on all the way to the finals.

so early this morning, i found myself waking up at 130am, and made my way to 121 for the most exciting game of the season (naks, feeling). i was biting my fingers (not my nails, take note) the entire time, the game was so darned exciting. watching these games have sent me into incredible emotional swings--this morning, i've slammed my palm down the table, causing the water droplets on the tabletop to jump, i've screamed for missed goals, cheered ecstatically for iker's incredible saves, and reprimanded the team for being "lax." i was trembling by the time iniesta kicked that ball in.

the crowd at 121 definitely made the experience more sensational; we all sang ole, ole, ole when the match finally ended. it's the kind of shared experience you don't get to have everyday. i love it when strangers come together for a common interest. i think i'm going to be watching more futbol matches at 121 in the future. here's to more sleepless nights!

restaurant information
121 grille and restaurant
2nd level allegro center, pasong tamo extension, makati
quiz nights on tuesdays, drinkeoke nights on thursdays

ayala museum events this july

2010-07-07T17:32:00.004+08:00

pardon my sporadic updates. i owe this blog so many stories already. i am hanging my head in shame as i type (yes, i don't need to look at the keyboard to type, so i CAN hang my head in shame as i type).

in the meantime, mark your calendars for some culture and history, brought to you by the ayala museum:

16 july, friday, 6pm
sunset dreamscape
music and entertainment, in cooperation with 106.7 dream fm, featuring a performance by louie cristi (erm, sorry, i don't know who that is).

16 july - 12 september
olivia d'aboville - chasm of fantasies
d'aboville recreates the wonders of the ocean using materials that we would normally throw away.

21 july, wednesday, 430pm
designtalks with ed calma
come and hear how this famed architect's works came to life.

24 july, saturday, 3pm
history comes alive! (the philippine american-war) with ambeth ocampo
the second of his lecture series on philippine history. will probably attend this one.

ongoing exhibit:
until 1 august
a vision of philippine art
the purita kalaw-ledesma collection

so much to keep us occupied this rainy month (and it's great, too, since going out of town is kind of discouraging in this climate). go and check 'em out! let's get some kalchuh!

Museum Information
The Ayala Museum
Greenbelt 5, Makati Avenue, Makati City
museum_inquiry@ayalamuseum.org
Museum hours: 9am-6pm from Tuesday to Friday, 10am-7pm on weekends, closed on Mondays.

ayala museum's historical dioramas

2010-06-29T18:10:00.003+08:00

What's the best way to spend a holiday? Fly off somewhere, of course! But if you only have one free day, like tomorrow, June 30, you can do the next best thing--learn some history!

Haul your butt over to the Ayala Museum and check out their historical dioramas. It's a fun and cute way to learn about Philippine history. Because heaven knows we need to learn more about our country's past.

Museum Information
The Ayala Museum
Greenbelt 5, Makati Avenue, Makati City
museum_inquiry@ayalamuseum.org
Museum hours: 9am-6pm from Tuesday to Friday, 10am-7pm on weekends, closed on Mondays.

see: the legacy of teodulo protomartir

2010-06-22T11:44:00.003+08:00

you don't get to see photos of old manila everyday, that's why i really want to make sure that i make it to this exhibit of photos taken by teodulo protomartir.

this exhibit at the silverlens gallery opened last june 9 and will close on july 3. i got this brief description of the exhibit from the website:

Considered as the Father of Philippine photography, Protomartir captured the city in ruins from the Second World War, its battle wounds and its restoration--scenes we thought only survived in memory. He captures post-war Manila's architecture and landscape, with Filipinos going about their daily business in familiar places such Intramuros, Luneta, Ermita and Quiapo as well as in buildings and bridges that are no longer, including the old Sto. Domingo Church, which is one of the six Churches that once stood in Spanish Intramuros...

Beyond historical evidence, the significance of Protomartir's images is meaningful. Protomartir hands to the Filipino people cultural treasures that should remain part of Filipino consciousness and memory. Sixty-four years later, we celebrate Protomartir because through him we were there too.

the photos were unearthed by direk uro dela cruz, whom i know as that guy who directs bubble gang. i just found out that he's a big photography nut, and through his explorations in camera shops, he discovered a box of negatives taken by protomartir. he digitized the images, and now, they're here for us to see. to know more about how protomartir's photos were discovered, read jessica zafra's photographs from the dead.

on july 1, carlos celdran will be there to hold a talk to put the photos in perspective. direk uro dela cruz will also be there to give an introduction of protomartir.

if you're as interested about this exhibit as i am, check out the event details posted below. :) to rsvp to the talk on july 1, use the phone number or email address provided.

event details
exhibit: being there 1946: the legacy of teodulo protomartir
where: silverlens gallery
address: warehouse 2, yupangco building, 2320 pasong tamo extension, makati
gallery hours: mondays to fridays, 10am to 7pm, saturdays, 1-6pm
phone number: (02) 816-0044
mobile number: +63905-2650873; +63917-5874011
email: manage@silverlensphoto.com

photo taken from the silverlens gallery website.

plane rides galore

2010-06-21T18:15:00.003+08:00

independence day weekend had me shuttling from airport to airport, catching one flight after another. very jetsetter, as other people had remarked. i could only wish.

we had inadvertently scheduled the long-overdue day trip to bacolod a day before our spontaneous hong kong trip with susie's family. it made for one busy but fun-filled week(end).

about a month ago, susie and i decided to finally grant our friend a's wish to fly to bacolod for a day just to taste their succulent chicken inasal. a had originally wanted to do a spur-of-the-moment thing, but exorbitant plane fares didn't give us the luxury of spontaneity, so we made do with a scheduled, but still bahala na-ish trip.

somewhere along the way, susie's family, on a whim, booked a trip to hong kong, and invited us to join them. i, being beaten by the daily grind, did not have the strength to say no. so what if i only had a few vacation days left? i'll worry about that later. and the trip just happened to coincide with mika's concert in hong kong, which i had been wanting to see. so saying no was definitely not an option.

the result of this weekend? bloated stomachs, satisfied, giddy grins, tired, aching feet, a spankin' new phone, and one broken maleta. the maleta part still hasn't sunk in, but i think it's a small price to pay for such a great week(end). i keep enclosing "end" in parentheses because the getaway stretched until thursday.

photos and stories to come VERY soon.

hobbes & landes trivia night: brains vs. brawns

2010-06-11T17:10:00.001+08:00

sounds fun, no?

snore: the manila hotel (part 1of my manila weekend)

2010-06-10T19:01:00.004+08:00

Part of the reason I signed up for Carlos Celdran’s My Manila Tour was so that I could finally have a chance to stay in The Manila Hotel. I know that it hasn’t had a good reputation for the past few years, but I’ve always fancied staying in a hotel that has so much history, and holds memories of how my country was like before the war.

The experience was enjoyable, though definitely not perfect. I’ve broken down The Manila Hotel experience in various segments, so read on:

Booking
To book for the My Manila Tour, I sent an email to Carlos’s assistant, Lesley, who then referred me to The Manila Hotel’s representatives, Nian and Gyranne. They told me that I can reserve a room through them (by email), or through The Manila Hotel website, which is what I did.

Since I would have to provide my credit card details, I decided to reserve through the website, which was more secure than my GMail account. At first, I was a bit confused about booking online, because the only price shown was for single occupancy. But once I clicked on “book,” I found out that you had to key in the number of guests per room, and the system will automatically add an additional person charge.

It was also nice that they put the inclusions and itinerary on the site, so you know what you’re going to get out of the tour.

Check-in
We drove to Manila Hotel and were greeted warmly by the valet. Did you know that valet parking comes free of charge, whether or not you’re staying the night? Pretty cool, methinks.

To check-in, we showed a printout of our reservation, and check-in went off without a hitch. We were escorted to our room on the eighth floor, where we had some down time before the Intramuros tour.

Room and Amenities
The room we got was in the new wing of The Manila Hotel, and was one of the redesigned/updated rooms. While it retained the wooden closet doors, the entertainment console, and antique-style bed, it also had modern accents, such as the mother of pearl frames on the mirrors, a Samsung flat-screen TV, an iLuv mp3 dock, and a waterproof LCD TV by the bathtub. The look was also updated by installing new wallpapers.

It was a pretty good-sized room, and provided us a view of the bay. Being a budget hostel regular, it was one of the more luxurious rooms I’ve been in. It was also newly carpeted, and the king-sized bed had a Senso Memory Foam mattress, which, for someone who has scoliosis like me, was very, very comfortable.

I discovered through the website that the bathroom was newly redesigned as well, and is decked in Italian marble. Aside from a tub, it also has a separate rain shower area, and comes with L’Occitane toiletries. I was stoked when I saw that they also provided a loofah, aside from the usual shower cap, toothbrush, and shaving kit. The bathroom also came with three sets of towels for each guest, and a bathrobe.

Other room furnishings included a safe, a set of office supplies placed in a leather case, complimentary water, a mini bar/ref, coffee-making facilities, and comfy hotel slippers. I was also surprised to find that they offer free wi-fi in the room—I’m so used to being charged for that in other hotels.

Facilities
During our stay, we also got to enjoy the different facilities in The Manila Hotel. On our first night, we used our coupons for complimentary 2-for-1 cocktails at the Tap Room, which featured very classic bar design (I loved the wooden walls and wooden bar).

For my first drink, I decided to try an alcoholic one, which reminded me of a tequila sunrise, but was called something else. It was too strong for me, so I opted for a non-alcoholic one for my second, which I ended up enjoying a lot! They called it a Fruit Crush, which reminded me of a Piña Colada sans the alcohol. Malou, one of the writers, was able to obtain the recipe from the waiter, and we found out it had coconut, cream, and pineapples. It was very, very yummy.

We were then given a private tour of the MacArthur Suite—a two-bedroom extravaganza with a kitchen, dining room, living room, and an office at the top floor of the old wing of The Manila Hotel. It was decorated with MacArthur memorabilia, but upsized with modern comforts: the kitchen had a washing machine and refrigerator, while the living room and master’s bedroom were both equipped with their Samsung flatscreens.

Afterwards, we were treated to a lovely dinner by Chef Christine Zarandin at the Champagne Room. I loved the charming, Frenchy interiors of the place, which seemed to come alive when it’s filled with happy, chatty people. The food was superb (especially the lobster), but service could use more courtesy and speed. The experience was made more enjoyable by the company we had—Susie and I were exiled to a table separate from the larger group, but we were lucky enough to be joined by Tessa, Carlos’s wife, and their friend Ria.

On the second day, we woke up to a breakfast buffet at Roma, since Café Ilang-Ilang was being renovated. There was a wide selection of breakfast offerings—cereal, various kinds of bread, yogurt, typical Filipino breakfasts like tocino and lugaw, plus a few others that made it quite a good spread.

Carlos was also able to snag us private access to The Manila Hotel Archives, which was tiny room near Mabuhay Palace. As tiny as it was, it included a deluge of memories, among them old brochures, menus of the hotel’s many restaurants, clippings that featured the hotel. The walls were decorated with black and white photos of famous personalities who’ve stayed in The Manila Hotel, among them the King and Queen of Spain and Prince Charles. We also found a signed Philippine jacket by Manny Pacquiao, which sent one of our companions, Colin, quite giddy, as his son happens to love the Pinoy Boxer.

And finally, before we took off for the Imelda Tour at CCP, Susie and I decided to check out the pool area. He decided to just hang out by the lounge chairs while I took a dip in the pool. The water wasn’t as refreshing, because the pool water was warm. Being newly renovated, the pool area looked pretty inviting—it was huge, had its own kiddie pool, and it had a pool bar where you can enjoy a drink or two. The lounge chairs surrounding the pool were comfortable enough, and provided some shade if you’ve had enough of the sun.

Service
In terms of rooms and facilities, I can say that The Manila Hotel is already on its way back to awesome. However, they really need to keep up in the service department.

The staff, while friendly and accommodating, still lack professionalism. I saw this at the reception desk while we were checking out. Our check out process went smoothly, but there was a man who was requesting for something, and he was made to wait for a long time.

He approached the reception desk while we were checking out, and the staff was clearly frazzled. When asked what was taking them so long, one of the receptionists didn’t reply, but decided to dial a number, and grumble “Please pick up the phone, pick up the phone, PICK UP THE PHONE!” That didn’t make the guest feel any better, and it even showed that they lack organization. In situations like that, I believe people should keep calm, and try to pacify the obviously irritated client instead.

There were other instances when I saw that there really is a need to train the staff. I guess, after the physical upgrades, they can concentrate on the people next.

Value
Oh, it definitely was not cheap, but not shockingly expensive either. We paid Php 13,980.00, which already included a superior deluxe room for two, cocktails at the Tap Room, dinner at the Champagne Room, and two Carlos Celdran tours. That comes out to about Php 7,000 per person, for a weekend where you can get to know your country a little better in style. I’d say it’s worth dishing out that much moolah to pamper yourself and soak up some culture every now and then.

Conclusion
Even with a few chinks in the armor, though, I will still come back. It will take a lot of work, but The Manila Hotel can and will get its former glory back, and I will be there to applaud when it happens.

Hotel Information
The Manila Hotel
Address: One Rizal Park, Manila
Phone number: (632) 5270011

seair flies to la union now?

