New Zodiac

This piece of news went by me and I only found out about it when my colleague shared this info with me recently. Apparently, there has been a new zodiac sign since 2011. The new sign? Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer.

Obviously, fitting in a new sign within the same year means that practically every other zodiac sign will be impacted. With the new 13-sign astrology means, most people will now have a new star sign. Check out the new dates for each zodiac sign, although I don't know why there are overlaps (e.g. May 13, June 21):

Sign			Traditional (tropical) dates	Dates based on the IAU constellations (as of 2011)
	Aries	The Ram	21 March to 20 April	18 April to 13 May
	Taurus	The Bull	21 April to 20 May	13 May to 21 June
	Gemini	The Twins	21 May to 21 June	21 June to 20 July
	Cancer	The Crab	22 June to 22 July	20 July to 10 August
	Leo	The Lion	23 July to 22 August	10 August to 16 September
	Virgo	The Virgin	23 August to 22 September	16 September to 30 October
	Libra	The Scales	23 September to 22 October	30 October to 23 November
	Scorpio	The Scorpion	23 October to 22 November	23 to 29 November
	Ophiuchus	The Serpent Bearer		29 November to 18 December
	Sagittarius	The Archer / Centaur	23 November to 21 December	18 December to 20 January
	Capricorn	The Sea-goat	22 December to 20 January	20 January to 16 February
	Aquarius	The Water Bearer	21 January to 18 February	16 February to 11 March
	Pisces	The Fish	19 February to 20 March	11 March to 18 April

Nadal ends his 2014 season

Nadal yet again ends his season prematurely due to health concerns. This time, though, the issue is not one of the usual suspects. It's actually appendicitis. What I did find a bit strange was that Rafa trudged on and played in a couple of tournaments instead of getting surgery. He ended up losing to people he shouldn't be losing to: Feliciano Lopez in the 2nd round of the Shanghai Masters and Borna Coric in the quarterfinals of the Swiss Indoors. Hopefully he gets to bounce back in 2015 and maybe win another French Open.

In other tennis news, two 33-year olds took home titles. Serena Williams and Roger Federer both won their respective tournaments relatively easily. Serena ends the year ranked #1 and Roger has, for the first time in a couple of years, put himself in a position to take the top ranking on the men's tour.

Joining them in the winner's circle this weekend is Andy Murray who won the Valencia title after having to save five championship points against Tommy Robredo. The unbelievable thing about this is that just a month ago, Andy also had to save five matchpoints in the Shenzhen final, also against Tommy Robredo. This means that in two tournaments, Tommy had 10 championship points total, all against Andy, but he was unable to convert any of them. That has to hurt big-time. In any case, this win now gives Andy Murray a solid chance to make it to the year-end championships.

While we are talking about tennis, Federer has now replaced Nadal and will be joining Murray and Serena in the International Premier Tennis League that will be held in Manila on the November 28-30 weekend. I was in two minds as to whether I wanted to watch this but when I saw that the ticket prices increased (apparently the prices I saw a few months ago were early bird prices) and that Nadal won't be playing anymore, it was like my decision was made for me LOL. Or well, who knows, it's still about a month from now so maybe I will still change my mind. We'll see.

Philippines - Paradise on Earth

I'm lucky to have been able to go around the Philippines a lot but even with my many local travels, there are a lot more places I haven't been to. Seeing this video just makes me more excited to visit more wonderful Philippine destinations.


video uploaded in liveleak by SevenZero

Alqueria Restaurante + Chocolateria and the SM 3-day Sale

This weekend, I went to SM Megamall because my mom was there but her SM Advantage Card was with me (I borrowed it a couple of weeks ago and forgot to return it). My plan was to just pass by to give her the card, maybe have coffee or dinner, then head home. I met up with my mom as she was in the queue to go into H&M. They were clearly trying to manage the number of people inside but my mom said that she didn't really have to be in line very long before she got in and it was worth it because she bought some really good items. She asked me if I wanted to go in with her but at that time, I didn't really feel like falling in line. However, as I had just driven through pretty heavy traffic and I was already there, I decided to look around other shops. What happened next? I ended up buying a long-sleeved shirt in Old Navy, a couple of collared shirts in Izod, and a jacket in Memo. And here I thought I was just passing through Megamall. :)

While shopping, I texted my mom and suggested that we have dinner once she was done. There were a few restaurants on the 3rd floor which is where my mom exited H&M and we decided to have dinner in Alqueria Restaurante + Chocolateria.

Alqueria Restaurante + Chocolateria on the 3rd floor of Megamall, near H&M

We were pretty hungry when we got there so before selecting our main dishes, I decided to order the Huevos Con Chorizo (P218). This appetizer is a pile of crunchy fried potatoes cooked with Spanish chorizo and topped with a fried egg. It was really, really good! The chorizo was so incredibly flavorful and it worked perfectly well with the potatoes and the egg.

