Christmas day :)

Staying in Eastwood "park" was not bad at all with all the lights and christmas sounds along with the dancing fountain. It was so much better hanging out there instead of just staying in the condo to sleep.. Thank goodness, at least, i have experienced the christmas spirit despite being away from the fam bam.. Soooo. How was my holiday? It was pretty much ok. Bonding with myself mostly..

1. After leaving the office, Ayan, my only batchmate, and i had a sort pf christmas breakfast and Ayan's birthday treat. Happy birthday, Ayan! She'll turn a year older tomorrow (Dec. 27). 

2. My Aunt called me and invited me to stay at their place for christmas day. Oh well.. I overslept and was unableto leave early... I have transpo issues here.... Eastwood, why are you so faaaaaraway from everywhere???  I was only with myself and a bunch of strangers around me.. But it was fine. :)

3 i did a little bit of shopping. Had to buy clothes for 2 more days. Laundry shop was off for the holidays.. I bought 2 dresses. They're easier to wear and had me saved some moolah compared to buying sets of pants and shirts. Good deal..

4. Then i went to CBTL to chillax, read few pages of the Mormon bible i got for free (Didn't know there where other books from the bible.), ordered double chocolate frappe and finished reading the Mockingjay-- (which may have caused my nightmare last night. *scared). Thank you, by the way,to my friends who kept me company online. Thanks for the greetings :)

5. I watched the dancing fountain, too. It was quite amusing to watch. I remember the lights and sounds in makati. I missed it this year. Not sure if it'll still be there this weekend.. I sat in the bench, did people and dog watching. People looked happy. So, i was quite happy, too, looking at them. Hrmmm. Christmas wasn't like this before. From what i remember, malls were closed on christmas day... Or christmas eve... Im not sure.. Anyway, the mall was open yesterday...

6. I was leaving my spot in the park and was headed back to the condo.. I was so near from the building when my stomach complained of hunger.. I went back to the mall. Went straight to TGIF and ate my dinner.. I had this impression that TGIF serves mouthwatering, delicious looking food like what we had years before (can't remember the year but it was in Makati).. Things may have changed. I saw my plate and i felt like i was the one who prepared the food... It looked very ordinary and i had to request to have my food reheated. Preparation and serving was not at par from what i paid for. Mind you, if you plan to eat there, concentrate on your food. If you, by any chance, try to play with your  ipad or experience spacing out a bit, they'll try to get your plate still with food. They asked several times if i was done. I felt like they wanted me to leave already. Since it was Christmas, i just thought, maybe they were just hurrying up cleaning so they won't do overtime just to wash plates. I should have gone to AGave resto instead. Better tasting food and better presentation. I don't like to compalin anymore... Thank you, Lord, for the food that satisfied my hunger. :)

7. So i went back to the Condo, quite happy. :) i miss my family a lot. But, at least, i did enjoy Christmas day despite being home alone.

Happy birthday, Jesus! :)

Hello Coron, Palawan (long overdue planned trip with ert)

I'm getting the hang of writing about my previous trips. Bear with me please. Haha. Im enjoying this... I should've done this in real time... Anyhoooo... Here goes:

Coron, Palawan: the most beautiful place i've seen (aside from the Mountain Province , of course). This was the long overdue trip Ert and i were planning. We went there the last week of June 2013. 

The weather was not very nice, cloudy and rainy. Still i was in awe with what i've seen and experienced. I don't usually go to the beach and spend so much time in the water until this. I almost became a fish here. Haha! Always in the water. It was my first time to snorkle. I bet the view would be extra magnificent if it was sun shiny. 

This... Hrmmm. I forgot what this is... But it's the iconic picture of Coron. After swimming and snorkling, we had to hike to get in here. The we had to walk down to the other side to get to the lake. 

That's the walk way down to the lake... Have to be really careful cos it was slippery.

Annnnd... This was what i was talking about. Selfie in the lake. Woohoo! Lurve the water! I didn't know it was possible that there'd be lakes in the middle of the sea. Down there was like a different world.. Like the set in starwars or startrek. Baracuda lake was my favorite (no pics there. Waterproof cam was batt dead. Booo). I saw a snake, a shrimp and a large fish. I guess it was the baracuda. 