2010-06-04T11:47:00.003+08:00

i just found out that the san fernando airport is now open, and that seair now offers flights from manila to san fernando, la union.

flights are every monday, wednesday, and friday. in theory, this should be fantastic news for those who surf in san juan, la union, which is just 15 minutes away from san fernando. instead of taking the five-hour bus ride/drive to la union on weekends, flying should save you time on the road and give you more time to be one with the waves.

however, when i tried booking a flight to la union for june 11-14, i found out that the schedules aren't ideal for the usual la union weekend getaway. the flight leaves at 10am on friday, and arrives in san fernando at 11am (i also can't believe it takes an hour to get there--should be faster. manila to legazpi flights take 50 minutes.). this means you have to take friday off from work if you want to surf on the weekend, instead of just having saturday and sunday on the beach.

the flight back to manila leaves at 1130am and lands at 1230pm. this, again, eats up your working hours (of course, i'm talking about usual working hours for most people), and makes the idea of a weekend getaway quite useless.

then again, the flight wasn't made for those of us who are scrimping. roundtrip flights to san fernando, la union cost Php 7,375.20 per person, which is about seven times what you pay for a bus ride to LU.

so, it's back to partas rides and arnes bus stop meals for us surf-lovin' cheapos.

photos of the manila hotel

2010-05-28T18:00:00.004+08:00

susie and i booked a superior deluxe room at the manila hotel for our my manila tour last weekend. take a peek at the new hotel lobby, our room, the tap room, and the newly renovated pool area here.

the experience wasn't perfect, but we definitely enjoyed ourselves. there's something exciting about being in a hotel that's seen your country through its ups and downs.

service needs a little work, but the manila hotel is on its way to awesome. hopefully, it'll be in tip-top shape by the time it turns 100 in 2012.

so, come on, view my photos of the manila hotel.

update: uploaded a couple more albums: dinner at the champagne room, the manila hotel's macarthur suite, and the manila hotel's archives.

my manila weekend

2010-05-25T00:34:00.002+08:00

still reeling from my busy weekend, because i just went on carlos celdran's my manila tour. reeling because, while the tour was enjoyable, it can also take a lot out of you (but i think that's mainly because of the heat).

this was a special weekend, as the tour was an overnighter and offered a stay in the manila hotel. the hotel is now under new management, and is out to get its former glory back. the rooms have been refurbished, featuring mother of pearl-bordered mirrors, a waterproof television in the bathroom, a huge LCD tv in the bedroom, and senso memory foam mattresses for a good night's sleep. and i'm just enumerating what i can remember.

aside from the overnight stay, we were also privy to a tour of the lavish macarthur suite, cocktails at the historic tap room, and a fancy dinner in the quaint champagne room, where the lobster with vanilla cream sauce was simply unforgettable.

outside the hotel, we were treated to two of carlos's tours--the intramuros tour and the imelda tour--where we learned a lot about philippine history, art, architecture, and politics.

but more details to come when i gather my wits and edit the photos (believe me, i got plenty). it was interesting being the first "experimental" batch of this tour. i'll tell you all about what happened in my manila tour soon, so stay tuned.

carlos celdran's my manila tour

2010-05-14T10:43:00.009+08:00

just found out that carlos celdran is collaborating with the manila hotel for the my manila tour. it's a weekend extravaganza that includes two of carlos's tours and an overnight stay at the manila hotel. :)

i'm pretty psyched to go on this tour; i haven't stayed in the manila hotel ever, and i find it strange that i've lived here all my life and have never stayed there. so now's my chance.

the my manila tour is also a great way to experience manila in a different way. the itinerary is pretty relaxed, and seems like a lot of fun:

saturday
1pm: check-in manila hotel
3pm: intramuros deluxe tour (transfer by jeepney)
6pm: tour of macarthur suite and hotel; cocktails at the tap room
8pm: dinner at the champagne room

sunday
7am: breakfast buffet
free morning to enjoy the pool (the pool area's been renovated--looks awesome!),
walk luneta park, bike around manila, go to mass at ermita church
2pm: late checkout
3pm: imelda tour (transfer by jeepney)
5pm: return to hotel for a halo-halo

tour details
my manila tour
dates: may 22-23, june 19-20, july 3-4
rates:
superior deluxe room
single occupancy - Php 10,815.00 net
twin/double occupancy - Php 13,980.00 net

sunset or sunrise suite
single occupancy - Php 24,465.00 net
twin/double occupancy - Php 27,630.00 net

email: celdrantours@hotmail.com
mobile: +63 920 9092021

photo: tap room of the manila hotel, taken from the manila hotel.

staying put

2010-05-13T14:11:00.003+08:00

i haven't had any chance to go out lately, that's why there's been silence in this blog.

according to my latest escapade, my last trip out was to the manila seedling back. i would like to report that the parsley i bought from there is alive and well, while the basil is being nursed back to health. since then, i have bought a new basil seedling from SM, and that one seems to be doing better.

i have also been editing the remaining photos of last year's trip to spain, and i'm hoping that i can finally finish uploading them. i can't believe it's been a year.

i do plan to have another daytrip soon, as well as a couple of weekend getaways. how about you? where are you off to?

hotels.com offers half-price rooms!

2010-04-29T16:18:00.002+08:00

hotels.com is having a 48-hour sale, offering rooms for half the price! so if you're planning to go to europe from now until june 9, you may want to check hotels.com and grab a great hotel deal. :)

for more details, read hotels.com launches 48-hour sale with half-price rooms, which i stumbled upon at etravel.org.

you can also go to hotels.com's 48-hour sale.

sunday at the manila seedling bank

2010-04-29T14:18:00.005+08:00

since susie started planting flowers on our balcony, i felt compelled to have my own little plants as well (playing plants vs. zombies also helped pushed me in that direction). but since i am not inclined to be enamored of flowers, i thought i'd get myself a couple of herb seedlings from the manila seedling bank.

i didn't expect the place to be so huge--i thought it was just a little garden with little plants around, but when i arrived, i found that it had so many tents/stalls/greenhouses. the variety of plants you can take home and care for was just overwhelming.

luckily, i did not give in to temptation and just got what i came for--a little sweet basil plant, which cost me P50, and a parsley plant for the same price, i believe. my sister asked me to get her sweet basil, too, along with rosemary and tarragon. i got all those for a total of P150.

the shopkeepers are also quite friendly. my parsley came from a nice, friendly lady who assured me that the parsley would be quite fine in a balcony. kuya basil, meanwhile, sold me my sweet basil (and my sister's plants). they're all very easy to talk to, and are willing to give advice on how to take care of your new babies.

aside from plants, the manila seedling bank also has stalls that sell kitchenware, toys, tables, and animals. we found a couple of pheasants and big-ass cochin chickens in one of the stalls.

i think i would have enjoyed the experience even if i hadn't bought anything. strolling through the stalls and tents was lovely enough--it was such a nice way to spend a sunday afternoon.

details:
manila seedling bank foundation, inc.
address: quezon avenue extension cor. EDSA, quezon city
MRT station: quezon ave., and just cross quezon avenue to get to the EDSA entrance.
by car: go along EDSA, cross quezon avenue and turn right at the manila seedling bank gate. alternatively, you can also turn right at quezon avenue (if you're coming from the south), turn left at agham road, then u-turn and enter at the agham road gate.
phone number: (02) 924-7001 to 02
email address: qualitytrees@msbfi.com

view more photos of manila seedling bank.

travelife magazine: talking travel with gibo teodoro

2010-04-23T17:43:00.003+08:00

i've always wanted to know what gibo teodoro had to say about the tourism industry, and what he plans to do with it.

travelife magazine found out for me in this article: travelife magazine's suitcase tales: talking travel with gilbert teodoro.

every interview i've read with this man makes me see just how sensible and reasonable he is, and how well thought-out his plans are. no mud-slinging in his campaign, and he makes no promises about alleviating poverty in one fell swoop--he wants us to work on it and for it ourselves, as we should.

i believe in gibo teodoro, and i'm supporting his presidential bid in the coming elections.

swimming with the butandings

2010-04-23T16:47:00.006+08:00

since i didn't have an underwater digital camera, i made do with a friend's underwater reusable film camera for our butanding interaction in bicol.

it's been a while since i had a roll of film developed, and i was surprised to find that it takes longer than usual now. i took my roll to digiprint and asked for their film to CD service, which costs P155, and takes 5 days.

i was expecting my butanding photos to arrive tomorrow, but i was so happy when i was handed a package this morning from digiprint!

the photo on the right is one of the butanding photos i like best from my batch--it's a beastly butanding (in reality, it's a gentle giant), complete with a nicked fin. three remoras can be seen clinging to the fin, sucking the dirt from the butanding's skin.

gliding along on top of a lumbering whale shark will forever be etched in my mind.

"tingin sa baba!" kuya gits, our guide, shouted. so i did, and what i saw next left me in awe: a lumbering, spotted butanding swimming calmly right below me. it was so amazing that i completely forgot that a few seconds ago, i was having a hard time breathing through my snorkel.

for a few golden minutes, i was breathing as i should through the snorkel, my eyes glued to the butanding before me. thanks to kuya gits for letting me just cling onto the lifebuoy, else i would have been left floating there, staring in awe at the majestic creature.

every now and then, my eyes would travel the butanding's entire length. that was me trying to comprehend what i was doing, attempting to accept the fact that i was just a few feet away from a friggin' whale shark.

it was such a surreal experience, and i'll be doing it again next year. but this time around, i'll make sure to be more at ease with a mask and a snorkel. i want to chase the butandings myself.

see more photos of my butanding interaction.

action-packed weekend in bicol

2010-04-20T11:23:00.004+08:00

i just came from a weekend in bicol, where i ziplined at lignon hill and went swimming with whale sharks in donsol. until now, i find it hard to digest that i was able to do all that in one weekend.

i'm still waiting for the photos of the butanding interaction from the underwater camera to be processed, but in the meantime, i'll leave you with this video of me ziplining at lignon hill in bicol:

i kinda look like a ghost floating over the trees, no? :p

airline fees to watch out for

2010-04-13T11:32:00.002+08:00

i don't know if you guys heard of this yet, but florida-based spirit airlines is now charging USD 20-45 for carry-on luggage.

yep, that's carry-on, and not checked baggage, which means for passengers of spirit, gone are the days when you can exercise your mad packing skillz to fit everything in a tiny bag just so you don't have to pay for luggage when you travel.

the airline says they are charging this fee to improve safety and inefficiency, and in a way, i do see their point. bob thompson here echoes my sentiments, albeit in a more intense manner than i could ever muster:

while i wouldn't say it in the same way he did, i see his point. i've seen just how disruptive those "morons" are, and they are present in every flight i've ever gone on, and probably every flight you've been on as well. they get away with bringing a lot of stuff on board, while you, the diligent passenger, did your best to make all your things fit in your tiny bag. spirit airlines' reaction may be a tad too extreme, but i'm sure it will improve boarding efficiency, and will definitely lessen the load onboard.

however, i think they could have gone through a few other measures before settling for charging passengers a carry-on fee. i liked easyJet's way of measuring whether your carry-on can be brought on board or not: they have a little stand at the end of check-in counters with a container that has the correct dimensions for carry-ons. all you need to do is place your bag there, and if it fits, you can take it. doesn't matter how heavy it is, all they need to know is that it will fit in the overhead compartment.

another budget airline is setting the stage for yet another outrageous charging scheme. that oh-so-famous european budget airline ryanair is contemplating charging passengers for use of the lavatory for flights lasting an hour or less.

i can't resist quoting the following lines from the article:

The carrier said it is working with Boeing to develop a coin-operated door release so that when nature calls, passengers would need to deposit the change before being able to use the facilities.

The idea is to encourage people to use restrooms in airport terminals before boarding, Ryanair said. If the airline were to proceed, the changes would be at least 12 to 18 months away.

As part of the plan, the airline is also considering removing two of the three lavatories on some of its planes so it could squeeze in up to six extra seats. The move would help reduce fares by at least 5 percent, Ryanair said.

i, for one, find the lavatory fee a little too extreme. i actually shouldn't be that bothered, because i don't go to the restroom a lot, much less on board planes, but let's not take budget traveling to the extreme and charge "natural urges" a standard fee as well.

i'm updating you on these because these airline fees might reach our shores as well. at the moment, budget airlines have only taken out inflight meals and have retained standard services such as seating assignments. i wonder if any of our budget airlines will implement any of these schemes, and how pinoy travelers will react to these airline fees.

the great la union reunion

2010-04-12T16:31:00.004+08:00

i spent my araw ng kagitingan long weekend on the beach of urbiztondo, san juan, la union, reacquainting myself with a place that's always been close to my heart. a lot has sure changed, but all for the better.

the part of la union where we usually go to now has a henna tattoo tent, and a couple of new restaurants. at the moment, there's a resort that's being built beside surfer's inn, where we stayed, and i was told that it's set to be the grandest resort in the area. it'll open in july this year.

the place now has a more... organized feel to it, with board stands lining the beach. at least you won't have to carry your board from the resort to the water anymore, and you can now choose among the different rental kiosks.

on the upside, though, i'm glad that the la union i know and love is still there. :) the people are still as nice, everything still comes easy, and nothing is pretentious. despite the developments, la union still has its rough edges, which i hope it doesn't lose.

i spent this break just enjoying the fact that i was back there, and i got to enjoy the water sans a board. i hope to be back in la union again this year, and this time, i'll rent a board and see if i can still take on the waves.

pila, laguna now has walking tours!

2010-04-07T14:20:00.005+08:00

a couple years ago, susie and i drove to pila, laguna to see just what the vigan of the south had to offer. we ended up being enamored by a small, tranquil town that boasts beautiful old world architecture.

today, my friend pi sent me a link to ancestral house in pila is showcase of a vanished era, where i found out that pila now has its own historical society, thanks to cora relova. in may 2000, the national historical institute declared that the town (specifically the plaza and the ancestral homes) is a national historical landmark.

what excited me about the article, though, was the last line:

For guided walking tours, e-mail lacoring@gmail.com

this means we can explore and rediscover the town of pila and find out more about this lovely, lovely town. :) (photo is of the st. anthony de padua church in pila)

see more photos of our trip to pila, laguna.

mitch's "anik anik love" is a finalist for show us your city!