Huevos Con Chorizo (P218)

For our main course, we ordered Lengua Estofado (P398) and Paella Valenciana (also P398) and both were really good too. To cap off our meal, my mom and I both had their hot chocolate (P98). It was a bit on the sweet side (I normally like my hot chocolate more bitter) but it was rich and thick and still very good overall.

The restaurant is cozy and has a casual luxury vibe. As Spanish restaurants in Manila go, I think Alqueria is quite affordable (often, Paella Valenciana in other restos would be in the P500 range; here it was under P400). I think it is also new because I tried searching for it online and couldn't find it on munchpunch or zomato and it doesn't have its own facebook page yet. My google search did direct me to this article so apparently, Alqueria is owned by Marvin Agustin and the Sumo Sam Group.

Interior of Alqueria Restaurante + Chocolateria

This was the first time in a really long time that I braved the crowds to go shopping in an SM 3-day sale. Despite the loads of people in the mall at that time, it was still a pretty good and productive evening. I'm thinking of going to Megamall again one of these days to do my own queuing and shopping in H&M. :)

Disco frenzy!

Last year, I got signed up for a dance competition at work. Seems like I did a decent job there because I was called yet again to join the team and we just competed early this afternoon. This year's theme: 70's and 80's disco! Groovy! :)

While I complained last year that we had very little time to prepare, it seems that our 2 weeks of practice then was already a luxury because this time around, we only had one week to prepare. Yikes! To add to the complexity, I initially intended our choreographer to figure out what music to use although I shared a list of suggested songs. However, in the end, I actually made the final selections and also provided which parts of each song we would use. We ended up having a the disco medley that had Donna Summer's MacArthur Park, The Bee Gees' You should be dancing, and Boogie Wonderland by the Earth, Wind and Fire.

Even the costume idea came from me. My initial plan for our costumes got replaced by another design on the first rehearsal day (which I missed due to other work requirements) but when our tailor showed us a sample of that other design, the women in our group realized they weren't so comfortable with it. As such, they ended up going back to my first suggestion. The coolest thing about this was that we actually got awarded "Best Costume" haha. I was shocked given the last minute changes we had to make but when I ended up seeing the video, I realized our costumes did look really good on stage. :)

Apart from that minor award, we also won 2nd place. Woohoo! We were third last year and second this time around so hopefully this trend continues next year. :) However, I think I will have to excuse myself already because being involved in this dance competition is so time-consuming and physically exhausting. (My legs and my back are really sore as I write this blog post.) Now, whether I will be allowed to not participate is another question. :) In any case, I will finally be able to have a good rest tonight.

UAAP domination?

National University won the UAAP season 77 basketball championship, beating FEU quite easily in their final game with a score of 75-59. It's a really impressive come-from-behind win for them tournament-wise, considering that they were on the verge of elimination six times. They had to beat UE to make it to the final four (they did) then beat Ateneo three times in a row to make it to the finals (they did). Once they got to the final, they lost the first game which meant they had to win the next one to stay alive (they did) then win the do-or-die final game when they were tied with FEU at 1-1. That is just amazing.

NU also won the women's basketball title, the men's beach volleyball crown, and the cheerdance competition. This has to put them way ahead of everyone else in terms of overall UAAP championship contention. Will NU continue to dominate the rest of the season? It remains to be seen.

 *****

Volleyball season will be starting in about a month's time. I can't wait to see how that turns out.

Bowling

Yesterday's company bowling tournament didn't go so well for me. Despite my solid scores during practice a few days before, I came up terribly short during the actual game as I scored a horrific 90! Ugh, that's the absolute lowest score I have gotten since I first started bowling. I don't know how it happened. I mean, I kept hitting the pocket, bringing down 8 or 9 pins with my first ball, which would normally be a good thing. Unfortunately, I somehow ended up with splits about half the time and either the 7 or 10 pin left standing the other half, making it difficult for me to spare. Since I was hitting the pocket, I wasn't sure what adjustment to make. Thankfully, there were ten of us in the team and only five players were required to play in each round. I told the team not to field me in the rest of the games anymore.

A bowling first for me: I saw someone score 241. It was my teammate who did that in the same round I scored 90 so he more than made up for my bad game. :) I think I've seen someone hit a 220+ score before but never a score over 240. He closed all frames, hitting a turkey as well as a five-bagger and his score was the highest of the day.

