Family Bonding

Our adventure was fun but very tiring. It was so great having quality time together with my family, but it was just so disappointing that there are still a lot of people who still have the dog eats dog mentality. I'm talking about the taxi drivers who take advantage of their passengers, most especially tourists - local and foreign. So disappointing really.

On a lighter note, we had a lot of fun going to a LOT of places with so little time in our hands. It was my wifey's first time so she wanted to go to a lot of places. The last time I went to Manila was more than a year ago, but the last time I went to Enchanted Kingdom and Tagaytay before our recent trip was 11 years ago with my college classmates. Nothing has changed from the last time I was there. It was more meaningful this time because I got to share the experiences with my wife and daughter.

We just arrived in Cebu an hour ago, and I'm now at the office. Yes, no rest for me yet. I'll be doing the graveyard shift tonight, go home tomorrow at 6:30 AM, then go back to work for the swing shift at 1 PM. Weekend? We'll resume our rehearsals so no rest yet. Saturday evening maybe. Just maybe.

Another Adventure Starts Tomorrow

Today is Friday the 13th, but I'm hoping luck and good vibes will come my way today being the last day of the work week, as my family and I prepare to go to the nation's capital tomorrow. It will just be a quick weekend getaway. I personally don't want to go to Manila because I know how bad the traffic is and all, but my wife and daughter are excited because it's their first time so I have to go too. No way I'm gonna allow them to explore Manila on their own.

What's exciting and nerve wracking at the same time is that we don't really have a detailed itinerary of our trip. There are just a few places that they'd like to go to, but we don't anything definite on when and how to get there, and where to stay for the 3 nights. Yes, we had the Hong Kong adventure last year, and we'll have our Manila adventure starting tomorrow.

I hope there's internet connection wherever we'll spend the night in since it's Smallville's 2-hour series finale. There's no way I'm not gonna watch something I've loved and followed the past 10 years.

Mall of Asia

Day 9 of the 30 Day Challenge - A Photo You Took


Just a random photo from my folders, this was taken during my first visit to SM Mall of Asia in Manila in June 2009. This is the view outside the mall taken from inside.

Manila - Third Day

I was left all alone the whole morning in the apartment. It was my choice. Everyone went out and had lunch somewhere at Greenhills, I opted to stay and eat the leftovers at the apartment because I was planning to go to Quezon City and watch the PBA games live in the afternoon. As usual, there was no water in the apartment. Good thing I was able to save some from yesterday.

I went to Araneta Coliseum in the afternoon only to find out that all tickets except the rafters were sold out. I wanted to watch the games live, but I didn't want to stay at the rafters, the farthest seat in the house. I was not at all disappointed though because I was planning to watch the games and I wanted to watch the games, but I didn't really prepare for it like buying tickets in advance at Ticketnet for instance.

So instead, I went around the vicinity of Araneta Center and went to the different malls there. I decided to watch a movie, and found out that the SM located there doesn't have a theater yet. There were theaters in other malls though. I then decided to go to SM Mall of Asia and maybe watch whatever is shown in IMAX. Wow! I'll be experiencing IMAX for the first time. Cool!

When I arrived at MOA, I took a few pictures and went straight to the map. Found the theaters and immediately went there. I was 5 minutes late and I would be able to watch the next screening 2 hours after. I didn't want to wait so I just said to myself that my IMAX experience would have to be postponed for another day. I went straight to SM San Lazaro, met up with mom and other relatives, had dinner at Pizza Hut and called it a day.

Tomorrow is going to be our last day in Manila.

P.S. Happy Fathers' Day to all my fellow fathers in the world, and Happy Anniversary to my Mom and Dad who's now celebrating their 32nd year of marriage, if my calculations are correct.

Manila - Second Day

Woke up early and prepared early for the wedding of the century. Because of the distance and traffic, we made sure that we left the apartment way early to avoid being late. Turned out, we were too early. While mom and the others stayed in the car, I went ahead to the church, eager and excited. The chapel was situated in the middle of an expensive village and you can really see from its interior and exterior that it was not a mere chapel, but more of an expensive church. When I got in, there was a wedding. Actually, the wedding just started when I got in. No, it wasn't my cousin's wedding yet. It was another couple's wedding and I attended the whole ceremony since it was airconditioned inside. It was more relaxing inside attending someone else's wedding than staying outside and waiting for the next wedding to start.

The wedding, my cousin's, went as scheduled and boy what a wedding it was. Everything was perfect. I was assigned to be the Commentator in the mass. Good thing there was a misalette which served as my guide or else, I would have missed a few please all stand's and amen's.

The reception was one of the grandest I've ever been into. The food, the music, and most people were great. But what made the evening more special was the speech of Tito Nardy, the bride's father. It was something not prepared but everyone who heard the speech became emotional. It was one of those speeches that you can feel came from the heart. It was actually the highlight of the reception. For me personally, my highlight was to meet cousins of my cousins who I haven't met yet before.