2010-04-06T16:26:00.004+08:00

my friend mitch mauricio entered creative cities' "show us your city" competition with her blog anik-anik love, which features the creative spaces of pinoy artists.

today, we found out that mitch has been short-listed! she's in the running for a trip to london for the london festival of architecture from june 19 to july 4.

you can read about mitch's entry here, or check out her blog here. :)

pasig ferry and binondo

2010-03-31T10:14:00.004+08:00

because i haven't had the drive to go out of town recently, i thought i'd stay close to home and rediscover places here that give manila its charm.

so one march weekend, i, together with a bunch of friends, trooped to the guadalupe ferry station, and hopped on the ferry to escolta, hoping to fill our tummies with nummy chinese chow in binondo.

the ferry ride
the first time i rode the pasig ferry, the fare was just P25.00--flat rate, one-way. that was three years ago, and the price has now gone up to P45.00 one way. quite pricey, i have to say, but it's still one of the most comfortable ways to get to manila from our neck of the woods.

we got to the station 15 minutes before the next trip arrived. the ferry station is pretty decent--seats for waiting passengers, turnstiles by the ticket counter, and restrooms for the passengers' use. the staff were also helpful enough.

the ferry got to the station at 3pm on the dot. embarking and getting off was a breeze, and the ferry didn't waste any time at the dock. before we knew it, we were floating on the pasig on our way to escolta.

i found the ride much more relaxing this time, maybe because the air conditioning was fully functional, and our ferry didn't have a flatscreen with air supply karaoke videos playing. passengers are free to roam the ferry throughout the ride. there are also restrooms on board. we're all hoping that they put an area or a small bar where people can buy snacks and drinks.

an hour later, we got off the ferry and on to escolta. the binondo arch was just a few meters away.

in binondo
we didn't count on being in binondo so late, and some of us hadn't had breakfast or lunch to save tummy space for this trip. this, it seems, was a mistake. the moment we got to ongpin, we went to cafe mezzanine for our "first" meal.

because we were all famished already, we ordered a feast: kiampeng, different kinds of siomai, adobong tofu, pata tim, radish cake, lechon macau, and other things that i can't remember at the moment. we decimated the dishes in less than 10 minutes, and by then, we all felt stuffed and had no space for anything else.

so after cafe mezzanine, we decided to just explore and let our feet take us wherever. we saw shops selling jade, gold, and other trinkets, a lot of fruit stalls along the street, a chinese grocery that sells large and thick haw flakes, hardware stores, and a security equipment store.

we eventually ended up in soler, and found this quaint little cafe called cukeng coffee shop. we all needed a break, and decided to go in for a cup of tea or coffee. the place was homey and comfortable, and had knick-knacks all around, including an old-school coffee maker made of glass.

some of us ordered milk teas, and to our surprise, our orders came in lovely pots and cups. their coffee drinks looked great, too. it was funny to see sisig and lechon kawali in the menu of a coffee shop, though.

after a half hour of talking and goofing around in cukeng, we decided to head back to the ferry station. unfortunately for us, the schedule that they gave away at the guadalupe station wasn't followed. according to the schedule, the last trip on saturdays from escolta was at 8pm, but we arrived at the station at around 715pm, and we were told that the station was already closed. how's that for efficiency.

by this time, we were all exhausted already, so we tried looking for a cab. unfortunately, cabs are hard to come by in binondo, so we eventually ended up walking to intramuros, burning all the calories we've consumed in the process. everybody seemed happy about that little tidbit (that's why i had to write it here, too).

when we got to san agustin church, we hailed an avanza taxi, who offered to take all six of us back to makati for P200. we were in no mood to argue, and the price actually wasn't so bad, so we all hopped in and ended the day's adventure. :)

more photos of the pasig ferry ride and our day in binondo.

april events at instituto cervantes

2010-03-30T10:56:00.008+08:00

more european films, a jeepney poetry tour, and a day of books and roses fill up the days of april, thanks to instituto cervantes! the best part is, all events are free!

cine chileno. before the regular screenings at 6pm every saturday, chilean films will be shown at 4pm as well as a gesture of solidarity with chile after the quake.

10 april, 4pm
la fiebre del loco (loco fever)
in spanish with english subtitles
director: andrés wood
duration: 94 minutes
cast: Tamara Acosta, Emilio Bardi, Loreto Moya, María Izquierdo, Luis Dubo, Julio Marcone, Luis Margani

One winter, the Chilean officials allowed for a short period the harvesting of the valuable and aphrodisiac shellfish "el loco" in the seaside village of Puerto Gala , where fishermen and prostitutes live and wanting to earn money. Greed and lust take hold. Greed is embodied by Carlos Maldonato, "El Canuto," who, after convincing his friend Jorge, the priest Luis and the whole community, bought all of the shellfish for a Japanese company. El Canuto also wrangles to get into good stead with an old flame, Sonia, who is now the proprietor of " La Pincoya ," a local restaurant. But "el loco" proves to be more effective and more damaging than anyone could have guessed because after the selling part, people disclose a secret with tragic consequences.

17 april, 4pm
taxi para tres (a cab for three)
in spanish with english subtitles
director: orlando lübbert
duration: 90 minutes
cast: Alejandro Trejo, Fernando Gómez-Rovira, Daniel Muñoz, Elsa Poblete

A poor taxi driver with a big family to support is given a difficult choice from 2 small time crooks: drive them around while they rob, or get locked up in the trunk.

24 april, 4pm
una casa de locos (the spanish apartment)
in spanish with english subtitles
director: cédric klapisch
duration: 120 minutes
cast: Romain Duris, Cécile de France, Judith Godrèche, Audrey Tautou, Kelly Reilly, Cristina Brondo, Federico D''Anna, Barnaby Metschurat, Christian Pagh, Xavier de Guillebon, Kevin Bishop, Olivier Raynal

Xavier is a 27-year-old Parisian who decides to go to Barcelona for the last year of his university studies in economic sciences. When he arrives in Barcelona he looks for a place to live and finally finds a flat in the centre which he shares with 6 people each from a different European country. All of them are in the same situation; all of them are studying in Barcelona through the European university exchange scheme (ERASMUS).

regular film line up. screened at the salon de actos, every saturday at 6pm:

10 april, 6pm
amor idiota (idiot love)
in spanish with english subtitles
director: ventura pons
duration: 105 minutes
cast: Santi Millán, Cayetana Guillén Cuervo, Marc Cartes, Mercè Pons, Jordi Dauder, Héctor Mas

Idiot Love begins as Pere-Lluc drowns his sorrow with alcohol after learning of the death of a close friend in Buenos Aires . Wandering home after his bender, he slams into a ladder being used by a young woman hanging banners on the street. When he attempts to wake up from his stupor, all he can see is the woman. Mesmerized, he claims he’s in love with her and sets out to win her affection— even though she’s married.

17 april, 6pm
lo que sé de lola (what i know of lola)
in spanish with english subtitles
director: javier rebollo
duration: 100 minutes
cast: Michaël Abiteboul, Lola Dueñas, Carmen Machi, Lucienne Deschamps

Leon, a lonesome man who watches the world as if it were a show, suddenly becomes fascinated by an ordinary woman, Lola, deciding from then on to devote himself exclusively to her... She never even knows he exists.

other events. instituto cervantes has cooked up a host of other events for us to enjoy.

17 april, 12nn-10pm
berso sa metro: poetry jeepney tour
filipino and spanish poets read along the streets of manila

An interesting way of spreading literature, this poetry reading tour comprises of three venues with Filipino and Spanish poets reciting some of the most relevant poems in each stop. With participants onboard an electrical jeepney, this tour is truly a unique way of reminding people of the beauty of words as they speed to their destinations. This is an extension of the promotional reading campaign through MRT and LRT, which received an Anvil Award of Merit for Educational Public Relations Program during the 45th Anvil Awards Competition.

24 april, 10am-6pm
rosas y libros, día del libro (books and roses, international day of the book)
book fair

As celebrated yearly, Instituto Cervantes de Manila, in collaboration with various bookstores and other institutions, will offer a Book Market during the Open House and Book Party on the 24th of April. From 10 am to 6pm, bibliophiles can get their hands on a wide selection of books: children and young adult titles, dictionaries, novels, and non-fiction titles, at the Día del Libro book fair. Available at even madder prices, brand new books go for as low as Php20.00. And to make the deal even sweeter, Instituto Cervantes gives a red rose with every purchase. Also, get a chance to mingle with your favourite authors as they grace this event, signing copies of their latest works. And to cap the day, a Book Party with a live band will entertain you until midnight.

get more info from the dia del libro facebook page.

24 april, 10am-6pm
pintas historias (color your world)
coloring activity for children

Instituto Cervantes, in collaboration with Faber-Castell, organizes anew a fun-filled activity for children ages 3 to 12 years old during the celebration of the International Book Day. Color Your World will start at 10AM until 4PM to make a whole day of painting and reading fun for the young artists.

24 april, 4pm
bersong europinoy
poetry reading

Instituto Cervantes in Manila will once again hold the "Bersong EuroPinoy" during the celebration of International Book Day. It will be a poetry chain of European and Filipino poems, a celebration highlighting the Spanish Presidency of the European Union.

24 april, 6pm
canciones de la revolucion filipina (songs of the philippine revolution)
a lecture-concert by Raúl Súnico, Musical arranger-pianist-composer
performers: coro tomasino

Among the many testaments to the close cultural ties between Spain and the Philippines is a little-known genre of songs of the revolution with Spanish and Filipino lyrics that emerged in different parts of the country.

Find out about Instituto Cervantes's Cultural Events and Programs at Cultura En Manila.

where to go, where to go?

2010-03-17T09:05:00.003+08:00

last saturday, i boarded the pasig ferry once again to escolta, and we thought we'd take binondo by storm, but unfortunately, we were no match for what chinatown has to offer. will post about this soon, i just keep forgetting to upload my photos.

now, i'm trying to think up of my summer getaway. i'm thinking either zambales or punta fuego before the holy week, just so i can soak up some sun.

===

lately, it's been harder for me to decide on where to go. it's either too expensive or i'm just not interested. i haven't felt like this before, and it's annoying the hell out of me. i have a list of places to visit, but when i look at it lately, i just don't feel excited. wonder what's going on?

i think there are just too many things going on inside my head. i need a vacation.

BUT WHERE WILL I GO?!

gah.

competitours: travel, complete, win big!

2010-03-10T10:02:00.004+08:00

have you always dreamed of joining and winning the amazing race? now, you can live out your fantasy of racing through your dream destinations with competitours!

competitours pits you against 16 other teams as you breeze through four european countries in a span of nine days. during the day, you will have a choice between 8-10 challenges, which will earn you points upon completion. at night, you get to interact and party with your "tour mates."

unlike amazing race, though, there are no eliminations in this race, and you even get a chance to research. assignments are received every night in the form of a virtual mission packet, where you get to choose 2-5 challenges out of the 8-10 given. the packet indicates whether your challenge is in the city center or the outskirts, so you get to customize the tour to your own liking.

what's the prize? this being a contest, there IS a prize, of course, and it's pretty sweet. first placers win USD 5,500, second prize is USD 2,500, and third prize is USD 1,000. the competitours dynamic way of scoring levels the playing field and makes the competition even more exciting: you never know who will win until the very last day.

for this much excitement, there IS a price to pay: the tour costs USD 2,675 per person, to be paid after finishing the tour. a USD 100 deposit is required to join the nine-day tour. the fee includes roundtrip airfare, lodging for seven nights, intercity transport (eurail tickets), two days of admissions for group challenge sessions, welcome and awarding parties, up to 70 challenges, and of course, the chance to win USD 5,500.

it won't cover the fee you'll pay for the whole tour, but i'm sure the experience will be worth it. if i had the moolah, i totally would. :)

tour information

competitours

price: USD 2,675 per person

duration: 9 days

destination: 4 european countries (you won't know where until you get there)

email address: info@competitours.com

CX offers hk disney packages

2010-03-07T07:00:00.002+08:00

for those who're looking to go to HK disneyland this summer with their family, you should check out cathay pacific's buy 2, get 1 free! vacation packages.

all packages include:

roundtrip airfare, MNL-HKG-MNL via cathay pacific
hotel accommodation
hk disneyland park admission ticket
return hotel transfers

booking period is from now until 7 july 2010, travel period from 1 march to 15 july 2010.

promo information
cathay pacific and hong kong disneyland's buy 2 get 1 free vacation package
phone numbers:
manila - (632) 757 0888
cebu - (6332) 231 3747
davao - (6382) 222 8901

snore: island pacific hotel hong kong

2010-03-05T10:20:00.007+08:00

starting this month, "snore" is going to be my title for accommodation reviews here on i gotta go! :)

hong kong is filled with many, many, many hotels, but my challenge in finding one has always been the budget. hong kong shopping and food may not cost much, but affordable accommodations in my favorite city have always been hard to come by. the budget hostels are not very desirable compared with singapore and thailand.

while hunting for a hotel for this year's hong kong birthday trip, i checked out agoda, asia travel, and booking.com. just my luck that my birthday falls on the week of the chinese new year celebrations, which meant hotel rates were jacked up.

i was intrigued when i found island pacific hotel on agoda. it offered a rate of USD 93 per night, much, much lower than the rates for the other hotels i've been eyeing. i flexed my google muscles, and searched for reviews of the hotel, and they were very encouraging. read on to find out how my experience was in this western district hotel on hong kong island.

booking
like i've mentioned in a previous post, i booked our rooms for island pacific hotel on booking.com, because the site offered easy cancellation terms and low rates.

of course, during my online search, i also checked out the official website of island pacific hotel, to get as much information as i can. i like it that they disclosed the size of the room on the website. hong kong hotel rooms are notorious for their "cuteness," and it helped that i knew that we were going to be billeted in a 20-square-meter room.

location
island pacific hotel is in the western district, occupying connaught road west, centre street, and des voeux road west. it's just a 35-minute bus ride from the airport: from the airport bus terminus, we got on bus a10, which cost us HKD 48 each, and got off at the fourth stop, on connaught road, in front of connaught garden. from there, it was just a short walk to the hotel.

the sheung wan MTR is quite a long walk away, but the good thing is, the tram to kennedy town stops in eastern street along des voeux road west, which is just a two-minute walk away from the hotel.

des voeux road west is also known as dried seafood street, where you can take home dried fish, dried mushroom, and even sharksfin (if you fancy that). a 7-11 is close by, as well as a cafe de coral, my favorite breakfast place when i'm in hong kong. dimsum and noodle restaurants are a dime a dozen on this street as well, but most don't speak english very well.

check-in
we entered island pacific hotel through centre street, and were warmly welcomed by the island pacific staff. the lower lobby has a set of narrow escalators that lead to the main lobby.