Unfortunately for my team, while we had one person on fire (he finished the day with an average that exceeded 170), a lot of other teams had really strong players too and we ended up fourth. Still not bad as we were only one of two teams that had both men and women in the final. Our women's team ended up second, and they did that by coming from behind to beat the third placer by one pin! Talk about cutting it close. :)

Coolest lost and found service ever

This is such a brilliantly innovative idea that strengthens the KLM brand. It greatly reduces the time to return lost items to their owners and it is an amazing display of customer service because items are returned even before their owners realize they lost something. Of course, the fact you have an adorable beagle returning your stuff just makes the whole lost-and-found experience absolutely cool and memorable. :) Check it out:


video uploaded in youtube by KLM

Catch-up lunch

Really good thing that it was a holiday today because I was able to meet up with my long-time high school and college friends for my birthday lunch. The last few weeks (months?) have been unbelievably hectic which made it really difficult for me to find time for our get-together. So when the announcement was made that October 6 would be a public holiday, I figured it would be the best time to have my belated celebration.

We ended up having lunch in Duck & Buvette in Shangri-La Mall because someone requested that we meet up in Ortigas and I had been interested to try this place since I learned about it (I think it's the old Cafe Provençal that rebranded and changed its menu a bit). The food here is really good! Most people didn't have plans until later in the afternoon so I got to hang out with them for a few hours, probably the longest time I spent with everyone in a really long time.

I had intended to go home afterwards but then I realized our company bowling tournament is already next weekend and the last time I played was last year. On a bit of a whim, I decided to practice by myself. I felt I had to because I wanted to increase the weight of the ball I play with. I used to play with the 12-lb ball before switching to the 11-lb ball. However, I somehow realized that since I made that switch, my scores were never as high as they were before. I am guessing my analysis had some merit because today, I played four games and my average went up by 15 pinfalls compared to last year! I also exceeded 150 for the first time in around 9-10 years. Wow! My arm is really sore now (that's what happens when you play four games in a row by yourself with very little breaks) but at least I have several days to rest it before game day. Hopefully our team does really well.

Baking projects that didn't turn out like the photos

I ran across this link a while back. It shows some baking design ideas and (failed) attempts at recreating them. The images made me laugh out loud then and they makes me laugh now:

Backing projects that didn't turn out like the photos

Here's a sample of what you'll see in this link. :)

photo from of lifebuz.com

Of course, the bakers who created these edible works of art spent a lot of time honing their skills so recreating them is a tall order. I just look at them and know they are not easy to do. So when someone doesn't quite get it done, it's not all that surprising. Pretty good for a laugh though. :)

Camera replacement?

I think I know what I'll be getting my mom as a gift this Christmas: a new camera.

During my cousin's debut last weekend, my mom was trying to take a photo of me and some other relatives during the 18 roses presentation when she accidentally dropped her camera. It must have been a bad drop because afterwards, the lens wouldn't retract and the camera wouldn't turn on properly anymore. Thankfully there was no damage to the SD card so all the photos she had on there were safe. While I do intend to have the broken camera looked at first, I believe that the cost of repairing the lens will be close to the price of a brand new camera since the lens system is usually the most expensive part (naturally).

If it does turn out that getting a replacement is the most sensible thing to do, I will need to find someone who has a trip to the US or Singapore since electronics are much cheaper there. I may end up getting the exact same model - the Canon PowerShot SX260 - since it still rates very highly even compared to newer models. Or maybe I can get a waterproof camera instead; that way, my family will have something to use at the beach or pool or any environment where we expect to get wet. Hmm, the more I think about it, the better this option sounds. Ah well, we'll see.

Dancing Traffic Light

Check out this dancing traffic light. I'm not exactly sure where in the world this is it but it's pretty cool.


video uploaded in youtube by smart

Filipinos have had dancing traffic enforcers for maybe a couple of decades already so the concept of providing some form of entertainment on the roads has been known to work. Apparently, this dancing traffic light has resulted in 81% more people stopping at the red light, significantly increasing pedestrian safety. I wonder if we'll ever see these in the country, would be awesome if we did. :)

A Decade and Eight

That's what was written on the invitation to my second cousin Joleena's debut which I attended last night. It's been a really long time since I last attended a debut which is not all that surprising given that I am nowhere near being 18 years old. :) The last one of these events I went to was for the daughter of my friend and I had special participation because my friend asked me to sing "Overjoyed" by Stevie Wonder as an intermission. This time around, I had a special role again. A couple of them actually.

Weeks back, I was asked if I could be part of the 18 roses ceremony. Naturally, I said yes. Then about a week before, her mom Ate Aileen (I call her Ate because she's closer to my age than my mom's, even if she and my mom are cousins) texted me asking if I could lead the opening prayer. You don't say no to requests like these so I didn't, but I wasn't sure what to say. Another friend gave me some ideas and I looked up some sample prayers online LOL but it wasn't really until about three hours before the party that I finished composing my own prayer. Talk about cramming. :)

My mom also had a special role that night as she was asked to part of the 18 treasures, as was my grand aunt Manang Neneng who was also there. Her daughter Cha (who is actually a lot younger than me so I don't call her tita LOL) was also part of the 18 candles. I guess you could say that the evening was sort of a family reunion too since I got to see several relatives on my mom's side whom I hadn't seen in a while.

