Random Babble

Here's to my latest addiction when it comes to social networking. I'm just starting to enjoy Instagram. I admit it... Posted a number of selfies I'm not particularly proud of 'coz I usually am not really that vain. Haha. But you really can't help it sometimes. Lol! Whatever. It's kinda like Twitter but you post photos instead. I personally enjoy the most being on Twitter rather than Facebook lately. And I'm starting to get this feeling I'll be hooked on Instagram as well. We'll see.

Post Birthday Post :)

Don't be afraid to grow old. Some if not everyone fear that and yet they wish to have long lives. Some people tend to forget that we have to age to live a long life. So age gracefully. Be happy. The only feelings you should have on your birthday are gratitude and bliss. Gratitude towards God and bliss because of the people who never forget you and continue to color your life daily. :)

Happy 23rd to me! xx

Free spirit. Thinker. Student of life.

xx,

A

2013

Another year had passed. My 2012 was filled with a lot of adventures. I went to a number of places I haven't visited before. Revisited General Santos City and Davao City (with Mary), traveled to Nueva Ecija, sidetripped to Baguio (with Mary, Inish, Mariero and Verna), visited relatives in Laguna (solo flight) and had a weekend getaway with friends to Cebu (my most favorite escapade of the year!). I really really like to travel. I thank God for the opportunities given to me last year. I will certainly cherish each of those memories. Looking forward for more adventures! :)

And now we're facing another year. A new chapter ahead! The question most people ask themselves is if it's necessary to declutter or not? I say we declutter our lives for the better. If you are happy with the way things are in your life then strive to become happier, if possible. If not, be thankful still for God has blessed you greatly. We all are blessed in ways we can never truly grasp and fathom. So be grateful. If you see that you're holding on to things or people that bring no happiness to you anymore then learn to loosen your grip. Learn to let go. Who knows? You might find you're better off without it or them. Wash away all the negative feelings in your heart. Do not waste emotions on things or circumstances that are beyond our control. Frustration is all you'll ever get in the end by doing so. Always remember that looking good is feeling good inside. And in everything you do, smile and give it your best knowing that God holds your future. That's enough assurance to be going forward and experiencing life as it is. 

May we all have a rockin' 2013. May it be filled with joyous moments and learning experiences. 

Sharing to you my favorite verse as the year ends and another one starts :

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. - Philippians 3:13

And my favorite mantra:

 2013 is going to be kickass. Claim it. Aim for it.

Lots of love,

A 

Kaki Escapade in Cebu

Our first ever trip together. My Kaki friends and I. We weren't complete though. Princess and Reziel could not come. Anyhow, we really had a great time together. 

Our trip started off the night of October 18 as we (Jaja, Praissie, Darek and I) headed off to Cebu. Yzamer was generous enough to fetch us at the pier early October 19 and allowed us to crash at their home to freshen up and catch a quick rest. She and her Mom were even dear enough to prepare breakfast for us. Thanks zam! :) 

We all gathered at Yza's to start off our trip. Rj, fresh from Manila was fetched at the airport by the driver of our rented van and Lala went straight to Yza's after arriving from Dumaguete. We started our trip full of excitement and anticipation.

First stop. SIMALA. Before going on to anywhere else, we decided to go to Simala to pray and ask for guidance for our 3 day trip. It was a divine experience having seen all those images of Mother Mary. It almost makes you automatically pray and talk to her because you know that she is definitely going to hear it. Plus you get goosebumps all over because of the holiness of the place - the good goosebumps though, not the one you get when you're scared. Lol

At Simala. 

 writing our petitions. 

And then we headed off to Badian and visited the waterfalls at Kawasan. It was majestic seeing the falls and how it drops from above you with such force it feels like your bones are gonna fall off. Lol. Ok so I was exaggerating for a bit there. You can just see in our pictures that we were all just laughing the whole time. Plus we got to hire a very good photographer to take our pictures while we were there at the falls.

Kawasan Falls

You can just see in our pictures that we were all just laughing the whole time. Plus we got to hire a very good photographer to take snapshots of us while we were out there enjoying the falls. After indulging ourselves fully with the falls, we headed back to the city just before dark.

After settling ourselves at the hotel and having filled our tummies with food, we went out for Karaoke night! 