check-in was hassle-free, but the front desk could really use more people. i just presented the printout of our reservation via booking.com. even though our preferences were already stated in the reservation form, i had to repeat this to the hotel rep to make sure that we get double beds and one room with an extra bed. it was a nice surprise to have one of our rooms ready at 12noon, even though the official check-in time wasn't until 2pm.

i wasn't pleased, though, that nobody assisted us with our bags when we went up to the room.

room and amenities
i already knew the room was going to be small, but that didn't keep me from being surprised when we entered room 1104. i got a little bit worried that it wasn't going to be enough for the four people who'll be sharing it, but they managed to fit themselves in.

room size aside, everything else exceeded my expectations. the room was decent--clean and neat, with a view of victoria harbour, and it provided us everything we could need during the trip. i was actually pretty impressed at how they were able to fit everything in such a small room.

superior rooms at the island pacific hotel are furnished with either two twin beds or one double bed (take note, double, and not queen. this is hong kong!), individually-controlled air conditioning, a mini bar, tea- and coffee-making facilities, a desk, telephone, iron and ironing board, an olevia flat-screen TV, JVC audio system, and in-room safe. the bathroom includes basic toiletries, a telephone, bathtub, shower with hot and cold water, and a bath towel, hand towel, and face towel for each guest.

all the amenities were in perfect working order. we were particularly impressed with the air conditioning unit. since the weather in hong kong was at 8 degrees then, i chose to heat the room rather than cool it, and it worked perfectly. susie told me that even in the marco polo, the heater wouldn't work as well. plus points for island pacific hotel on this one!

the hotel also has an outdoor swimming pool and a gym, available for the use of the guests. but who wants to swim in chilly, 8-degree weather? :p

service
service was superb. no complaints on my part (save for them not helping us with our luggage :p). the staff was always very warm and friendly, and well-trained. i called the concierge a number of times to inquire about airport express rates, and to ask about their shuttle service schedule, and i would always be greeted warmly before having my query answered.

the elevators were small, but they were FAST. i never noticed elevator speeds before, but this one took us to the eleventh floor in less than 10 seconds.

a favorite offering of island pacific hotel is the complimentary shuttle service to central. on mornings when we'd be in a hurry, we would take the shuttle to IFC, which was just a mere 5 to 7-minute ride. we were fine with following the shuttle schedule, but the staff never made us wait longer than 5 minutes for the ride. the shuttle service starts at 730am and ends at 7pm, and leaves every 30 minutes.

on one occasion, my sisters' room had to be made up for the day (their room was an utter disaster--there were clothes flung everywhere!), the cleaning staff accidentally picked up my sister's personal bath towel together with the hotel's (it was white, too, with faint gray stripes, so it was easy to mistake it for a hotel towel).

when we got back to our rooms, my sister told me that her towel was missing, and i told her to call up the concierge. it didn't take long before the hotel sent someone up to clarify the problem. my sister described what her towel looked like, and the staff searched for it in the laundry room. they then went back up to her room, showed her the towel, and told her that they will have it washed and sent to her the next day. my sister came back home with a nice-smelling towel. :p i think the situation was handled very well.

value
our rooms cost a total of HKD 2,452 each for a three-night stay, which would come out to about HKD 800++ per night. the extra bed, however, cost HKD 300/night, which was quite steep, considering it really was just a mattress. room rates don't include breakfast (it's quite rare for hong kong hotels to include breakfast anyway).

for the quality of the rooms and the high service standards, i would say we got our money's worth. the shuttle service was also a great plus. it made shuttling around pretty easy when we got tired of taking the tram.

conclusion
would i go back to this hotel? definitely. i do think, though, that island pacific hotel is better suited for those who've been to hong kong before, and would like to explore a different side of hong kong island. first-timers would find the slow tram ride a hassle, since it will take longer for them to get to the more touristy spots.

for my style of traveling, though, this hotel is just perfect: in a quiet, less touristy neighborhood, surprising gems found in every corner, authentic chinese restos every few steps. the amenities were more than adequate, and the staff was a champ. they'll be seeing more of me in the years to come.

see more photos of island pacific hotel hong kong.

hotel information
island pacific hotel hong kong
address: 152 connaught road west, western district, hong kong
phone number: +852 2131 1188
email address: info@islandpacifichotel.com.hk
rates vary. consult online booking engines, or call the hotel

air asia's big sale is on!

2010-03-03T14:08:00.003+08:00

i'm not going to keep this from you (because i won't be going to london this year). the air asia big fare sale is now on!

tried booking for a roundtrip ticket, KL to london, and i'd be spending Php 26,712 for it all-in. of course, i have to add some moolah for my checked luggage and such, but this is a pretty good deal for a european destination.

check out the promo and you might just find yourself traveling to one of your dream destinations. :)

promo information
air asia big sale
booking period: march 3 to 7, 2010
travel period: 25 september 2010 to 13 february 2011, for KL to london flights, travel period is from 1 november 2010 to 13 february 2011.

european films at instituto cervantes this march

2010-03-03T08:36:00.006+08:00

every saturday, instituto cervantes has free film showings that are open to the public. here is this month's film line-up:

6 march, 6pm
la conjura de el escorial (the el escorial conspiracy)
in english with spanish subtitles
director: antonio del real
cast: Juanjo Puigcorbé, Jason Isaacs, Julia Ormond, Jürgen Prochnow, Joaquim de Almeida, Jordi Mollà, Blanca Jara, Pilar Bastardés

A fast-paced historical thriller with political and detective intrigues in the context of the struggles between the House of Alba and its followers on one hand and the House of Mendoza with Antonio Pérez and the Princess of Eboli on the other. On the night of Easter Monday 1578 some hired killers ambushed Juan de Escobedo, killing him…. A historical film based on an actual event in which power and death conspire at the court of Philip II.

13 march, 6pm
arritmia (guantanamero)
in spanish with english subtitles
director: vicente peñarrocha
cast: Nicolás Belmonte, Mohamed Chafik, Rupert Evans, Ismael de Diego, Derek Jacobi, Ako Chávarri, Said El Mouden, Carolina Chico Hernández

Ali is an Arab prisoner in Guantanamo that manages to escape of its sentence in a dream that takes to discover a completely new city for him. In his trip, Ali will know Manuela, a Cuban dancer; she will help him to know that strange but frightening beautiful city. After a serious event, Ali will leave his dream and will discover that nothing is what it seems.

20 march, 6pm
transsiberian
in spanish with english subtitles
director: brad anderson
cast: Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, Kate Mara, Eduardo Noriega, Thomas Kretschmann, Ben Kingsley, Colin Stinton, Mac McDonald, Etienne Chicot

Transsiberian an uncommonly absorbing experience. One of those legendary train trips that people used to dream about taking, the Transsiberian Express has probably seen better days. An american couple, Roy and Jessie, decide to return home the long way from their recent sojourn in Pekin and meet another couple from the West, Carlos and Abby, with whom they quickly form that tenous bond that often unites fellow travellers away from home. When Roy gets separated from the train at a stopover, Jessie begins to realize that their compatriots arenŽt exactly who or what they seem to be. But the real dangers of their unforgettable trip have only begun to surface; Russian cops, mobsters, and locals are still to come.

27 march, 6pm
la caja (the wooden box)
in spanish with english subtitles
director: juan carlos falcón
cast: Ángela Molina, Elvira Mínguez, Vladimir Cruz, María Galiana, Antonia San Juan, María Galiana, Joan Dalmau, Manuel Manquiña

In a fishing village in the Canary Islands, the hated Don Lucio suddenly dies and his wife doesn’t have room in her house to keep a vigil over the body so her neighbour Isabel takes responsibility for the body, and while the widow forgets her sorrows, all the neighbours visit the body laid at rest to settle old scores with the deceased. Rest in peace Don Lucio …… if you can.

venue information:
instituto cervantes de manila
address:855 t.m. kalaw street, ermita, manila
transportation: take the LRT and get off at United Nations
phone number: 526-1482
email address: cenmni@cervantes.es

something not travel-related

2010-02-25T17:01:00.002+08:00

but i do believe it's important to keep informed.

and besides, the outcome of the 2010 elections will affect us all. it might spell disaster or good fortune to our tourism industry, so maybe it still is travel-related.

gma news offers podcasts of mike enriquez's interviews with our presidentiables at this link. check them out, and vote wisely. :)

booking.com: online reservations made easy

2010-02-24T09:16:00.006+08:00

in a previous post, i had already mentioned how easy it was to reserve a room with booking.com. it took us just a few minutes to confirm our reservations with island pacific hotel.

but reserving is just the tip of the iceberg. travel plans can change, and to be effective, an online booking engine must be flexible enough to give you freedom to modify your reservation without incurring extra charges. it should also allow you to put in your preferences and communicate these to the hotel.

and of course, at the end of the day, the point of reserving through these online booking engines is that they get you a room--at the rate they posted, and on the day you wanted to have that room.

with those simple, straightforward criteria, let's see how booking.com fared on my first online booking engine transaction.

modifying our booking
we had initially reserved three standard rooms at island pacific hotel for three nights. a few days before we left, however, we decided that we could save a few bucks if we just got two rooms and paid for an extra bed instead.

so i went to booking.com's self-service booking tool to make these changes. from my email, i accessed the mybooking tool by clicking on a link. it logged me into the system automatically, and presented me with options that i can make on my booking:

i clicked on modify my booking, and it showed the details of our reservation, along with a "cancel" link to each room that we booked. i clicked on "cancel" on one of the rooms. during the modification, i was also given a chance to key in any preferences during my stay.

i didn't feel confident at all about this part, because it was just a generic field where you type in your requests. i had more faith in specific options, where i can just check boxes and all that, because it means the site knows what their guests usually modify or prefer, but nonetheless, i typed in "please provide double bed for room # 1. for room #2, provide one double bed, and one extra bed. if it's also possible, please have the two rooms on the same floor."

i confirmed the modifications, and the total amount to be paid reflected one less room charge. since i had edited our reservations days before we left, we weren't charged for the canceled room, which is a huge advantage of using booking.com. it really gives you some time to think about your options.

confirmation
a day before we left for hong kong, a booking.com representative called us to confirm the changes we made with our reservation. she informed us of the charges on the extra bed, and told us that rooms with double beds will be subject to availability. afterwards, booking.com sent us an email with the reservation form:

this one reflected the changes we made, and includes our requests for a double bed and an extra bed. the total amount also reflected the added cost of the extra bed, which is great, because we already know the amount we're paying for.

at the hotel
so far, so good. modifications made and confirmed, but will we really have our rooms?

on the day we arrived at the hotel, i showed the front desk the print-out of our confirmed reservation. the hotel was able to reserve our room for us. regarding our preferences, though, i still had to mention this to the hotel representative despite them being printed on the booking form already. but we got our double beds (or "big beds," according to the hotel rep) and our extra bed, and our rooms were close to each other.

conclusion
pretty much everything i needed from an online booking engine was granted by booking.com. rates are also pretty competitive, but please note that prices are still subject to taxes. the part that i like the most is that i can modify my booking, and even cancel it a couple of days before i get to my destination. it's a great service guarantee, and because of this, i will most probably book my rooms through booking.com, provided that the rate is particularly succulent. :)

fly: hong kong express airlines

2010-02-22T16:27:00.009+08:00

i'm going to start reviewing most segments of my trips so that i can provide more info to you guys. for this trip, i'm going to start with a review of hong kong express airlines.

i didn't quite know what to expect of this airline when we booked it via doljunts travel. all i was told was, it's not a budget airline (because they serve meals), and it takes off from NAIA terminal 1. but now that i've flown hong kong express, i can tell you a little more about it.

manila to hong kong
we arrived at NAIA at 545am, and was amazed at the long lines at the hong kong express counter (and most other counters, akshully). it took a while before we were attended to, but once at the counter, everything went smoothly. but maybe that's because none of us went over the baggage limit.

at 630am, we were given our boarding passes, and headed to immigration, but not before forking over P750 each for the terminal fee (i still don't get what this fee is for!). immigration and pre-boarding checks took a while. we cleared all of these in 30 minutes, just in time for boarding.

however, hong kong express didn't let us board until 730am, and i remember thinking that we were going to be late. after all, that's just 30 minutes to departure time, and boarding, with people taking so long putting their stuff in the overhead bins, takes a while!

amazingly, though, boarding was pretty swift, and we were taxiing down the runway at 8am. bonus points for hong kong express!

the flight attendants were nice enough, but service during the flight was nothing special. we were provided newspapers, blankets, and earphones. the food was below average. we were given a "chicken sandwich," which tasted like sour chicken adobo. my nephew franciz couldn't eat it at all, even though he told us he was really starving.

nuh-uh.

in-flight entertainment was also a dud. the only thing they showed were chinese videos, so we couldn't understand a thing. good thing it was just a two-hour flight. as for the plane, hong kong express uses boeing 737-800, which has a narrow aisle, but pretty good legroom when seated. lavatories for economy class are all the way to the back of the plane.

albeit those nega points, our flight landed earlier than the estimated arrival time. in my opinion, that more than makes up for the other boo-boos. for me, what really matters is i get to my destination on time. service and the other extras are just, well, extras.

hong kong express lands in a new wing of hong kong international airport, but they provide a bus to shuttle us to a gate in terminal 1, which leads straight to the immigration booths. this is very convenient compared to the other airlines i've taken to hong kong before, where you get to walk a long hall before reaching immigration. for me, this is one very great advantage to taking hong kong express (although arrival gates can change over time).

hong kong to manila
the flight from hong kong to manila departs at 930pm, which gives you a lot of time to do some last-minute shopping and sightseeing before you leave. however, we were a bit worried that we might have to lug our suitcases around with us in the city while waiting for our flight.

thankfully, hong kong express is one of the airlines that accepts in-town check-in at major airport express terminals (hong kong and kowloon stations). that means we could check-in any time within the day as long as we use the airport express to get to the airport. this really came in handy, and we enjoyed walking around the city without having to worry about pulling our suitcases around, or even rushing to make it a few hours before the flight to check-in, since we already had our boarding passes.

our boarding gate was also in the new wing, and it had slipped our minds that there was a shuttle bus to that other wing. shuttling to the new wing of the hong kong international airport came easy, though. as soon as you were at the gate, there was a bus waiting, and the trip took about five minutes tops.