Took this while snorkling in the shallow waters of the sea. Cute fish.

That's our boatman parking at Banol beach. I've never been to Boracay but i think this was the mini version of it. White powdery sand and crystal clear water. :) breath taking! Officially, this is my favorite beach ever! 

The pic below was the salt water hot spring..it's not warm.. It was HOT! Ert and I weren't able to go anywhere during the day because the weather was unkind. It raining pretty hard and we cannot go swimming nor go island hopping. The hotel concierge said it was the best time to go there since the weather's cold. She was right. :) you'd feel that burning sensation the first dip in the water but your body will adapt to it. Relaxing! :)

Our dinner on a budget. Good thing we saw this place :)

Drinking session with ert. Wish we did get out and experience the nightlife. Oh well. Next time.

A guide to Coron.

Im going back here someday. :)

Laiya, Batangas with Jean (post entry, July 16, 2013)

Since i have blogged about my trip in Camiguin, i though i should have witten about my previous trips... So here it is.... More post entries to come. :)

Laiya, Batangas... I did not expect that this place was sooo faraway from home. I thought traveltime would just take around 2 hours but nooooo. Took 5 hours to get there. It was just supposed to be a day trip to do a sort of photoshoot for my friend (for her birthday) with a beach theme... We got there 3:30 pm, the sun wasn't up and too tired and upset to even start the shoot especially when i learned that accomodations were waaaaay out of budget. We decided to stay overnight since we have arrived late..

That's me, upset with the situation. The room was nice, though. Still, we should've flown to Boracay instead..

The beach was nice to look at. We did not do a formal photoshoot anymore. I did not plan to swim. The water looked coooold.

This is Laiya's version of a white beach..... Not so white and the sand's reallly grainy... 

But hey, you know what? The water was pretty warm for some reason... And it was crystal clear. I felt very relaxed... Hrmmm.... I was beginning to enjoy it... The grainy sand massages my back.. It has a reason afterall.

And soooo, i dived. And swam... And took photos... I mean, my friend took photos of me underwater. Haha... And vise versa of course.

I've never seen a sea cucumber before until this moment. Was this even alive? No idea...

What made our accomodations really expensive was the buffet. I was expecting something less than what we had. Thank goodness, they delivered pretty well.. Presentation was great and the ambiance was really nice with the lighting and all. Food was delicious... I devoured...

See, this did not look like this during the day time. Not expecting this!

Yeah, you can say that was pretty happy with the food and the place... I think i stopped whining about the fees after eating... Haha...

My friend and i, enjoying the water...

Candid shot of my friend.

Hrmmmm. Yeah, i can say i did enjoy the trip despite the booboos. It's great that i did have this trip cos i knew i won't be having a trip soon since i'd be starting my new job after this.

To my friend, Jean, thank you for dragging me in this. It was an awesome "day trip". :)

Laluz resort, thank you for upgrading our room. Very nice. :)

Kai and I meet CDO and Camiguin :)

Day 1:

Kai and i left for cdo at around 11am and arrived at around 1pm. I was expecting  a sun shiny day but arrived with a gloom in the sky. As soon as we arrived, we met, janice, our tour guide. I find her nice and very accomodating. She suggested to have a trip immediately to Bukidnon to tryout the zipline in Dahilayan park. That was the shooting place of sam milby and kc conception's movie. It was a nice place. Very cold... Wrong outfit. For the first time, i did not bring any jacket for this trip. I was wearing an oversized shirt and miniskirt... And yes, i did try the zipline with that! Got a little bit scared at the beginning, knowing that i was so high up in the air and thinking if my buckles were all secured... Kai was shouting all the way. Hahahaha. After eating our late lunch, we went back to the city to settle in our hotel. Supposed to meet sasha but she cant make it at 8pm cos apparently, she's now a parent! Didnt know that! Lol. 

At Dahilayan park, Bukidnon. Soooo cooold! 