Now playing: With You by Chris Brown ;)

October 20. At Crown Regency Hotel and Towers, we availed of their Sky Experience Adventure wherein you can enjoy the 4D Theater of your movie choice, buffet lunch (Wang Shan Lo Chinese Cuisine), and Edge Coaster (or Skywalk, depends on what you want to try). The highlight for everybody was in no mistake, the Edge Coaster. I admittedly, felt frightened to be up there located at the 38^th level outer-rim of the Crown Regency Hotel which btw stands 40 stories high at Fuente Osmeña. Coming into the location, I was feeling fine and was not expecting it to be scary at all. It was safe actually yet I still wasn’t able to get a good hold of myself out there as we were strapped safely on the ride and cruised around the tower. At the first few seconds, we were tilted in such a frightening angle that I found myself screaming while my deR partner on the ride wasn’t feeling anything at all, acting oh-so-brave! Thing is, I think he most enjoyed the sight of me being all-so-scaredy-cat beside him. He was even teasing me by taking control of our ride and tilting it more and more. Oh the thrill! And oh the nerves! I will not do that again. Lol. It was a fun experience, though. In all fairness to me, I think I survived it well enough. Hello? I did not chicken away in the middle of the ride, right? Lol

Escape from Bane Manor, 3D movie

Chinese Cuisine for lunch @ Wang Shan Lo

We spent the night of October 20 at Mountain View Resort in Lahug. We stayed awake to greet Jaja and celebrated her birthday during the wee hours of October 21. 

 @ Mountain View Resort; Jaja's 23rd

 Kakiz :)

Ang kuleeet! lol

On our last day, we went to watch This Guy’s in Love with You Mare on Cinema at SM Cebu, had dinner and then it was time to go. Rj was dropped at the airport for her flight that night back to Manila. Lala back

to Dumaguete. Jaja, Praissie, Darek and I back to Leyte.

Our first trip together was a trip that will be remembered for a lifetime. Yes! It was just so much fun that we went back home feeling wow. BTS, as they say! xx

Guiltless Pleasure

Yogurt. Ah! I have recently been consuming a lot these days. Thanks to Mary and her experiments, we get to eat yogurt anytime.:)

Eating yogurt is a pleasure time, I must say. Of all the products that can be made from milk, yogurt is prolly the healthiest of ‘em all. And for someone who loves milk products so much, my fondness for yogurt really satisfies my cravings and is really a great help in my efforts to start eating healthy. Lol! Ok. So maybe I still have a ve----ry long way to go before I can totally say that all the food that I put in my mouth is healthy, but yogurt definitely is a start. Of course, ice cream will always be one of the top on my list of fave milk products but now frozen yogurt gets to share the top spot with it. Hehe! 

FroYo topped with assorted fruits (blueberries, cherries, strawberries, peaches, kiwi, etc.) --- heaven! :D

Yogurt is equally refreshing and delicious as that of ice cream but healthier in a sense that it provides you and your tummy with a dose of healthy bacteria (LAB) that aids in digestion and fights with the harmful bacteria in your stomach. Although frozen yogurt does not always contain LAB. So a better choice is to consume yogurt per se. Not the frozen type, if you are after solely for the health benefits.

Too bad yogurt’s not available around town. And it’s also funny how some people don’t even know what yogurt is and what it tastes like. It’s naturally sour if eaten plain and its flavor is enhanced once mixed with fruits, chocolates or other additives.

Join me in my fondness for yogurt and walk with me in the path that will lead to a better and healthier lifestyle. #echos

Summer Capital experience :)

The whole of last week I was out. And with the one week that I was out it felt like a month or so because of the many places we were able to visit. Our main purpose was to attend the Mycological Society of the Philippines (MSP), Inc. 14^th Annual Scientific Meeting and Symposium held at PhilRice, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

After our business at Nueva Ecija, we decided to go on a side trip to the Summer Capital of the Philippines – Baguio City! 

We arrived at Baguio City from Nueva Ecija on Tuesday night (April 24). It was a 3-hour drive and we arrived to experience the cold weather that was the trademark of Baguio City. I was simply amazed by the weather in Baguio. The water was equally cold and we had to make use of the heater as we showered the next morning. Breakfast also was divine. Healthy dishes of chayote leaves with bagoong and cherry tomatoes and scrambled egg with chives was prepared for us that morning.  And so the whole of Thursday we allotted for us to go around the many tourist spots in Baguio City.

First stop, we had a picnic lunch at Camp John Hay. Kuya Resti and Ate Cris were kind enough to accompany us the whole day. We will be forever grateful.

 

We filled our tummies with the palabok, freshly baked bread, puto and fruits. Delish! :)

After lunch, we stopped at The Manor (a five-star hotel) to check in for the night. Haha! Kidding. We went to do some inquiry and to use their comfort room and to take pictures of course. Lol!

We also went to see The Mansion.

Some of our pasalubongs, we bought on stalls near The Mansion as we did a little walking around the place.