boarding, once again, was late, but we left the airport on time as well. service this time around, however, was sloppy and a tad rude. the food was so-so (but better than the last, because my nephew was able to swallow a few bites), but again, the flight arrived earlier than expected.

conclusion
service and food leave much to be desired, but the convenience of exiting right at the immigration booths at HKIA (could be temporary, of course) and the impressive on-time record might just make me a fan of hong kong express. it also doesn't hurt that the flight home leaves at 930pm, which lets you see more of hong kong, without letting you miss a day of work.

price-wise, i was lucky enough to get a Php 10,000 per person rate for the period right after chinese new year. but if it were any other season, i wouldn't get this flight for that price. but if i do decide to fly hong kong express again, i'd check with a travel agent first.

airline information
hong kong express
route: hong kong-manila, hong kong to other points of asia
reservation hotline: +852 3151 1888
email address: call.center@hkairlines.com

i'm back from hong kong

2010-02-22T14:05:00.004+08:00

the recent hong kong trip was a great departure from my previous trips to my favorite city. that doesn't mean, though, that i didn't have fun. :)

i spent my hong kong birthday trip with susie, my two sisters, my cousin girlie, and her son franciz. it was our first time to travel together, and what ensued was a hilarious four days in chilly temperatures.

it was my cousin's first time, and i got to see how hong kong is from the eyes of someone who's never been there before. she had the time of her life buying bargain after bargain, which got me into a shopping mood as well.

the walking extravaganza came as a shock to them, though. susie and i have prepared ourselves for four days of marathon walking, but my sisters and my cousin weren't able to arm their feet with the right walking footwear to keep them on their toes during the trip.

i was actually surprised that i didn't get tired as easily as before. i now have a newfound appreciation for my daily walks from the MRT to the office. thanks to my daily treks along julia vargas, i was able to keep up with the cantonese walking speed.

our hotel, the island pacific hotel, was a great choice. service was superb, but the location is not meant for first-timers. since there was no mtr station nearby, we always had to take the tram home, and for most of my group, keeping track of the stops wasn't easy. as a result, i would always have to be with them on the way back to the hotel. next time we travel, i'm going to book a hotel in tsim sha tsui, since they seemed to have a blast going to store after store in granville and the other little streets of TST.

we were all a bit taken aback that hong kong shops now charge for plastic bags. most shops, like bonjour and sasa, charge HKD 0.50 per bag, which is P3.00 each. after a while, that can amount to a lot of moolah, so make sure you bring your own shopping bag.

i didn't get to see everything i wanted to see, but it was great sharing my 28th with these people. there was some disastrous moments, but we all went home laughing about them. maybe next time things can go much more smoothly. haha!

helpful hong kong sites

2010-02-17T14:53:00.003+08:00

my brain is already on vacation mode, and all i can think about is hong kong, hong kong, hong kong!

even though we already have a rough itinerary, i'm still trying to scour the net for some last-minute recommendations on places to check out, and so far, these sites have been particularly helpful:

smart travel asia - hong kong shopping till you drop
i believe this is the first time that i felt excited about shopping in hong kong. i've always just enjoyed walking around and seeing the sights, but this time, i think i'm going to splurge. but i'm not going to spend money just anywhere; i may be splurging, but it should be worth it.

so i googled for shopping areas in hong kong, and found smart travel asia's extensive guide on shopping in hong kong. the article tackles every shopping district in hong kong, tells you what to expect, gives you the names of shops to check out, and even cites the URLs of the said shops so you can check out the products.

i spent a long time on this article because there was just so much information, and it also gives you an idea of where to go based on your preferences. through this page, i found out about homeless, a home accessories store that sells cute and functional home accents. i also got to really see just how many shopping malls there are in hong kong. the place is just overwhelming, but thanks to smart travel asia, i now know where to go.

eat drink hongkong
as the site says, this blog gives you the low down on where to eat and drink in vibrant hong kong. the blog gives reviews of several restaurants, complete with pictures and the address of the restaurant. entries are categorized according to area, cuisine, and name of restaurant.

i'm already thinking of going to adagio on wing lok street just to sample the mixed mushrooms with butter and cream and broccoli with bacon and cheese. OM NOM NOM.

discover hong kong
this is the first site i check out whenever i plan on going to hong kong. unlike other government tourism websites i've checked out, discover hong kong is pretty informative and organized. you can really see from the site that there's a desire to help, and not just to get you to go to tourism-approved restaurants and shops.

of course, this site works best when you're a first-timer who wants to see the most popular sights of hong kong, but i've found quite a few gems here for my previous hong kong trips. ayeen and i got to take a jewelry appreciation class here for free, as well as ride a duk ling, or a chinese junk, for free.

one of the best pages of this tourism website is the cultural kaleidoscope, where tourists and visitors can choose from a few activities that they'd like to try out, such as a tai chi class, an architecture walk (pretty tiring!), a feng shui class, or guided tours at a few select museums. just don't forget to read the guidelines, because, while some activities are free of charge, others, like the duk ling ride, are now paid activities.

as helpful as these sites, are, though, don't tie yourself down to the things that you see online. one of the things i like about hong kong is that there's something new to discover every single time. so make sure to keep your eyes open when you're walking around in this vibrant city--a unique and quaint little store might just be around the corner.

ptaa travel and tour expo this weekend!

2010-02-16T11:30:00.002+08:00

okay, it kinda sucks that i'm not going to be here this weekend for the ptaa travel and tour expo, but i'm not selfish enough to keep the information all to myself.

from february 19 to 21, travel and tourism trade practitioners will be at the SMX convention center halls 2, 3, and 4 to offer us wanderlusting folk pretty good deals on our desired destinations.

make sure that you bring enough moolah, because the deals, packages, and promo rates will only be available at the venue. at the same time, though, it's also a good place to scout around for possible places to visit next, and to look for a trusted travel agent (it comes in handy, too, despite the wealth of budget options the internet offers).

general admission tickets to the travel and tour expo are at Php 50/day, while senior citizens only pay Php 20.

for those who want to take advantage of the deals, do your research on your destination ahead of time. :)

be there this weekend, and tell me about it!

event details
17th ptaa travel and tour expo
what: travel deals galore
when: february 19 (10am-9pm), 20 (10am-9pm), and 21 (10am-7pm)
where: SMX convention center halls 2, 3, and 4, seashell drive, mall of asia complex, pasay city
how much: Php 50 (general admission), Php 20 (senior citizen)

also check out the philippine travel agencies association website.

chocolatissimo at the peninsula manila

2010-02-15T10:22:00.004+08:00

i'm not a big fan of chocolates, but i'm sure a lot of you are. :) if you've got some moolah to spare (like, if you haven't spent all of it on your valentine's date), chocolatissimo! at the peninsula manila is one of the most indulgent chocolate experiences you can have.

it's a chocolate-themed, six-course dinner by executive chef adam mathis and pastry chef anil rohira. quite steep at Php 3,000 + service charge and taxes, but hey, it's chocolate. :) dinner will also be paired with wine depot's special wines.

chocolate+wine is a combination i've always wanted to try. too bad i'm going to be in hong kong while this is going on.

event details
chocolatissimo! -- the ultimate chocolate experience
where: old manila, the peninsula manila
when: 19 february, friday, 7pm
how much: Php 3,000 + 10% service charge and government taxes

booking my hong kong birthday trip

2010-02-09T12:18:00.007+08:00

another year has passed, and soon, i'll be turning 28. what better way to spend another birthday than with another trip to hong kong? :)

the trip has actually been planned since last year. i promised my mother and my sisters a trip to hong kong: my mother will be using her PAL miles for our airfare, while i would shoulder the hotel costs.

i kept reminding her since november to start booking our trip, or to at least check her miles so that we can start booking our flights. well, it seems my mother also has a procrastinating side that i didn't know about. she failed to inquire, and by the end of january, the seats for mabuhay miles users have all been taken for flights on february 18 to 21.

after hearing that, i started panicking and scoured the net for cheap airfares. no go, february 18 to 21 is the first weekend of the chinese lunar new year, and it seems everybody wants to be in hong kong for the festivities. fares ranged from php 12,000 to php 14,000 per person. my hong kong birthday trip was about to be flushed down the drain.

travel agencies save the day

as a last resort, i googled a list of travel agencies in manila, and listed down their names and phone numbers on a piece of paper. on my free time, i sat by the phone and called each of them up, asking for hong kong packages for february 18 to 21, and even february 25-28. most the packages they gave me were for hotels that i didn't particularly like, and the prices started at USD 398 per person, which includes airfare and hotel accommodations for 4 days and 3 nights.

sounds like a good deal, right? the catch is, these packages also include a compulsory city tour, which i've been on once and sworn to never take again. i also don't want susie, my sisters, and my cousin to go through that ordeal. sure, they take you to a couple of sights, but at the end of the trip, they shuttle you from one shop to another, somehow forcing you to buy something from the place. it's the perfect way to waste a day in hong kong.

so i decided to just ask travel agents for flights to hong kong. after all, i can find a good hotel deal online anyway. most of them, however, offered pretty expensive airfare, some even reaching USD 300 just for the airfare alone.

i lucked out with doljunts travel. mari, the agent who handled my booking, was able to get me a flight for february 18 to 21 on hong kong express, which leaves at 8am on the 18th, and flies back to manila at 930pm on the 21st. the fare cost USD 183 per person (USD 152 for children), which already included the hong kong tax that was charged by most agencies. philippine travel tax of Php 1,620 wasn't included yet, though.

it was the cheapest deal i could find, and my mom, who had been calling up agencies as well, agreed that doljunts was the cheapest we found. so finally, we booked the tickets (though my mom decided not to go with us anymore), and now susie, my sisters, my cousin, my nephew, and i are off to hong kong in a few days!

booking a hong kong hotel

after securing our tickets, it was time to book a hotel. susie and i fell in love with the western district last year when we stayed at the bridal tea house hotel. this time, though, i would be with a bunch of people who aren't open to staying in hostel-like places, so i had to scour online for decent hotels with affordable rates.

i checked agoda for some hotel deals and found that they had good rates for island pacific hotel hong kong along connaught road west. i checked out hotel reviews from tripadvisor, and found that people were generally satisfied with island pacific. the general consensus was that it's a clean hotel with great service. it's also a little out of the way, but the tram made going to central pretty easy. besides, the hotel has a shuttle that can take you to central, too.

before booking on agoda, though, a friend recommended that i check out booking.com. the site is like most online booking engines, except my friend has experienced cancelling a reservation and was not charged at all for the transaction. booking.com asks for credit card information for verification purposes only, and everything has to be paid for at the hotel when you check out. i felt that it was a good option, even though i wasn't planning to cancel. it's still a good feature just in case something comes up and you do need to cancel.

so i went to booking.com, found that their rates for island pacific are actually better than what i found on agoda, and booked them as well. upon confirmation of your reservation, the site gives you a link where you can modify or even cancel your booking. it lets you see the information you've provided and modify that as well. they also have an area for remarks or notes that you'd like to communicate to the hotel, so that they can meet your preferences. check out the dashboard of their self-service tool:

it was my first time to reserve with a booking engine, as i make it a point to always book direct with properties that i stay in, but my experience with booking.com so far is making me reconsider that approach. booking.com seems to offer better deals than booking direct, and also gives me the freedom to modify my bookings. it also has other features, which allows you to add your booking to your google calendar, check for driving directions, and even gives you a link to a tomtom download.

so there you go. two more tips to booking your trips when your travel google-fu has failed you. most budget travelers would scoff at the idea of consulting a travel agent, but it looks like they're also a good option to consider. at the end of the day, we all want to get the best deal, and travel agents sometimes have access to great ones. just don't forget to compare their offers with what you've found.

travel agency information

doljunts travel

address: suite 1032 cityland mega plaza tower, ADB avenue cor. garnet road, ortigas center, pasig

look for: mari diaz

phone number: 6872808, 6872984

mobile number: 09207893648

email address: doljunts_travel@yahoo.com

booking engine information

booking.com

read more about it here: about booking.com

hotel information

island pacific hotel hong kong

address: 152 connaught road west, hong kong

phone number: +852 2131 1188

soleil bazaar at rockwell

2010-02-09T11:53:00.004+08:00

suit up for summer at soleil bazaar at rockwell on february 27-28!

the bazaar will have more than 80 stores, which means more choices for us! i'm pretty excited about this, and can't wait to find the perfect summer outfit for my beach trips.

see you at soleil bazaar at rockwell!

sun cellular now has prepaid roaming budget text!