Speaking of reunions, just the weekend before, I attended the birthday of Tito Erwin, my uncle on my dad's side of the family. It was great seeing most of my family under good circumstances, especially after Tito Roy and my cousin Doyle both passed away recently. Tito Erwin is a bit of a musician and he plays with a band so he asked his band to join the party and play live music all afternoon. I guess I should have expected this but I got asked to sing a song. My uncle asked me to sing either Spandau Ballet's Gold or U2's With or Without You. Obviously, the choice was easy given that I had performed With or Without You on countless gigs back in the day.

Movie Watching Part 3

After a slow start to the year, I've somehow managed to find enough time in the last few months to catch the latest movies.

Guardians of the Galaxy

photo from the Guardians of the Galaxy wikipedia page

This movie was really good fun. It's rare for superhero movies to not take themselves so seriously and this is exactly what makes Guardians of the Galaxy stand out. I mean, just having a raccoon and a tree (or, well, tree-like creature) in the cast of accidental and misfit heroes is bound to make things uniquely entertaining. That said, I'm not exactly with most people who are raving that this is the best superhero movie ever and that it is one of their favorite films (it has an 92% approval rating in Rotten Tomatoes). Personally, I think Captain America: The Winter Soldier is better. That said, while Guardians of the Galaxy is not my favorite, it is still really good and an absolute fun movie to watch.

The Giver

photo from The Giver wikipedia page

I didn't know what to expect when I watched this film since I didn't know anyone else who had seen it. It is about a utopian society that looks great and perfect on the outside but as we know, there is always more to it than meets the eye. I like how the deep, dark secrets of this world are slowly revealed as the movie progresses. It's not all that critically acclaimed but it did get me thinking about the validity of concept and ideas of creating such a utopian society. It got me to thinking about where we need to draw the line in terms of what we should and shouldn't do but it also made me realize that this line will be different depending on who you ask. Overall, despite the low critic ratings, I thought it was decent. Of course, for me, it helps that Meryl Streep is in the cast. :)

Into the Storm

photo from the Into the Storm wikipedia page

One of the most unique movie-watching experiences of my life; there were only three of us watching during the last full show! I didn't realized until I saw it that it was about storm chasers who are trying to study tornadoes. Pretty much like an updated version of Twister. As such, it was almost automatic for me to compare the two movies and I will say that I liked Twister a whole lot better. The effects were incredible but I never really warmed to, or connected with, the characters. I guess it was good for me to see it since it was a check-your-brain-at-the-door kind of film and you would just watch it for the "action" and the effects and I needed to see one of the films the night I saw it. However, would I recommend it? Probably not, unless it was on cable TV and you had nothing better to watch at that time.

Wonderful night

Ah, the comfort of true, beautiful friendship. My friend Amy has been living abroad for more than a decade already and I hadn't seen her in years. That is, until last weekend. She came home to Manila for a few days and we made sure to catch up while she was here. The evening didn't start out that great though because on my drive to Eastwood along C5 late at night, I ran into horrendous traffic because there was a major accident on the bridge. This caused me to be an hour late. However, I did eventually make it and the rest of the way was great.

What's amazing about these kinds of friendships are that even if you don't see each other for years, when you finally do, you very easily pick up from where you left off. It's safe and happy and you just feel blessed. Hopefully the next time I see Amy again won't take as long.

Gearing up for Miss Saigon's 25th anniversary

How time flies. It has now been 25 years since Miss Saigon premiered in London. For Filipinos like me who grew up in the 80s, this musical was a huge deal. It paved the way for Lea Salonga to become a global artist, and her portrayal of Kim earned her a Laurence Olivier award and a Tony. Cameron Mackintosh, Claude-Michel Schonberg, Alain Boublil, and Nicholas Hytner all came to Manila to do auditions here and as a result, several other Filipinos were also cast.

The exciting thing about this 25th anniversary staging is that the three main cast members from the original London West End production will reprise their roles: Lea Salonga as Kim, Simon Bowman as Chris, and Jonathan Pryce as the engineer. You can read more about it in this link. I will definitely look out for the DVD recording of this event and get a copy when it gets released.

FIBA Most Valuable Fans Country Award: Philippines!

The Gilas Pilipinas frenzy definitely made a significant mark in the recently concluded FIBA World Cup. The Philippines was just awarded the Most Valuable Fans (MVF) Country Award!

Read more about it here.


video uploaded in youtube by FIBA

Karaoke 4x

I hadn't been to videoke places a lot in the last couple of years so I guess it was a bit of a change for me to find myself singing the night away four times in a span of two weeks with four different sets of friends.

I purchased a couple of Centerstage vouchers on Deal Grocer that were expiring in August. I had intended to use them in July but somehow, my schedule got really crazy and I couldn't use them then. As such, I had to schedule their use within the last week of August to make sure they didn't expire. The first one, I used with my friends from our music band club at work. We planned to enjoy a karaoke night after we went to Relik for their acoustic singalong night and decided we needed to sing again.