Day 2:

Happy birthday KAI!!!! The day was cooperative.  We went white water rafting! Soooo fun! Good thing, kai and i chose to ride on the last boat where the funny boatman was. Best part of the rafting was the eating of the wild seedful banana! I took home one for remembrance. I'll eat it later. :) i wish i had my waterproof cam with me. It's just too bad i didnt have the right charger :( oh well sayang talaga! I swam in the rapids too. That was fun.. Although, i missed the super fun part where we should all have jumped from the right side of the boat so we could feel the speed of the rapids. :( missed it! Kuya kasi. He said to not jump cos there 's a large rock, nahuli kasi kami. Anyway. Better safe... But still... Anyway, i still had the white water swimming... :) pwede na yun. The view was spectacular. I didnt expect to go swimming. Kala ko tipong wisik wisik lang. I thought it was just going to be a short rio grande like ride.. But noooo, it took hours to finish! :) hrmmm... The company was cool. They were not boring at all. I just didn't get their names.. 

Before prepping for the rafting day, Kai, the birthday girl, was welcomed by a happy birthday pastel from our tour guide, Ms. Janice.

The rapids, boatmates and i. My helmet and life vest looked awkward on me. They gave me the oversized one. Haha.

Come evening, We met Sasha and her lovely family in CDO after 10 years!!!

2nd day was truly the highlight of this trip :)

3rd day:

Camiguin day. It took us an hour and a half to ge to the port where we will be riding the boat to Camiguin. It was a peaceful travel going to the destination and the sun was shining. It was a pretty day. Aside from Kai, Ms. Janice and the driver, a couple named Cassy and Burnie were with us in the trip, too. During the boatride, the couple saw a whale! Darn, i missed it. But, oh well, that's fine. They took a pic of me in the boat. Haha. 

Camiguin was such a peaceful place. There were not too much people around and it was just relaxing. First stop, we went to an All-you-can-eat lutong bahay eatery. I've never seen anything like that in manila or in laguna. Awesome! :) and we just spent 125 pesos for that. Great deal!

Then, we went water hopping: falls, cold spring, bura soda water spring and Ardent hot spring. Sorry, i forgot what the cold spring and falls were called.. Brrr.

Cold water spriiiing!

Bura Soda Water Spring. It's weird that the water really tasted like soda... A bit sweet, too.

Here we are at the hot spring. Not so hot as what i have experienced in Coron, Palawan. But it's quite alright. 

And then, after dinner, we went back to the nice hotel. Was not able to take a picture of it. Sayang.

Day 4:

Our last day. We went to the white island beach. We were supposed to leave really early but we woke up at around 6am. We were able to leave for the beach at 7am. The water was nice. A bit warm in fact. And the water's light blue. It's just a bit cold and really windy. But still ok. 

Highlight: sea urchin delicacy. I ate the poor sea urchin.. Dibale, once in a blue moon lang naman... I hope they won't go extinct. (Sea urchinsn sponsored by Cassy and Bernie.. Salamats!!)

We didn't have time to eat lunch cos  we left Camiguin island at 10am. We had to rush back to cdo so the plane wont leave us. 

On our way back to Cdo. 

Saying goodbye to Cagayan De Oro...

That's it, pancit! Til we meet again, CDO :) 

To my dear friend, Kai, 

Thank you for choosing me among your many friends to bond with you on your birthday in CDO. After 10 years, ganyan ka parin. Hahahaha! I really had fun kahit na may times na na praning tayo sa daan on the way to Jollibee . Lol at bugnutin na kasi gutom. Sana matuloy ang Japan trip mo next year. Go get the travel bug infect you. I wish you true love and happiness. Malay mo, sa Japan mo sha ma meet. Ahihihi. Until our next trip, Kai! Tc always :)

Xoxo,

Anna, 

"It's more fun in the Pilipins!"

:)

P.s: where to next? Hehe

De-stressing. Dementors, go away!

Work officially started last week and stress was just taking over. There are still sooo much to learn! Geez... Anyway.. After the shift, anna and i had a long chat over coffee at Caffe Bene. I went back to the condo at around 12nn and fell asleep. Supposedly, i was to attend EBC's halloween capoeira roda at 4pm. I woke up at 8pm :(. I decided not to go home this weekend. Sayang pamasahe e. 

So yesterday, since i wasnt able to do anything but sleep last saturday, i had a lunch and movie date with myself. Me-time could be therapeutic, too. 