2010-02-04T11:52:00.003+08:00

i haven't traveled abroad since may of last year, so i haven't had the need to check any roaming services offered by the telcos. but now that the hong kong birthday trip has been confirmed, i'm looking for other roaming options that i can take advantage of.

don't get me wrong, i'm pretty happy with globe's roaming service. and since it's a postpaid plan, i know that i can use it should i encounter emergencies abroad. but it also encourages spending, and i lose track of my texting when i'm abroad. the resulting bill does not make me happy, and i'd like to have a way of controlling my roaming expenses when i'm abroad.

sun prepaid roaming

i have been using a sun cellular prepaid SIM for about two years now, and i'm very happy to find out that they now have roaming for prepaid subscribers. in order to activate, just text ROAM ON and send to 222 at least one hour before leaving the country. currently, sun's prepaid roaming service is only available in china, hong kong, singapore, macau, and malaysia.

this is definitely good news for me! i can now just load a certain amount of credits on my phone and make do with that amount for the rest of my trip. this way, i have more control over my budget. i also read that there's no maintaining balance needed to keep using the roaming service, so even if i run out of load, my sun friends and family can still text me.

sun budget roaming text

yet another great development for sun prepaid is budget roaming text, which is a "menu-based roaming text alternative." by using budget roaming text, you can text to the philippines (both sun and non-sun cellular subscribers) for just P5/text. balance inquiry is also free, and the menu allows you to check your sent items as well.

to use sun budget roaming text, dial *111# and press call or send. a menu will appear on your phone. press "answer" and choose the number that corresponds to the transaction that you want to perform. e.g. press "answer" and "3" for balance inquiry.

it's important to note that in sending text messages using budget roaming text, you should key in the number in this format: 09221234567, and NOT +639221234567.

the downside to this is, you can't use your phone's address book to retrieve their numbers--you have to manually enter their number every time you send a message. if you plan to use this, make sure you list down the numbers of the people you text frequently on a piece of paper. you also have to have a P5 maintaining balance to keep this service active. you can read more about sun budget roaming text in their FAQ.

a bit complicated, sure, but hey, it saves you a few bucks! :)

service information

sun cellular international roaming services

to activate: send ROAM ON to 222 at least one hour before leaving the country

balance inquiry: dial *221# then press send

destinations: china, hong kong, macau, malaysia, singapore

sun budget roaming text

to use: dial *111# and press send

rate: P5 per text message sent to the philippines (you can send to both sun and non-sun cellular numbers)

carna manila 2010 at the rockwell tent

2010-02-02T14:57:00.004+08:00

want a different kind of valentine's? take your special someone to carna manila 2010 on february 13 at the rockwell tent for an electrifying date.

the event features performances by nyko maca + playground (who will also be releasing their USB album dubbed digital niyog), brigada, eileen sison e guarana, and ebc philippines.

of course, no party is complete without some food and drinks. chef carla abaya has prepared brazilian treats for everyone, and havaianas beach bar will be giving out free drinks. carna manila 2010 is promising to be one hell of a party!

ebc philippines will also be holding free workshops on february 10 and 11, at 8pm, as part of carna manila 2010, so for those who want to try capoeira out, now's the best time to do it!

hope to see you dancing and bouncing at the rockwell tent on february 13!

event information

carna manila 2010

when: february 13, saturday, 7pm

where: rockwell tent, power plant mall, makati

sponsored by: power plant mall, the embassy of brazil in the philippines, havaianas, in cooperation with SOFA and brasilipinas.

wine depot presents "a tuscan toast"

2010-02-01T13:08:00.003+08:00

wine depot presents "a tuscan toast: banfi wines at chelsea," yet another event for us this week!

on february 6, wednesday, at 7pm, head over to chelsea in serendra and join wine depot in celebrating castello banfi's 11th consecutive year as italy's premier vineyard estate (VinItaly). to tempt you further, take a look at the menu they've prepared:

ticket price for this event is P950 per person, inclusive of dinner and wine, which is quite a steal, since you'll be paying for about P2,200 worth of food and drinks. to get your tickets, you may email toastclub@winedepot.com.ph, or purchase them at any wine depot store. you can also get tickets at chelsea, located at the serendra piazza, fort bonifacio.

event information

a tuscan toast: banfi wines at chelsea

when: 6 february, wednesday, 7pm

where: chelsea, ground floor, serendra piazza, fort bonifacio, taguig

how much: P950 per person, available at any wine depot store or at chelsea.

true home hotel boracay

2010-01-31T15:01:00.005+08:00

finding accommodation in boracay shouldn't be hard, as the island is filled with every type of accommodation available. on my last trip to boracay, i decided to go the budget route, and contented myself with a pretty spartan room at chez de paris resort.

this time around, though, susie and i put a little more effort in looking for our boracay accommodation, and eventually settled on the quaint-looking true home hotel boracay.

booking

the true home hotel website provides all the information you need--location, accommodation, rates, and contact details. when the hotel didn't reply to my email, i sent my inquiry via mobile, and got a prompt and clear response. when i expressed intent to reserve a room, they immediately asked for my email address and sent me a quotation within the day.

the quotation from true home hotel was done professionally--all the details were there, from the room type, price, and deadline of payment. their address and bank details were also included, along with clear guidelines about payment. this professionalism made me feel at ease about choosing them as my next boracay accommodation option.

in order to reserve a room at true home hotel, one needs to deposit the full amount to their bank account and fax the deposit slip to their office, or pay in person in their manila office. susie had some time to make the trip to manila, and was very impressed with the office. too bad i wasn't able to see it, but according to susie, the place was very tastefully done, and the people were very friendly.

location

fast forward to january 23. we're aboard a roaring tricycle from the boracay pier, heading for true home hotel at 8am. after about 20 to 30 minutes on the cement road, the driver pulls over in front of a golden yellow building with a cute arch for an entrance. true home hotel, a sign above it reads, and the arch frames a wooden table with two chairs, which, we later find out, is their front desk.

true home hotel is in boracay station 1, a stone's throw away from cocomangas, guilly's, and jonah's famous shakes. the back entrance, with the arch, is directly along boracay's main road, beside a pharmacy (that sells beer), and a branch of mañana, a mexican restaurant. from this entrance, there is a little path that takes you directly to the beach, which is just a few meters away from the rock/grotto. you get the best of both worlds--easy access to transportation through the main road using the back entrance, and peaceful sunbaking time at the beachfront.

check-in

upon crossing the arch, we were greeted by a friendly woman at the front desk. i smile and hand her our receipt so she could check us in. in under two minutes, i was holding a key attached to a beaded necklace (it actually made a nice accessory), and being led upstairs to room #6, where we took some time to change, put on sunblock, and freshen up before hitting the beach. this room had two twin beds joined together with a queen-sized mattress placed on top. i had specifically requested for two twin beds for this room, which was going to be shared by javi (susie's brother), and our friend eduardo. when we brought this up with the front desk, they didn't waste time and immediately sent two of their personnel to change the mattress.

room ambience and amenities

the tiled floors from the front desk make for a great introduction to the quaint ambience you will experience in this hotel. rooms in true home hotel really exude a lot of character. they feature a quaint mix of old world furniture. our room had two antique-looking wooden aparadors, which matched the mirror/dresser/sink in the bathroom.

our large room, room #7, was equipped with a king-sized bed with metal frames, a television, table, two chairs, a refrigerator, air conditioner, and in-room safe. the room made me feel at home right away--it was so clean and cozy, i felt like i was staying over at a doting aunt's beach house. i was also quite enamored with the large chandelier that dangled from the ceiling.

the wooden bathroom door slides to reveal the lovely wooden sink/mirror/dresser, with a wooden shelf on the wall to put your toiletries and clothes in. the shower had a water heater, though hot water was hard to come by during "peak showering hours."

two sets of towels are provided in each room--one set for bathing, and another, a blue-and-white-striped set, is meant to be used for lounging on the beach chairs.

service

aside from the lovely rooms, the staff was very accommodating, always ready to help and listen to our requests. they would provide us with towels when we were on the beach, even though they have provided us with beach towels in the room.

breakfast was also one of the best parts of staying in true home hotel. they have a pretty good selection, and each serving was good enough to keep you satisfied. most meals are served with scrambled eggs, tropical fruit, and a drink. selections include filipino breakfast (longganiza, tocino, tapa, or bangus with garlic rice) and american breakfast (hotdog or bacon).

value

superior rooms (the rooms we got) at true home hotel cost P3,500.00 per night--pretty good value since you get free breakfast for 2 for each room, a host of useful amenities, friendly service, free wi-fi (though it's quite slow), and a location that keeps you close to everything. each superior room can accommodate a maximum of 4.

guests of true home hotel also enjoy 5% discount at aria, cafe del sol, mongkok, and true food. island activities can also be booked through the front desk, so you don't have to entertain those touts along the beach.

if my review of true home hotel boracay has convinced you to book a stay there as well, make sure you reserve right away. this lovely hotel only has 9 rooms available. :) you can also view my photos of true home hotel.

hotel information

true home hotel boracay

boracay address: balabag, boracay island

phone number: +63 36 2883784

manila office address: 1850 vasquez street, malate, metro manila

phone number: +63 2 4041464

mobile number: +63 906 4925578

email address: reservations@truehomehotel.com

boracay photos

2010-01-28T09:46:00.002+08:00

i'm still drawing up the blog post for the boracay trip and my review of true home hotel in boracay. in the meantime, you guys can feast your eyes on the photos, although, i have to admit, they're not very good. :p

just click on the link:
no-booze boracay
true home hotel boracay

wine depot celebrates australia day!

2010-01-26T15:34:00.004+08:00

wine depot is having a whole day fair filled with awesome events on friday, january 29, at wine depot reposo, from 10am to 10pm.

dubbed "true blue aussie sale," this exciting australia day celebration features a three-course lunch for P650, two free workshops, free wine and cheese tasting, and an outback barbecue dinner for P1,300.

for a detailed description of wine depot's australia day events, just click on the photo on the right.

before having fun at the aussie sale, please register at wine depot through joy at toastclub@winedepot.com.ph, or call +632 8894889.

establishment information
wine depot
makati-reposo: 217 nicanor garcia street, bel-air village
tel: 8973220
business hours: mondays to sundays, 10am to 10pm
email address: winedirect@pacific.net.ph

i'm back from boracay!

2010-01-26T15:05:00.002+08:00

hallo thar! :)

i'm back from boracay all heavy and fat from all the food i ate. i got sick on my wedding day (i lost my voice! it was such a challenge entertaining guests using charades techniques), and i couldn't drink alcohol on my pseudo-honeymoon.

regardless, boracay did not disappoint. while i felt sad when we docked and saw the many buildings occupying the island, i was still able to have some seaside fun. :) we did the old-fashioned island hopping trip with some snorkeling and seafood lunch, but most of the time, we were just by the beach, lounging, taking some sun, drinking (alcohol-them, fruit shakes-me), and eating (prawns, prawns, prawns).

will post photos soon (i forgot the card reader at home!). boracay still rocks!

wine depot presents vinos de arzuaga

2010-01-15T15:13:00.004+08:00

wine aficionados, mark feb. 5 on your calendars! wine depot will be featuring vinos de arzuaga at a wine dinner at red, makati shangri-la at 7pm.

featured are wines from the bodegas arzuaga collection, to go with your five-course meal. the event is priced at P2,500 for toast club members, and P3,000 for non-members.

for tickets to this wine event, email toastclub@winedepot.com.ph, or drop by any wine depot store.

you can also join the toast club, or explore the wine depot website.

store information
wine depot
alabang: westgate corporate center, commerce cor. filinvest avenue
tel: +632 7719463
makati-yakal: 147 yakal street, san antonio village
tel: +632 8449133
makati-reposo: 217 nicanor garcia street, bel-air village
tel: 8973220
greenhills: 6 missouri street, north east greenhills, san juan
tel: +632 7274274; 7225952
business hours: mondays to sundays, 10am to 10pm
email address: winedirect@pacific.net.ph

the honeymoon

2010-01-14T11:19:00.017+08:00

a week to go before i officially get hitched, and to set the theme for the coming week, i thought i'd write about the fun part of getting married: the honeymoon!

the honeymoon should be more fun if we followed deuteronomy 24:5, though (yep, i'm quoting a biblical passage), which says:

“When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him. He shall be exempt for one year for the sake of his family, to bring joy to the wife he has married."

but unfortunately, time and money rank high in our priorities, and a year on vacation is just not an option (because i believe going on a year-long vacation is a fantastic way to bring joy to any wife, or even husband). since we're planning to go to spain in october to visit susie's relatives, we thought we'd just opt for something simpler for the after-wedding vacation.

we've booked tickets to boracay--a place that's perfect for a whatever-goes getaway. we've paid for our rooms at true home hotel as well. the place looks cozy and quaint, and i'm pretty excited to write about it. i also vowed to be at the beach as much as i can this year, and this boracay honeymoon-ish trip is just the thing to get it all started.

before we decided on boracay, though, there were a few other destinations that we wanted to check out, since a honeymoon is the perfect time to splurge and explore a new place. here are some of the places on our list:

batanes
susie loves lighthouses, and i love the countryside. batanes is exotic and cool, and i've always wanted to see the place, especially after seeing these photos by my good friend owee salva:

basco lighthouse

breakwater jackstones :p

fantastic, right? :) and should i ever find myself in that part of the philippines, i would want to stay in fundacion pacita batanes. i think it just adds to the experience (even though the prices are pretty steep).

sumilon island, cebu
we saw this island along the southeastern cebu trail when we went to see the churches along the coast, and it's been on susie's list of places to go ever since. i haven't done much research on the place, but from what i've seen, the place is secluded and peaceful. i think sumilon blue water island resort is the only accommodation available on the island.

hangzhou, china
i came across hangzhou when i was looking for a good place to study mandarin in, and i swore to myself that i will one day visit this place. the west lake alone drew me in, and susie was just as enthusiastic when i told him about it. it's just a couple of hours away from shanghai by train, and to me, hangzhou has that feel of eternal autumn, which i find very scenic and serene, perfect for that honeymoon ambience people are always talking about. (photo by andrew goudie)

macau, china
true, we've all been to macau at one point in our lives, but susie and i have never seen macau since the boom of the big hotels, and we've never explored the place together yet. we thought of going all-out and booking a stay at the venetian, as a honeymoon splurge, but we thought twice after seeing that the love connection package was priced at HKD 3,388 for just a night's stay. maybe next time. :)

siem reap, cambodia
we've both been there, and we both want to go back. there are still some sights, especially temples, that we didn't get to see. i also wanted to visit the artisans area, and a stay in the villa is always a good enough reason to go back to siem reap again. plus, i heard the roads from poipet are now fixed, so the camry drive from the thai border shouldn't take so long now. worth checking out again, definitely.

belfast, northern ireland
a far jump from the rest of the places here, i know. the giant's causeway is on my list of things to see before i die, and 'sus is just as interested to go around the place. we both thought of doing a self-drive tour in the republic for our honeymoon, but there was just too much to see and do that we couldn't think of a way to cram everything in a week's time. since the causeway was in northern ireland, i thought just visiting that one first would be a good start. if this pushed through, i would have booked us in the old rectory guest house. nummy breakfast. :">

florence and bologna, italy
most people would automatically opt for venice or rome when honeymooning in italy, but sus and i have often steered clear of places that are packed with people. while florence is also a tourist-y place, it's not as populated as rome, and i want to check out the uffizi with 'sus telling me all about the masterpieces in it. bologna came as a suggestion to me, because there are ryanair flights to bologna from madrid, and after some research, i found out that bologna is the culinary capital of italy. great food always makes for unforgettable travel experiences!

there are definitely a lot of other destinations to cover, but these are some of the places we've discussed when we were talking about the honeymoon. we're not quite sure how a honeymoon is different from any old regular trip--we try to enjoy all our trips anyway, whether we're alone or with other people.

but like i said, a honeymoon is a good excuse to splurge and travel, and even to write a new blog, hence this post. :) i just wanted to get my ideas out, and get yours as well. where would/did you go for your honeymoon?

renew your passports at the new DFA building

2010-01-12T15:39:00.002+08:00

the department of foreign affairs (DFA) has just acquired a P530-billion building at aseana business park, located on macapagal corner bradco avenue in paranaque. the building is set to open to the public in the first quarter, and will be the new HQ for epassport applications, as well as the home of the electronic authentication system, electronic visa, and the consular records system.

according to this article from the inquirer, the place is (or will be) pretty high-tech--CCTV cameras, fiber-optic lines, and other modern telecommunications thingamajigs are installed in the 7,000-square-meter glass-and-steel structure. i'd like to see this one when they open, even though i have no reason to go to the DFA until my passport expires.

at the moment, epassport applications are still status quo: for those who want to renew their passports, just go to the DFA website, or call the helpline number at +632-5560000. i hope migrating the system won't be too much of a hassle.

thanks to pi santiago for the heads up on this article.