Baguio City has the prettiest flowers ever with the brightest colors I’ve seen as well.

Waaaaah! This blog post is super late already! I have been terribly busy that I wasn't able to finish this the way i imagined it to be. Anyways, the main point is that I was able to visit Baguio City and witness its beauty. :))

Reliving GenSan. Davao. And the most of Mindanao.

I think that travel comes from some deep urge to see the world, like the urge that brings up a worm in an Irish bog to see the moon when it is full.  ~Lord Dunsany 

April 4. Mary and I started our trip Wednesday evening as we traveled to Cebu to catch our 0940 am flight the following day (April 5) towards the southern coast of Mindanao Island. We were early birds since we arrived at the airport 3 hours earlier than our scheduled flight. We took off and forty minutes later, we were already standing over the soils of General Santos City.

GenSan

April 5. The feeling of finally being able to go back after more than 3 years since the last time we were here was pure elation. Excitement and anticipation filled our senses as we drove off to my Aunt’s home and settled there. I was amused to see my little cousins grow a little bit from the last time I saw them. Abigail and Gabrielle, our dear college friends whom we haven’t seen for about 3 years now immediately planned an excursion during the afternoon of our arrival.

April 5 (Late afternoon). Riding my Uncle’s Trooper, Auntie Mohai, Shaira, Jade, Mary, Abigail, Gabrielle, Januar, Ken and I headed towards Sarangani Highlands. It’s a garden and restaurant located on a hilltop that overlooks the Sarangani Bay. Since it was Maundy Thursday, regular restaurant menu was unavailable. Instead, we paid an entrance fee of 100 php which is consumable by ordering their available snack items and beverages. We munched on a few chips and butterscotch bars with mocha shake.

Overlooking the Sarangani Bay.

Gabe, Auntie Mohai, Shaira, Jade and I, Abby, Mary and Januar.

Their hotel has the cutest doors ever.

Sarangani Highlands has such beautiful landscaping that most of what we did, aside from eating and catching up thru stories, was to take pictures here and there. Credits to Ken and Gabrielle for the tons of photos taken throughout our whole escapade. :)

April 6. We went to Alabel, Sarangani and stayed on Abby and Gabby’s home. The fact that it was Good Friday posed a snag as we thought there weren’t any tricycle that will bring us to Alabel. Luckily, there were a few available so we were able to reach Alabel a little over lunch already. Later that afternoon, we went to A-Montana Resort (formerly Isla Parilla) and did a "photoshoot". Haha! After which we dipped on the pool for an hour or so. All that for a 50-peso entrance fee. I say the entrance fee was worth it because the amenities inside were nice. So nice that it makes me want to go back there again with more friends. ;) Later that evening, after having dinner at the Alaba's, we bought and prepared spaghetti and snack food for our trip to Davao City the following day.
Witness my kabaliwan... tantananan!!!

Photographer: Kenneth; Director/Asst Make-up Artist: Gabrielle; Make-up Artist: Mary

swing, swing from the tangles of....

dipping into the pool was refreshing. getting out of it was cold and freezing. Haha!

Davao

April 7. Off to Davao City. We woke up as early as 4am and started heading towards our meeting place at around 5 am. Again, using my aunt and uncle's vehicle, we headed to Davao making stops at Malungon (to do some minor repair to our vehicle) and Digos (to do major repairs! lol) before finally arriving at Davao City. 

The journey to Davao was long and tiring. We ate lunch first before finally heading out to Blue Jaz Resort located at Samal Island. The resort was full of people enjoying the long holiday. And so we did our thing.

they say the early bird catches the biggest worm. in this case, it's not. haha! there were glitches along the way but we still managed to reach Davao. Heeee

Me, Abby and Mary. #philbestgirls

Our attempt at spelling out the word L.O.V.E.

@ Blue Jaz Resort, Samal Island 

there's no escaping the heat of the sun!

the 5-minute boat ride.

Davao, i say, is so big a city that a single day is not enough to go around and experience everything there is that the city can offer. We arrived at GenSan at around 2 in the morning of April 8. And April 8 was the day of our flight back to Cebu. You would think that the Davao trip was the longest roadtrip we would experience that time. Little did we know that we will unluckily miss our flight and will travel by land through Mindanao to Leyte the next day!. Hahahaha. #epicfail. Our summer getaway to the Southernmost part of Mindanao made us travel by land, sea and air! Haha. 'Coz these planes! They just don’t wait. :)

New friends were made. Memories were spawned. Fun was experienced. Lessons were learned. I am so looking forward to going back. Who wants to come?

xoxo. Bam.