All time breakfast at Momo Cafe at Eastwoodmall:

I have been curious what this Momo cafe has to offer. Food was ok. I was really full and satisfied after eating. Service was quite satisfactory. The waiter just asked me twice if i was done with my food even if i still have food on the plate. Ngarag na si kuya siguro.

I saw "Gravity" at 3:50pm. I should have watched a different movie.

Big Apple Spa: Balanese Full Body Massage.. Ahhh. It was very relaxing. I didn't go for the hard massage cos that would have just stressed out my lungs. Although the place didnt look anything like the "The Spa", the massage therapist did a great job. I was almost asleep after that. 

Swensen's icecream: AT LAST!

I love their icecream! Presentation was really nice. Lurve the whipped cream and the crunchy texture of the nuts over the rich and creamy chocolately goodness of the icecream, balanced by the tangy flavor of the strawberry syrup. Yum yum. Definitely the highlight of my Eastwood adventure.

On my way back to the condo, i saw halloween trick or treaters and the entertainers who were always there every weekend. Kakaaliw lang :)

In conclusion, divertion to stress, complete. Later, i shall work again..

Long weekend.

And so, my long weekend has begun. What did i do? Nothing much. After "work", i stayed with my co- trainees for quite awhile to eat breakfast and do some window shopping.. It's pay day after all... I did some condo viewing, too. I was looking for a space to live in. Going back and forth from work to office is just difficult. I did decide where to live. It's not pretty but i think i can live with it. Around, 11:30am, i decided to go home. On my way to edsa, i though i shouldn't go home that early... It was the weekend! So, i went to shangrila-edsa and thought watching a a movie or eating pasta. There weren't any nice movies so i looked forma place to feed myself. I was craving for pasta... I ended up eating at wendy's. i loved their baked potatoes :). I ordered their chocolate frosty too. it used to be chocolate only but now they have variety of flavors (choco, vanilla and.. I forgot the other one). Eating there was quite different cos they used plastics now. It used to be all paper. I prefer eating on paper. 

And then, i went home... I fell asleep immediately after i took a shower. I slept at 3pm until 5am in the morning the next day. :)

Im not done yet with my long weekend.

Capoeira Training :)

Saturday, EBC had another large capoeira training and roda. For some reason, it did not feel like training. It felt like a demo. But i did have fun. 

Roda with Mestre Fantasma.

After the sparring.do i look like i'm having fun? Yeah. Haha

Class picture!

Post capoeira dinner. Ang kukulit kasama nila. Haha :)

So there... I hope to have another sweaty and dungis training with you guys. Haha :)

Muito obrigada!

About capoeira

I just want to share some of the pictures i took from my capoeira trainings, batizado, and capoeira meet ups... Thanks to my school, Escola Brasiliera de Capoeira, as well as Sinha Bahia De Capoiera and ECAMAR. I love meeting people with the same interests. I still have much to learn... I almost know nothing about it. Haha... But i shall learn..

With SBC's free capoeira class and roda 

My take down. That was Formada Xaropinha taking me down with the deadly rastera.

My teacher, Instrutora Andorinha

EBC family from all around the world..

ECAMAR students. They're so friendly and very dedicated with the art. 

Guess what

There's so much more to fix! Argh.

J.Co and i

Now i know why people patiently fall in line for J. Co's donuts. :) among donuts i've tasted, it's quite different. The sweetness is not over-over-the-top and the donut has a special surprise inside. :) lurve it to bits.

Just a thought after a year and a few months

It's weird that for 1 year and a few months, i was not able to write a single thing about work or how i was doing... It's just now... After my stay there at the rehab where i worked at... There were good times and bad times. Happy moments and sad ones.. Ups and downs... Yeah, i learned a lot, undoubtedly. I can say that, fully, i was able to experience being psych nurse in different aspects.. To my mentors, supervisors and the doctors, thank you so much for the experience. I know that there are still a lot to learn.

The students somehow have become dear to me, too. I pray for their fast recovery.

Im going to miss the facility... And my name, exclusively used for work. Hahaha. "hi mam trish." "tracy, pagkain ko lang.". "ms. Trixie, sige kumain ka na."

Here is a pic of my going away party. Too bad, not everyone was able to come. The other pic with the envelop was from a satisfied client. Naks! Just had to take a pic of it before returning it