"deleted scenes" at the lopez museum

2010-01-04T09:38:00.005+08:00

Deleted Scenes modestly explores omissions both in pictorial and literary accounts of national history as well as in purported narratives hinged on representation that a museum such as the Lopez hesitatingly but unavoidingly lays out.
quite an interesting premise--sort of like a behind-the-scenes look at history, a different take on making us think about what really happened.

check out the exhibit at the lopez museum before the exhibit closes on january 9. deleted scenes features works by lyle buencamino, dada docot, sari dalena, and al manrique.

museum information
lopez museum
g/f benpres building
exchange road corner meralco avenue,
ortigas center, pasig city
phone number: +632 6312417
email address: pezseum@skyinet.net
blog: lopez museum and library

boracay package up for grabs!

2010-01-04T09:08:00.004+08:00

start the year right by winning yourself a free boracay getaway!

check out www.boracay-packages.com and find out how you can win a boracay vacation for you and a friend.

Win a Free Boracay Vacation Package by WOW Philippines Travel Agency
WOW Philippines Travel Agency, Inc. is celebrating it's 5th year in business during July of 2010, and we would like you to have a chance to celebrate with us, so we have decided to give-away a FREE Boracay Package complete with 5 Star accommodations at the luxurious Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel on Boracay Island. The lucky winner will win the following Boracay vacation package.
Vacation Package Inclusions:
- 5 Days / 4 Nights Luxury 5 Star Accommodations at the Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel

- Flights to Boracay from Manila to Caticlan Airport on Philippine Airlines

- Island Transfers - Door-to-Door from Manila to the resort and back to Manila Domestic Airport

- Three (3) Meals each day, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

- Boracay Activities - Horseback Riding, Island Hopping, Glass Bottom Boat

- PLUS - 5,000 peso Spending Cash

Read More Information: http://www.boracay-packages.com

philippine holidays for 2010

2009-12-31T18:52:00.003+08:00

thanks to ivan henares, we can now plan our vacations for next year! check out the following philippine holidays in 2010:

february 23, monday - anniversary of the edsa revolution
april 1, thursday - maundy thursday
april 2, friday - good friday
april 9, friday - araw ng kagitingan
june 14, monday - independence day (long weekend, since june 12 is a saturday)
august 23, monday - ninoy aquino day
august 30, monday - national heroes' day
september 10, friday - eid al fitr (tentative date)
november 1, monday - all saints' day
november 29, monday - bonifacio day (in lieu of november 30)
december 24, friday - christmas eve
december 27, monday - rizal day (in lieu of december 30)

plenty of monday and friday holidays, which means a lot of long weekends again for us! :) hope your 2010 will be filled with travel and vacations!

happy holidays from i gotta go!

2009-12-28T13:23:00.003+08:00

i know, i missed christmas and wasn't able to greet you guys, but i'm sure your christmas was filled with a lot of cheer, great food, and that warm fuzzy feeling of being with your most beloved ones. :)

2009 wasn't the best year for most of us, what with ondoy, pepeng, and the mayon eruption rocking our already stressful lives. yet those of us who have lived through them definitely have a lot to be thankful for, and i think that's the most important message this year has for us.

here's hoping that in 2010, there'll be less calamities, and more time for doing the things that we want. may the coming year be filled with travel, adventures, and discoveries for everyone. :)

i'm cooking up some new stuff for i gotta go!, and i'm hoping that you guys will stick around for them. i'm really, really hoping that i get to travel more and write more about the places i discover.

farewell, 2009.

mabuhay, 2010! :)

cebu for a day

2009-12-10T18:45:00.009+08:00

susie and i finally settled on a cebu day trip, since neither of us could be away for the whole weekend. it was a getaway that we both badly needed.

we were desperate for a vacation, and i had a couple of free tickets from cebu pacific that were about to expire. this was the best way we could think of to take advantage of them.

and i'm glad that we went through with it, because that saturday was a blast.

parking at NAIA terminal 3
we decided to take the car and park it somewhere since we were just going to be gone for the day. we thought of using park & fly, but after hearing a lot of bad reviews, we opted for the NAIA terminal 3 parking, which was actually pretty good!

NAIA terminal 3 parking rates are at P30 for the day, and P50 for overnight parking. what's more, the arrivals gate is just a short walk away. when we came back, the car was still in good condition, which means parking is pretty safe, too. it's a good alternative for travelers who need a place to park their car.

we entered the airport, found our check-in counter, and had breakfast upstairs before going inside the departure lounge for our gate. terminal fee is at P200, and there are plenty of places to buy food from.

arriving in cebu
we arrived in cebu a few minutes ahead of schedule. while waiting at baggage claim, i decided to go up to the shangri-la mactan resort stall in the cebu airport. i asked about their day rate, and it was nice to know that the rate hasn't changed: it's still P2,000 for the day, which already includes access to the beach and the resort's amenities, buffet lunch at tides, towel, and a P200 discount off health club services.

it was a pretty sweet deal--exactly what we came for. i told the shangri-la representative that we'll be taking that day package, and he told me we could join the shuttle bus that would take us to the resort after we pick up our luggage.

the shuttle bus service is free for all shangri-la mactan clients, and the ride from the airport to the resort took all of 10 minutes. we were welcomed by friendly shangri-la representatives--all smiling and courteous.

to avail of the day rate of shangri-la mactan cebu, just go to the senses store, pay your P2,000, and get your day access tag. it's a bright blue tag that has the "tickets" to everything you're entitled to: lunch buffet at tides, towel, and health club discount.

since we didn't have a room, i decided to avail of the P200 discount on health club services and get myself a locker, which normally costs P500. aside from a locker, you also get a bath towel, face towel, and slippers, as well as be given access to the jacuzzi, sauna, and shower room. the locker room has a hair dryer, lotion, and other toiletries you might need.

now, on to the beach!
with those things out of the way, we headed to the beach. since we were there early, there were only a few people enjoying the morning sun, and we got ourselves prime lounge chairs that were just a few steps away from the water.

we decided to just lounge around and wait for the tide to come in. but susie had other things on his mind. he went up to the buko bar and got a couple of beers for us, to celebrate the first getaway we've had in months. we must have really enjoyed ourselves a lot, because we were able to down 4 bottles each before 11am.

in between beers, we would take a dip, or feed the fish (from the leftover bread at tides), or take in the sun--a lovely way to spend a day away from busy, mad manila. i was finally getting started on the tan that i've lost from being away from the sea for a year.

tides buffet
before we knew it, it was lunch time. we headed to tides, still a bit giddy from the beers and the beach. we were greeted by another of their friendly staff, who led us to a table and served us water while we waited for the buffet to open.

the selection wasn't as extensive as the last time i was there, but it was definitely good enough to fill a rumbling tummy. susie feasted on the seafood, while i got a lot of cold cuts and cheese. we ended the glutton-fest with chocolate fondue--dipping slices of mango and bits of marshmallow in yummy milk chocolate. coffee and tea are also served after the meal.

beach lounging
and after that, we were back in our lounge chairs, which were dutifully "guarded" by the staff at the buko bar, who had become our buddies because of our beerfest earlier. they asked if we wanted more beer, but we had to decline, as we were still full from lunch.

i ended up dozing off for about half an hour, safely shaded by the huge beach umbrella. the rest of the afternoon was spent taking in the cebu sun (to achieve the desired tan), splashing in the water, or just plain talking and laughing (something we hadn't done in a while!). when the sun was at its hottest, one of the shangri-la mactan staff came up to us and offered wet face towels to cool our faces off with. such simple yet attentive service really made the day even more enjoyable.

we decided to call it a day a little before 5pm. we headed off to the health club to shower, but not before bidding goodbye to the staff at the buko bar. they're one of the friendliest hotel staff i've ever come across with--friendly, attentive, yet not stifling. i will definitely be back because i felt like i was taken care of.

the fun continues
while i expected to be out of shangri-la mactan after showering, susie and i decided to walk around the hotel and check out its little nooks and crannies. we ended up having our photos taken by the christmas tree out front, then checking out the bazaar that they had that weekend. afterwards, we walked back to the direction of the health club and checked out the e-zone, their game room which had internet stations, billiard tables, a corner for playing wii games, and their own timezone.

susie and i decided to burn that heavy lunch off by playing half an hour of wii (for P200 pesos, i think). i was defeated repeatedly at tennis, but i dominated in bowling. i did get hungry after that, and decided to head to cebu's center and devour some larsian noms.

it wasn't such a practical option, and i'm kind of regretting getting out of mactan that day. we could have easily walked out of the hotel and enjoyed some tapas at the spanish bar right outside, but i had to insist on going to larsian, which was a P200 taxi ride away.

but this is not to say that i didn't enjoy my meal. i did, a lot, but would have enjoyed it more if i didn't have to pay P200 for the cab ride. i'm kuripot that way. :p

still, all in all, the cebu trip was a huge success, even if it was just for a day. a day spent on the beach is always a great day for me!

travel information
shangri-la mactan resort and spa cebu
punta engano road, lapu-lapu, cebu
phone number: +63 32 2310288
day rate: P2,000 inclusive of towel, access to hotel facilities, buffet lunch at tides, and P200 off health club services

more photos of our cebu day trip.

world pyro olympics 2009

2009-11-07T18:11:00.004+08:00

i haven't gone to any of the past pyro olympics at MOA, even though i'm one of those people who turn back into a little child whenever i'm faced with fantastic fireworks. i was put off by the stories i heard from the traffic that jammed the exits when the show was over. but maybe this year, since they're moving the venue to bonifacio global city in taguig, i just might find myself trooping over and being one of the open-mouthed marvelers at the event.

what's also pretty exciting is that this year's pyro olympics will feature the first pyromusical competition, which will probably be more amazing to watch.

VIP tickets are pretty steep--P1,500/per person, but it already includes dinner, which is the only thing that separates you from the special ticket holders, who will only need to pay P500. general admission goes for P200. the site says there will be enough booths that sell food and drinks, so nobody will go hungry during the pyro olympics.

for those who plan to watch all five days, there's a special season pass for special and VIP areas. the special season pass sells for P2,000, while the VIP season pass is at P6,000. that's 5 shows for the price of 4! no pyro addict will be able to resist, methinks.

event details:
world pyro olympics 2009
where: the fort open grounds, bonifacio global city, taguig
when: nov 21, nov 28, dec 5, dec 12, dec 19
gates open at 3pm, fireworks start at 630pm
drum&bugle competition is from 3pm to 630pm
tickets: general: P200, special: P500, VIP: P1,500 (includes dinner)
season pass (5 shows for the price of 4): special: P2,000, VIP: P6,000

special and VIP tickets can be reserved as early as now!
contact world wide womb at (02) 568-6908 or (02) 384-0239

CCP holiday events for 2009

2009-11-07T18:05:00.000+08:00

there's something in the air this year. i can feel that christmas is going to be merry. reading about these performances at the CCP is making me more excited about the holidays!

"the nutcracker"
ballet philippines
when: december 3, 6, 12, and 13 at 10am and 3pm; december 4 and 5 at 3pm and 8pm
where: tanghalang nicanor abelardo (CCP main theater)
tickets: P300, P350, P450, P500, and P600. P1,100 for gala shows
check ticketworld for tickets to ballet philippines's "the nutcracker."

PPO season concert IV
philippine philharmonic orchestra
conductor: ruggero barbieri
featuring traditional christmas carols.
when: december 10, 8pm
where: tanghalang nicanor abelardo (CCP main theater)
tickets: P206, P360.50, P515, P686.67, P824, P858.34, and P1,030.
check ticketworld for tickets to PPO season concert IV.