The second voucher, I used a week after that, this time with my friends from our corporate social responsibility organization at work. It was kind of a reunion for the ten of us since six of the people in that group had already left the company and the last time we were all together was in our last reunion about a year ago.

However, my voice was really hoarse that night because I was also in Centerstage the night before. It wasn't planned though. One of my teammates at work resigned and we threw an impromptu despedida for him. Normally we would just go out to the neighborhood pub and drink until the sun came up but one of the guys recommended we go out and have a karaoke night and everyone else agreed.

Finally, a week later, I joined an ex-officemate and some of our other friends for a night in Chicago KTV. I got there quite late because I was double-booked so I thought that people would be leaving shortly after I got there. Somehow we ended up having lots of videoke fun for a few more hours before calling it a night.

Not sure now when the next karaoke night will but I probably have had more than my fair share this year already. Or then again, maybe not. :)

UP Pep Squad 2nd for the 2nd straight year

The UP Pep Squad fell short of taking back the UAAP Cheerdance crown, with NU putting in a superb and impressive display to defend their title.

However, the UP Pep Squad have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. While they may not have won the title, they made a massive statement. Their theme: "pantay-pantay" (equal, everyone is the same). How they showed it: women lifting men! Wow!!! Check out this tweet by FullCourtFresh (aside from the women at the 2nd level of the pyramid, check out the base of the central guy!)

Guys being carried by the girls! UP Pep Squad cheers for equality! #UAAPCDC2014 @UPMaroons pic.twitter.com/V59Bxtqebj
— Fullcourtfresh.com (@FCFph) September 14, 2014

Unfortunately for the UP Pep Squad, no extra points are given for female lifters and male flyers. As such, they had to settle for first runner up again. Nevertheless, second place in this highly competitive event is nothing to sneeze at. More than that, this UAAP cheerdancing moment will be remembered in Philippine sporting history, when UP put on an amazing display of women empowerment and gender equality.

Heads up, UP Pep Squad!

Goodbye, Mandarin Oriental Manila

The Mandarin Oriental Manila, which opened in Makati back in 1976, finally closed its doors last Tuesday, September 9 after 38 years of operation. I learned about this a couple of months ago and I mentioned it in a previous blog post so it's not a shock but it is still quite sad. I've stayed here before and I also dined in a couple of their restaurants several times, including Paseo Uno which had a pretty awesome buffet.

There's a really good article written by the last guest to check out of the hotel that's worth reading. He took a video of his final check out that you can see here:


video uploaded in youtube by amadeusiom

As is true with most goodbyes, this one was quite emotional. The article I shared does say that the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group did a lot of work to try and help their staff find new jobs. There are also plans to open a new Mandarin hotel in 2020. Until then, I will say farewell to this Makati landmark and wish its ex-staff and management all the best.

What a US Open that was

Contrasting but compelling results in both the men's and women's singles events at the recently concluded US Open. Serena Williams eased through her draw as she won the US Open title. This is now her 6th trophy at Flushing Meadows and her 18th Grand Slam title overall and it puts her alongside Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert who both have that same number of majors. Only three other women have won more in history (Margaret Court with 24, Steffi Graf with 22, and Helen Wills Moody with 19).

Interestingly enough, Roger Federer was gunning for the same thing. A win her would be his 6th US Open title and his 18th overall. When Novak Djokovic was stunned in the first men's semifinal by Kei Nishikori, lots of people started thinking Federer would walk away with the title and the US Open results would be symmetrical on the men's and women's sides. However, Saturday proved to be the day of shockers. Marin Cilic played utterly sublime tennis and channeled the amazing serving ability of his coach Goran Ivanisevic as he swept past Federer en route to his first Grand Slam tournament final.

I don't think anyone in the world expected that. People were predicting a Djokovic-Federer final, a battle between the top 2 seeds of the tournament (current world #2 Rafa Nadal didn't play), and when both of them were in the semis, it seemed all but certain. Clearly, Nishikori and Cilic didn't get the memo. As such, we witnessed the first time since the Australian Open 2005 (more than 9 years ago) that not one among Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic made it to the final. It was also the first time since 1997 where both US Open men's finalists were appearing in their first ever Grand Slam event final.

In the end, Cilic maintained his superb level of play all the way to the end as he took home the title. Nishikori just didn't have the answers he had against Raonic, Wawrinka, and Djokovic. For the first time since 2003, two of the year's four majors didn't go to the tennis big three. End of an era? Maybe not, or at least not yet. But it is clear that Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic are no longer as absolutely dominant as they used to be. Should be interesting to see how things pan out in 2015.

Congratulations Philippine Dragon Boat team!