Before the reception ended, I met one of my classmates in elementary and high school who's now a movie star, Marco Alcaraz, who introduced me to his friend, Precious Lara Quigaman, who was very beautiful in person. No wonder she represented the country in the Miss Universe pageant a few years back. I would have wanted to have my picture taken with them since it's been centuries since Marco and I last saw each other, but my aunt kept on bugging me to get her bag from the car. Too bad Marco and Lara were no longer around when I got back.

After the reception, I went with my cousin to a place called Fiamma. I don't know if I spelled that right, but it turned out, it was a bar with a lot of people, dressed-up people, drinking, dancing and socializing. Being the anti-social that I am sometimes, I decided not to go into the bar with them. Instead, I explored Manila and walked and walked and walked.

I decided to go home when I thought of no place to go to. I passed by a 24-hour noodle store, ate breakfast (it was already early dawn), and went home.

Manila - First Day

Our flight was at 9:45 AM from Cebu, and we arrived in Manila at around lunch time. We were so hungry because PAL just served water. We realized that those passengers who took advantage of the promo rates for Philippine Airlines were assigned to the last rows of the plane. Mom and I were assigned to the very last row. Not only that, because our tickets were cheaper (promo), we were not included in the meal.. er.. snacks on board. The attendants just passed by us when they served snacks. They only served a cup of water.

From the airport, Tito Roy decided for us to ride a one-time-one-way-rent-a-car and paid 950 pesos from the airport to Sampaloc where the apartment was. My grandfolks, tito, tita and cousins were already at the apartment when we arrived. After a few minutes of kamustahan, we walked towards SM San Lazaro, around 300 meters away from the apartment, and had lunch at Savory something. We, the younger ones, were at a different table than the seniors, and we just ate whatever they ordered for us. The food just came and came and came. Whoa! That's what I call a full meal!

After lunch, half of the group went to another mall while I went with the group who were going to the hotel. We were standing at the sidewalk waiting for my tita and waiting for a taxi to take us to Edsa Shangrila Plaza for almost two hours that my allergies struck me because of the extreme heat of the sun and the dust in the wind. Almost immediately, I got colds and sore throat.

We met up with my other cousins at the hotel including the bride-to-be and her Prince Charming. He was a little charming, yes. I went room raiding the whole afternoon. The Mindanao Suite was the best room I've seen so far. I heard it costs around 25 thousand pesos per day. I know it's kinda expensive, but it was worth it. It's like two separate rooms in that one suite, and it's fully furnished.

We ate dinner at the mall beside the hotel, and all these times, they were convincing me to sleep at the hotel because the apartment was kinda far. I told everyone that I'm going to go home to the apartment for the evening even if it's really warm there because my mom's there and she'll be alone if I don't go back. Finally, everyone understood my decision to go but wasn't sure how I'm going to do it simply because I didn't know anything about going around Manila.

After assuring them that I'm going to be okay, and that I'm not going to give away to the driver that I really don't know the way back to the apartment, they let me go. I went back to the apartment and slept with mom in one room, while Tito Roy and Tita Nanette were at another. The location of the apartment itself is exposed to the heat and dust, and they removed the aircon when they renovated the place. Yes, Tito Roy who spent the last 30 years of his life in Detroit, and I were forced to sleep with just a small electric fan.

And yes, right there and then we promised that we will be staying at a pension house at least if and when we'll be going back to Manila.

Manila Here I Come!

In less than 7 hours, my plane leaves for Manila where I have not been for centuries. I haven't even slept, and I don't know if I can sleep thinking about my short rest (again, I can't call it a vacation) in Manila. I will try to make the most of it, even if I don't have money to spend. I hope to finally see friends who I have not met in person yet. I hope to take pictures, LOTS of pictures. I hope to just forget about the pressures of work for 3 days and enjoy in a place that is not Cebu for a change.

Still Broke

My trip to Manila is getting closer and closer and I'm still broke. Today is payday but I didn't get that much since I failed in Quality for this pay period. A teammate of mine bought my brand new Nokia 1202 and my GameBoy Micro, but it's like a two-gives thingie so I still don't have enough money for my trip. On the brighter side though, at least I have something to look forward to.

We planned to go on badminton again tomorrow morning and videoke in the evening, but now I'm not so sure anymore. Well, for badminton it's only a hundred bucks for the whole day so I guess I can go, but for the videoke, I guess I have to take a rain check on that. Just can't afford extra expenses these days.

And yeah, I already sent two applications to two different companies. If I'll be lucky enough, I will be moving on because as much as I love the company I'm in now, and as much I love my officemates and the bond that we have, we're just not earning that much anymore here ever since our old account has been taken over by the new account. Now if I was just single and by myself, I would suck it all up and stay, but I'm not. I have a family to feed and a daughter to send to school. It sucks to again leave and start anew with another company if ever, but that's reality.

*sigh*

R & R

I already have my ticket.

God-willing, I'm going to Manila next month for my cousin's wedding. I will just be there for a few days, but I hope to make the most of it. I hope to meet up with the Shinatics, friends I have known for a long time but haven't met personally yet. I can't call it a vacation, but at least it will be a few days or R&R. Now, all I have to do is file my VL and hope and pray that it will be approved.

Pray for me, guys!