"thankful"
the philippine madrigal singers
the philippine madrigal singers' thanksgiving concert for a fruitful year. christmas songs, carols, and other inspirational songs are in store.
when: december 15 and 16, 8pm
where: tanghalang nicanor abelardo (CCP main theater)
call these numbers to inquire about tickets: (02) 832- 1125 to 39, (02) 832-3667

let's soak up some culture at the ccp this holiday season!

my epassport arrived last week! :)

2009-11-03T14:26:00.002+08:00

i am now the proud holder of a philippine epassport! :)
it arrived last thursday, right on schedule.

it looks just like the machine-readable passport, except it has an epassport logo right below "pasaporte."

the cover is made of pretty thick cardboard, and on the back, it says "this passport contains sensitive electronics. please do not bend, perforate, or expose this passport to extreme temperature or excess moisture."

i can't wait to use it! i wonder if it's true that going through immigration is faster with a philippine epassport?

moments frozen in time at the yuchengco museum

2009-10-27T16:57:00.002+08:00

tagaytay pig-out sunday: verbena, sonya's garden, and bag of beans

2009-10-26T17:17:00.009+08:00

we decided to go for a quick drive to tagaytay yesterday to have lunch and just get a whiff of non-manila air. we finally got to eat in verbena at discovery country suites, then go for a walk around sonya's garden, and top the day off with apple pie a la mode at bag of beans.

first stop: verbena at discovery country suites
susie and i have always wanted to try the food there, since we've read a lot of good things about the place. but whenever we're in tagaytay, we always end up eating somewhere else. this time, though, we weren't going to let anything get in the way between us and verbena.

service at verbena is wonderful: we were greeted courteously by the guard as we parked, opening the car door for me, and asking us how he could be of assistance. he ushered us into the cozy country-home style interiors, where a friendly waiter was waiting to accommodate us.

tagaytay was especially hot yesterday, and i was at first disappointed that the restaurant was only fan-cooled. but after a while (and a few sips of beer), i started to cool off while enjoying the view from my side of the table (pictured above).

after browsing through the verbena menu, susie and i settled on the organic mozzarella cheese pot for our appetizer, with additional cream of asparagus for susie. i initially wanted the oysters, but the waiter told us they were all out. for the main dish, susie chose the pork chop, and i decided to go for the burger.

everything we had was just wonderful, including the two complimentary dishes that the chef sent out for us. the first one was an appetizer that was sort of like a breaded deviled egg, and the other complimentary dish was our chocolate dessert, which susie ended up finishing almost by himself.

i feel a bit ashamed because i wasn't able to finish my burger, even though it was really good! i'm really not used to eating a lot of bread before a heavy meal. but i resolve to make it up to verbena by going back and eating there again. susie was also delighted with his pork chop, and he even asked the waiter to tell the chef that his dish was fantastic.

next: sonya's garden
i've never been to sonya's garden EVAR, so we thought this might be a good time to check out the place. after all, we needed to walk the bloated feeling out, and a nice romp in a garden might help with that.

we enjoyed walking along the brick-lined paths and discovering huts and pavilions througout the place. the property was huge that you just end up stumbling into sprawling dining halls and cozy nooks wherever you go. i had so much fun taking photos of the place.

we were also able to check out the country store, where i got oatmeal soap and honey facial soap for P50 each. there was a coffee table book about sonya's garden being sold as well.

after taking a lot of pictures and exhausting all the brick-lined avenues on-site, we left sonya's and drove to...

bag of beans for dessert
i've been having major apple pie cravings for the past few weeks, and i wasn't going to leave tagaytay without having bag of beans's apple pie a la mode. susie couldn't believe that i could already eat something so heavy after the feast we just had. that's just how i roll, i guess.

the apple pie hit the spot. very filling. the crust was yummy, and the mix of cinnamon and apple was just perfect. *sigh* i'll be back there again for another serving, that's for sure!

take a look at more photos of our tagaytay sunday getaway.

contact information:
restaurant verbena at discovery country suites
address: 300 calamba road, san jose, tagaytay city
phone number: (046) 4132540
mobile number: +63915172150
email address: rsvn@discovery.com.ph
take a look at restaurant verbena's menu

sonya's garden
address: barangay buck estate, alfonso, cavite
mobile numbers: +639175329097 or +639175335140
email address: info@sonyasgarden.com

bag of beans tagaytay
address: 115 aguinaldo highway, mendez crossing west, tagaytay city
phone numbers: (046) 413 4356; (046) 413 2724
mobile numbers:+63923 454 4797; +63920 954 6370
email address: bagofbeanscoffeeshop@yahoo.com

the epassport renewal experience: phase 2

2009-10-21T17:52:00.002+08:00

i had high hopes when i went to the DFA today for my epassport renewal, since i've been reading so many good things about the efficiency of the process.

unfortunately, i didn't have as easy a time as everyone else. the passport renewal process started out well, actually. i got to the DFA, was bugged by some touts, who were actually successful in getting me to go to a stall, because they insisted i needed to put my fingerprints on my application form. well, as it turns out, they were mistaken, so i left the stall in a huff, while they all tried to apologize and pass the blame on each other. like everybody says, ignore anybody who tells you to go to the stalls beside the gate.

epassport applicants should enter through gate 3 and go straight to counter 28 (actually, counters 26-28 are all dedicated to epassport applicants) the line here wasn't long at all, and the people behind the counter worked really fast. this is where you submit your requirements, which are:

your old passport
a photocopy of the data page of your old passport
a photocopy of the last exit and entry stamp on your passport (this is not necessarily the last stamped page, so check to make sure you've photocopied the page with your last entry stamp)
a photocopy of the inside back cover of your old passport
filled-in application form (for epassport applicants, no need to affix a photo and put your fingerprints)
a printout of your epassport appointment email

after checking your information, they will issue a receipt that reflects the amount you will pay for your passport. regular processing costs Php 950, and will be done in 10 days, while express processing costs Php 1,200, and only takes 5 working days. also take note of the date your passport will be ready for pick-up. these dates are posted on the counter. take your receipt and documents and proceed to the cashier, which is outside the counters. no lines there, either. pay, get your receipt, and proceed to the second floor for picture-taking, and information encoding.

i arrived at the DFA at about 1250pm, and i was lining up to have my photo taken at 105pm. which meant the entire process downstairs took all of 15 minutes. i was counting on being out by 130 or 145pm at the latest, considering the speed at which they handled the first part of the process.

well, they quickly made up for this efficiency by making us epassport applicants wait for more than an hour to have our photos taken. when i got to the second floor, i was given a number, and told to take a seat. the waiting area snaked around the corner of the narrow hallway, and there were people seated, waiting impatiently for their turn. not all of us were epassport applicants, though. some of them, from what i heard, encountered some problems with their passport application, and they were being handled by another office.

as for us epassport applicants, we were being called four at a time. when i took a seat, the last number called was 17, and i was number 28. 11 people ahead of me wasn't so bad.

or so i thought. numbers 28-31 were called at around 2pm, and we were made to wait an additional 15 minutes to be accommodated in the room where they took our biometrics information and our photo. we soon found out what was causing the delay: it seems that with every batch of four numbers, someone from the inside, one of the people processing our information, would take "sponsored singit" applicants and accommodate them as well. no wonder this process was taking so long!

taking your photo and biometrics information and encoding your personal details probably took 5 minutes per person, which includes verification of details. they ask you to check the information they've entered, and sign to verify that the information was correct. you leave all your other documents here, and take your receipt for when you come back to pick up your passport.

but since i didn't want to go anywhere near the DFA anytime soon after this experience, i asked around for courier services who can deliver my passport to me instead. if you also want to avail of this service, just go to the basketball court (ask around), and all the courier companies are there. i opted for 2go-pilipinas teleserve, which charged P99 per delivery. you will have to leave your receipt with them, so that they can claim your passport on your behalf.

i was finally able to leave the DFA at 3pm, a bit lethargic from all that waiting. i even looked lethargic in my passport photo, something i have to live with for a few years until i have to go and renew my passport all over again. i'm just hoping i don't have to endure another 2 hours of this. please, DFA, try to figure out a better way to accommodate epassport renewals!

i'm angus steakhouse special nights

2009-10-21T09:50:00.005+08:00

susie and i, on a whim, decided to finally check out i'm angus steakhouse in yakal street last night. i'm happy to say that the experience was unforgettable, in a VERY good way. the staff were courteous and accommodating, and the food was oh-so-delicious. it's definitely not cheap, but if you're looking for a fancy place to treat that special someone, then i would suggest taking them to i'm angus.

susie ordered the tenderloin, if i remember correctly, and had it done rare. i, on the other hand, felt particularly full, and decided to just opt for the salmon. every entree is served with a choice of siding, and sauce. silly us forgot all about the sauce and started digging in. the steak and the salmon both were very good despite us having forgotten to sauce 'em up. :)

we also got invited to a couple of their events, which is open to everyone (that's why i thought i'd post it here and invite all of you as well!).

every wednesday night, i'm angus steakhouse will be serving roasted US certified angus prime rib of beef with salad, baked potato, and your choice of sauce, along with a glass of argentinean wine for just Php 980 net. that's a full meal with delectable beef at less than a thousand bucks!

even though we just came from there last night, susie and i were actually thinking of going again tonight to try out this meal. we'll have to see if we can handle it, though. :)

the other event is the i'm angus steakhouse country night, set for october 29, 2009, starting at 7pm. this is a buffet-style scheme, where you can have your fill of:

appetizers
caesar salad station
coleslaw
couscous salad
wild rice and chicken salad
pickled shrimps
atlantic crab cake
chilli dip cornbread
sourdough bread

from the steaming kettle
chili con carne
jambalaya creole style
spicy ranch beans
baked beans
mushroom stew
kentucky style fried chicken
baked potatoes
fries

from the grill
bbq pork spareribs
beef short ribs
steakhouse steak with fried onion slivers

roasts
bbq roasted US beef brisket and beef shoulder
roasted US CAB prime rib
chili and tomato salsa
mango and red onion salsa
bbq sauce
black bean and corn salsa

sweets
strawberry pie
lemon meringue pie
brownies
pecan pie
homemade ice cream

and what's more, i'm angus steakhouse is also opening their cellar and giving you a chance to try out selected argentinean and chilean wines:

finca flinchman
misterio chardonnay
misterio cabernet sauvignon
misterio malbec
gestos caberet sauvignon
vina ventisquero
cabernet sauvignon reserva
carmenere reserva
merlot reserva
sauvignon blanc reserva

no other meals will be served on country night, and this one-of-a-kind treat costs Php 2,500 net per person. it's a bit too steep for the likes of me, but if you're a wine and meat lover, you're definitely going to enjoy this night. :)

restaurant information
i'm angus steakhouse
address: 7431 yakal street, san antonio village, makati
phone number: 8926206
fax number: 8931573
email address: wic@werdenberg.com

update on my passport renewal

2009-10-20T18:29:00.003+08:00

well, i got a reply from the dfa, and i have my appointment for my epassport renewal tomorrow. :) it means i won't have to have my picture taken anymore, since they will be taking my photo and biometrics information tomorrow.

wish me luck! i really hope everything is as smooth as everybody says it is.

new link for passport renewal online appointment system

2009-10-20T11:06:00.003+08:00

okay, so i've been using the old passport renewal online appointment link, and finally found the updated version:

http://dfa.gov.ph/form/make/make/make_a_selection.html

that link will take you here:

i just called the DFA, and i was told that my appointment tomorrow was for a machine readable passport. i requested that my appointment be changed to the epassport, and rio, the lady i talked to on the phone, told me that it's possible to have it changed. :) as instructed, i was told to reply to the email that they sent, and i'm hoping to get a reply within the day.

here we go!

the passport renewal experience: phase 1

2009-10-20T10:16:00.004+08:00

my passport expires may 2010, but since most countries require that you should have a 6-month validity on your passport when you travel, my current, and most beloved, passport is as good as useless. so i quit putting it off and finally went to the dfa passport application online appointment system last night and get a move on in renewing my passport. the page looks like this:

but when you click on submit, you won't be taken to any confirmation page that indicates that your request has been submitted. instead, you will be taken to the passports information page of the dfa, which outlines the requirements that you need to bring with you on the day of your appointment. don't be alarmed if this happens, it doesn't mean they didn't receive it, it just means that the dfa needs to be more user-friendly and let us know that our form was indeed submitted, and not just floating around in cyberspace.

a few minutes later, i checked my email, and there i read the confirmation. this means you have to be careful in filling in your email address in the form above, since that's the only way they will contact you (i received no confirmation or information on my mobile phone, even though i put that in as my contact number as well). the email told me that i will have to wait about 7 days to receive my passport appointment, so i slept soundly last night, knowing my appointment will come in a week or less.

today, i got to work and checked my email. lo and behold! i got an email from the DFA saying that i have an appointment for my passport renewal tomorrow! that was quick, but a little short notice. still, i'll take it. it's probably one of the fastest government office appointments evar, and i'm not going to let that pass me by!

i'm just a bit confused, though. the email today addressed me as "machine readable passport applicant," but at the end of the email, it cited the epassport processing fees (P950 for regular processing, P1,200 for expedited processing) instead of the machine readable one. i'm really hoping to get the epassport and not the machine readable version, but just to be safe, i'll be taking the requirements needed for both. a bit of a hassle, but better than being turned away and wasting a day.

so tomorrow, i'll be taking with me the following requirements for passport renewal:

my present passport, and photocopy of data page, and pages 1, 2, and 3, and the inside back cover
photocopy of the pages showing latest bureau of immigration departure and arrival stamps
three (3) colored photos taken against a royal blue background and no shadow. (must remember to wear a dark top with sleeves and collar)
a duly accomplished passport renewal application form
print-out of my appointment
valid ID
P950 epassport fee, or P1,200 for expedited processing, in case i decide to fast-track the process

let's see how this "adventure" turns out tomorrow. i've read a lot of good things about the dfa's passport renewal system, and i'm hoping i'm one of the lucky ones who won't encounter hassles during my passport renewal.

you can also read more about passport renewal at just wandering. :)

typhoon ondoy: how you can help

2009-10-01T10:42:00.002+08:00

my family and i are fortunate that we got through typhoon ondoy unscathed. sure, water reached our house, and slightly damaged our car, but it's nothing compared to what others are going through at the moment. and i'm thankful for coming out of this tragedy unscathed, and to show my gratitude, i'm doing whatever i can to help.

so far, i've rummaged through my closet for clothes i want to donate, urged my sisters to do the same, and we've dropped them off at designated relief centers near us. to me, it doesn't matter where you choose to give them, as long as it's a group that means to help, then i'm good with that.

i also did some grocery shopping for instant noodles and drinks to help feed the growing number of victims. i dipped into my travel funds to add to my donations. at the moment, traveling is but a mere luxury, completely irrelevant during these trying times.

but i still feel like i haven't done enough. i'm starting to feel a little helpless. there are still so many people who need to be rescued, who need to be fed and clothed, and if you want to help out, too, here are different ways you can reach out:

help for missionaries of charity tondo
they need food, water, and baby food and milk for the children.
you can get in touch with rea at 0917 850 5766 or landline 215 6976.

myayala ondoy online donation facility
this is a very convenient way of donating money for the victims of ondoy.
no need to get out of the house, or go to the grocery.

database of drop-off centers for donations
if you have clothes, food, and other relief goods to donate, find out where the nearest drop-off points are.

help for typhoon ondoy victims
a google page of consolidated information, from rescue hotlines, to bank donations, to volunteer centers.