This is about a week late but it still deserves a blog post. Gilas Pilipinas isn't the only Philippine sports team that brought glory to the country last week. The PKCF National Team participated in the ICF Dragon Boat World Championships held in Poland last August 28-31, winning several events and doing the country proud.

photo source: http://dragonboat.ph, courtesy of Balint Vekassy (ICF) from canoephotography.com

The Philippine team competed in 11 events (I think there were a total of 42) and amazingly, they won a medal in every single event they contested. They finished with a total of five golds, three silvers, and three bronzes. That's absolutely incredible! Read more about their success and check out their medal tally in this link.

Way to go, Philippine Dragon Boat team!

Laban Pilipinas! Go Gilas! #Puso

Way to go, Gilas Pilipinas! Our national basketball made it back to the FIBA World Cup for the first time in decades and put on a display that had the entire world taking notice. They were one win short of a possible spot in the quarterfinal knockout round but they made it close in practically every game. After heartbreaking losses to Croatia, Puerto Rico, and world #3 Argentina, Gilas Pilipinas finally got a win against Senegal in their last game. What a brilliant way to end their FIBA World Cup campaign! :)

The Gilas Pilipinas players must have been about a foot shorter on average than their competition and during the games, you could see our guys standing up to only about chest height of their opponents. We also lacked the experience that other teams had in playing at this level of international basketball. Nevertheless, what they lacked in experience and height, they more than made up for in heart. They were underdogs who proved to everyone that they deserved their spot here in the world stage. They even got many non-Filipinos around the world rooting for them! That's pretty awesome. :)

This return to the FIBA World Cup, where they made it really tough for their world-class opponents and took home a win for the first time in 40 years, should give Gilas Pilipinas a lot of confidence moving forward. In the meantime, the team along with an entire nation can celebrate a solid overall performance. Congratulations Gilas Pilipinas! What an effort!

Final Thoughts and more Batanes Travel Tips

In my first trip to Batanes, I was part of a tour group but this second trip was mainly do-it-yourself. As such, I do have a few more tips to share.

I believe there is only one boat trip from Batan island (where Basco is) to Sabtang in the morning and I think it departs the port at around 7 AM. The boat trip back to Batan leaves Sabtang at around 3 or 3:30 PM. As the port is several kilometers away from the municipal center, you can ask around for vehicle rentals to bring you to the port in the morning and pick you up in the afternoon. I was unable to join my friends for their trip to Sabtang - you will know why towards the end of this blog post - so I don't really have the details. If you do plan to take a trip to Sabtang, and you definitely should if you are already in Batanes, just ask around when you get there (that's what we did).

We rented our bikes from two places. The owner of Amboy Hometel which is in the town center had a couple of mountain bikes and a Japanese easy rider bike for rent. The owner directed us to another place just a couple of blocks away that had a whole bunch of bikes for rent. Unfortunately, I can't remember how much the bike rental was; I vaguely recall the Japanes easy rider was around P200-250 for about 4 hours while the mountain bikes were about P800-1000. If you plan to bike all the way into the late evening, your bike needs to have a headlight; it's illegal to ride a bike in Batanes at night without a light on.

Where to stay

I stayed with three other friends in Marfel's Lodge. Or more specifically, the Marfel Lodge extension. It's a homestay set-up which means that this place is a house that is rented out to tourists who are looking for a place to stay. We got an aircon room that had four beds and it cost P2,000 per night (so each of us paid P500 a night). If you are looking for a good place to stay that doesn't cost a lot, this is for you. More info about Marfel:

• There's a kitchen and you can cook your own food. Also in the kitchen is a self-service, honesty-system store where you can buy stuff like spam, instant pancit canton, chips, and softdrinks.
• It's clean and well-maintained. Visitors are requested to leave their footwear at the doorstep.
• The restrooms are communal. In the extension lodge, there are two shower areas and two toilet rooms. As is the rest of the house, these areas are clean and well-maintained too.
• There is hot water in the showers although sometimes the water pressure is a bit weak.
• There's a communal living room with TV.
• Clean towels are provided so you don't have to bring your own.
• You do have to bring your own toiletries i.e. soap, shampoo, toothpaste. If you forget to bring your own, you can always buy these items from the store.
• The rooms aren't soundproof though so make sure you keep your noise level to a minimum in the late evenings. (We played Monopoly Deal quite loudly close to midnight one evening and the folks staying in the room next to ours requested us to be a bit more quiet LOL).
• This isn't a hotel so don't expect room service.
• It's a 5 minute walk from the airport.

Places to eat

Probably the best place to eat in Basco is Pension Ivatan. It's right across the airport. Unfortunately, I had horrible stomach problems on my last day in Batanes so I wasn't able to eat here as often as I wanted to but my friends enjoyed a meal there three times. I did have breakfast there once and the longganisa meal was really, really good. They also serve brewed coffee!

In the municipal center, right next to the Basco Cathedral, is a canteen. I think it's called SDBC canteen but I'm not 100% sure. The food is pretty basic but you can get a meal for about P100 or less. We had a few meals here and we also enjoyed their halo-halo a couple of times.

Final thoughts

As great overall as this trip to Batanes was, I had a horrible last day. I must have eaten something  that didn't agree with me on my second to the last night there and as such, I spent my last day having terrible stomach problems. Because of this, I was unable to revisit Sabtang. Such a shame since I was really looking forward to seeing the beautiful Savidug and Chavayan villages again.

I did leave Batanes with some new friends because I got to meet and interact with the other relatives and close friends of Marco and Cha. They had maybe about 50-60 guests there and we all spent a full day touring Batanes together. The reception which was held in Fundacion Pacita. Oh, and I was also extremely honored to have been requested by Marco and Cha to do lector duties for their wedding.

Batanes remains one of the most amazing places I have visited in the Philippines. I have now been here twice and I'm pretty sure I will get to visit again at some point in the future.

Revisiting Batanes: Changes since 2012

A few notable changes since I was in Batanes two years ago. First, the Mahatao Lighthouse was repainted. Before seeing the picture I took back in 2012, I was convinced that this lighthouse used to be red so I when I saw it again, I thought it went through a major facelift. However, as you will see in the following photo, the lighthouse apparently has always been white and it was just given a fresh coat of paint. Another change: at least on the day that we were there last April, visitors were not allowed to go up the lighthouse. In my previous visit, I actually got to go up.

Another Batanes structure that was repainted was the San Jose De Ivana Church. As you can see below, the accents were changed from maroon to yellow.

It wasn't just the outside of this church that changed though. Inside, the altar area was also changed.

Inside the San Carlos Borromeo Church, visitors can find a statue of Mama Mary that is adorned with gold jewelry. The "clothing" of the statue has since been changed from violet to white and the statue is now protected behind a glass casing.

The saddest change though was the passing away of Lola Inday who resides in the House of Dakay, the oldest house in Batan island. I met her personally when she welcomed us into her home back in 2012. Unforunately, she passed away early this year at the age of 87.

I'll wrap up my Batanes trip by sharing a few travel tips and recommendations based on my latest experience here.

Revisiting Batanes: New sights and experiences

While second Batanes trip allowed me to revisit a lot of familiar places, it also gave me an opportunity to see new places and have new experiences. One of these places was the Mahatao View Deck which we visited during our Saturday tour day.

This stone steps lead to a small secluded beach. As you can see from here, the water looks pristine and clear. There is a grotto at the top of the steps.

Also during the tour, we passed by an inlet which serves as a dock for boats during storms; the mountain protects the boats from strong winds and massive waves. My friend wanted to stop by to take photos in this area although the really good shots were taken from the road looking down into the inlet since you can see the beautiful blue water from that vantage point.

I also got the chance to have my photo taken with one of the many "Blow UR Horn" signs along the road.

We spent a good amount of time in the Basco municipal center and this allowed me to pay a visit to the Santo Domingo Church or Basco Cathedral (Simbahan ng Basco).

The church is named after Santo Domingo, the patron saint of Basco, and was founded by Fr. Baltazar Calderon and Fr. Bartolome Artiguez in 1783.

The day before our tour, my friends and I decided to rent some bikes which we rode to the Basco Lighthouse. I honestly don't recall the last time I was on a bike prior to this Batanes trip.

Finally, the main purpose of this trip was of course to attend the wedding of Marco and Cha. It was held at the Tukon Chapel near Fundacion Pacita.

Next post: things that have changed since I was there last.

Revisiting Batanes: Basco Highlights

As I mentioned in my previous post, my friend Marco and his wife Cha organized a tour for all the wedding guests. It was designed to give people a chance to see some of the highlights of Basco despite the limited time. First stop was the Valugan Boulder Beach. Not sure if this spot is always the first place to visit in every tour but this was also the first part of our itinerary in my previous Batanes trip.

Valugan Boulder Beach

We then headed to the Vayang Rolling Hills.

Vayang Rolling Hills

Even in my second visit, the views here remain awe-inspiring.

Incredible view from the Rolling Hills

Next stop was the Mahatao Lighthouse where I ran into my friend Meg who was also visiting Batanes at the same time. Visitors were not allowed to enter the lighthouse; I'm not sure if it was only for that day or if it is now off-limits.

Mahatao Lighthouse

We then proceeded to the Marlboro Hills which is known locally as Rakuh-A-Payaman.

Marlboro Hills or Rakuh-A-Payaman

Similar to my previous trip, after going up the hills and soaking in the amazing scenery, our tour group had lunch here.

Cliff at the Marlboro Hills

First stop in our afternoon itinerary was Alapad, which is where some scenes from the movie "Hihintayin kita sa Langit" were shot.

Alapad

We then headed to the Honesty Cafe where we spent some time purchasing some souvenirs and food items.

Honesty Cafe

A few folks crossed the road to visit the San Jose de Ivana Church (Simbahan ng Ivana).

San Jose de Ivana Church

We then made our way to the House of Dakay. There was a major change in this house since the last time I visited and I will write about that in one of my next posts about this trip.

Dakay House

Before the tour ended, we also visited the San Carlos Borromeo Church in Mahatao.

San Carlos Borromeo Church in Mahatao

We stopped over in the town proper to purchase souvenirs before going to the Basco Lighthouse, our dinner venue that evening. Thankfully it didn't rain since our tables were out in the open. It was a cool experience having a good meal while the sun was setting.

Basco Lighthouse

There were a couple other places we visited during the tour, but as those were places I visited for the first time, I will instead write about them in my next post where I talk about my new Batanes experiences.

Read more about:

• Valugan Boulder Beach, Vayang Rolling Hills, and Basco Lighthouse here
• Honesty Cafe and San Jose de Ivana Church here
• Marlboro Hills, Alapad, House of Dakay, and San Carlos Borromeo Church here

Revisiting Batanes

Two years after my first trip to Batanes, I got to go there again. My good friend Marco got married there and I figured it would be as good a time as any to see these beautiful islands again.

The wedding was held on a Sunday and a few of my friends and I arrived on Friday. Saturday was spent doing a full-day highlights tour of Basco with the other wedding guests (it was organized by Marco and his wife Cha). This allowed me to see some of same places I got to see before, such as the Vayang Rolling Hills.

I also got to see a few new places and experience a few new things, like the Simbahan ng Basco.

I will be writing more about this trip in my next few blog posts.

Filipino crew A Team wins Gold at HHI Worlds 2014

This is several days late already but I still want to congratulate Filipino megacrew A Team for winning the top prize at the Hip Hop International World Championships! Here is their winning performance:


video uploaded in youtube by OfficialHHI

A Team is composed of dancers from different schools, including St. Paul, Claret, UP, UST, Ateneo and La Salle among others.The UP Streetdance Club took bronze last year so it's great that another Filipino megacrew bring glory to the Philippines once again this year. Way to go, A Team!

Family time

I guess it's true what they say that life is a like a wheel; sometimes you're at the top and sometimes you're at the bottom. While I may posted a couple of terribly tragic family moments recently, there have been some bright rays of sunshine as well.

I got to see my cousin Fr. John when he was in Manila last month (before coming back home again for Doyle's interment). It was a last minute thing but somehow things fell into place, allowing us to meet up. When I realized that John was about to leave, I asked him if he still had free time. He said he could do lunch and thankfully he was doing some errands just 10 minutes from where I lived. To make things even better, my mom was also able to join us despite the very short notice.

Amidst the family sorrow, we still made time to celebrate the birthdays of my brother and my mom. My family had never been to UP Town Center so we decided to have dinner there for my brother's birthday. We initially planned to eat in Liberty New York Steak House but the only available seating was outside and it was a bit warm that evening. As such, we decided to have dinner in Marciano's. I've always liked Marciano's, although the menu in UP Town Center seems to be different from the one in Greenbelt 3. Either that, or it's changed since I ate there last. In any case, my family did enjoy our meal there. After dinner, we headed to Dulcelin where I got a full Mango Torte for my immediate family and a take-home slice for my grandmother. We also had some coffee and dessert there; we tried the Irish Cream Butter Cake and the Pecan Pie, both of which were very good.

My mom's birthday came in two parts. On Saturday night, we had dinner in Lola Cafe + Bar. I discovered this restaurant the night I stayed in Cocoon Boutique Hotel and decided to start wandering around the Tomas Morato area. As I walked through Scout Lozano, I saw this restaurant and thought that it might be a good place to try. Indeed it was. I will probably write a bit more comprehensively about this restaurant in a separate post some time soon.

The next day, I decided to take my family to Yabu in Glorietta 5. We got there a bit early and as such, we didn't have to wait for a table. It was a very enjoyable meal, made even moreso by the fact that the miso soup, cabbage, rice, and fruits were all refillable.

Last but not least, I also joined the surprise party birthday of my uncle (this time, from my mom's side of the family) earlier this week. My nephew's birthday is coming up as well so I have to start planning that too. I'm just thankful that my family has also had some good moments recently to balance things out.

Nadal out of the US Open

Well this sucks. Rafael Nadal just withdrew from the US Open which starts next week. He sustained a wrist injury during practice a few weeks ago as he was getting ready for the North American hardcourt season and unfortunately, it hasn't healed yet.

Since Rafa is the US Open defending champion, he will be dropping a huge amount of points in a couple of weeks, which opens the door for Roger Federer to overtake him as the world #2 after this fourth Grand Slam event of the year. I guess the only good thing going for Rafa now is that he isn't defending any points in the last few months of the year. Hopefully he gets better soon so that he can slowly make his way back up and start winning again.