In the spirit of being more eco-friendly, even by just a bit, I made my first purchase of an energy-saving light bulb recently. In the past, whenever I needed a new light bulb, I would get the traditional incandescent light bulbs because I preferred yellow lighting at home and virtually all energy-saving bulbs I saw were white light. That is, until I busted another light bulb recently.
Ever since we started a campaign to reduce the use of paper cups at work, I've been trying to be a bit more environmentally conscious. So when my light got busted, I decided to look for an energy-saving one that emitted yellow light. I went to the supermarket and found the Panasonic Light Capsule.
After installing it, I thought it wasn't as bright as I wanted it to be. But apparently, after having the light on for a short while, it starts getting brighter until it resembles a 150-watt bulb. Wow!
It's about 3-4 times more expensive than a regular bulb but it is supposed to last for about 10,000 hours - longer than your average incandescent bulb - and it saves energy. Another small step in trying to be more eco-friendly.
Sunday, June 05, 2011
Saturday, June 04, 2011
Quick Delivery 2121212
I recently got a complimentary copy of a Quick Delivery (2121212) booklet. I didn't use to pay attention to this before but ever since I got the booklet (you don't need it since you can check out their website), I've realized that it's pretty handy to have because it contains the menus of a whole array of restaurants and you just need to dial one telephone number when placing an order from any of them. The drawback is that you have to pay Quick Delivery an extra P10% but that's a fee I'm willing to pay for the service they provide.
Ever since I got this booklet, I've ordered from Bon Chon Chicken, Gloria Maris, and Sentro. I've tagged Cyma and 101 Hawker Food House as potential restos to order from next, and I'm quick excited about it. Obviously it doesn't take a lot to please me LOL.
Read more about Quick Delivery here.
Ever since I got this booklet, I've ordered from Bon Chon Chicken, Gloria Maris, and Sentro. I've tagged Cyma and 101 Hawker Food House as potential restos to order from next, and I'm quick excited about it. Obviously it doesn't take a lot to please me LOL.
Read more about Quick Delivery here.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
A college reunion and some fondue
My schedule since March has been completely out of whack due to my horrific workload. So I am pleased that despite spending so many hours in the office and even sometimes working at home, I am still able to spend time with family and friends. The only downside? This time I spend with the people in my life involves a lot of eating. And with my crazy schedule, my lack of exercise prevents me from burning all the calories that I consume LOL.
Case in point: my friend Maileen was in town with her husband Nick and beautiful baby daughter Tamlin. She naturally wanted to see her friends while she was in Manila so she organized a lunch party at her house and invited our college barkada. Unfortunately, only a handful of us were able to go - me, Lala, Letlet and Gosh (it wasn't just us there though so at least it didn't feel like no one showed up). Despite the lack in numbers, it was still a fun afternoon with a lot of delicious catered food and even some lechon. Tamlin was asleep when I arrived but she woke up just as I was about to depart and I was able to have my photo taken with her and Mai (I haven't seen the photo yet, though).
I had to leave a bit early because I promised my nephews that I would take them to Old Swiss Inn to have some chocolate fondue. A couple of months back, I purchased an Old Swiss Inn voucher that gave me 50% discount on fondue and drinks and since I know my nephews love chocolate fondue, I felt it would be perfect for them.
It was around 5:15pm when we got to Makati but our reservation was for 6pm so we took a brief detour to Bon Chon Chicken for an early dinner. The plan was to eat just a little bit in Bon Chon since we knew we were gonna be eating a lot of fondue. My voucher was for fondue and drinks worth P1,000 and with the Toblerone Chocolate Fondue costing around P400, we ended up ordering two of them. The fondue was really good! The fact that they used Toblerone ensured that the fondue was top quality. My mom was working that day and joined us in Old Swiss Inn for the second order.
Our stomachs didn't feel all that full after the first set, but midway through the second one we realized that the Bon Chon meal and the two fondues were a bit too much. Nevertheless we managed to polish everything off. I asked my nephews if they wanted to have fondue in Old Swiss Inn again and they said we should order just one next time. Sensible.
Case in point: my friend Maileen was in town with her husband Nick and beautiful baby daughter Tamlin. She naturally wanted to see her friends while she was in Manila so she organized a lunch party at her house and invited our college barkada. Unfortunately, only a handful of us were able to go - me, Lala, Letlet and Gosh (it wasn't just us there though so at least it didn't feel like no one showed up). Despite the lack in numbers, it was still a fun afternoon with a lot of delicious catered food and even some lechon. Tamlin was asleep when I arrived but she woke up just as I was about to depart and I was able to have my photo taken with her and Mai (I haven't seen the photo yet, though).
I had to leave a bit early because I promised my nephews that I would take them to Old Swiss Inn to have some chocolate fondue. A couple of months back, I purchased an Old Swiss Inn voucher that gave me 50% discount on fondue and drinks and since I know my nephews love chocolate fondue, I felt it would be perfect for them.
It was around 5:15pm when we got to Makati but our reservation was for 6pm so we took a brief detour to Bon Chon Chicken for an early dinner. The plan was to eat just a little bit in Bon Chon since we knew we were gonna be eating a lot of fondue. My voucher was for fondue and drinks worth P1,000 and with the Toblerone Chocolate Fondue costing around P400, we ended up ordering two of them. The fondue was really good! The fact that they used Toblerone ensured that the fondue was top quality. My mom was working that day and joined us in Old Swiss Inn for the second order.
Our stomachs didn't feel all that full after the first set, but midway through the second one we realized that the Bon Chon meal and the two fondues were a bit too much. Nevertheless we managed to polish everything off. I asked my nephews if they wanted to have fondue in Old Swiss Inn again and they said we should order just one next time. Sensible.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Jesse and Aldwin's birthday
Another weeknight, another gathering. This time around, it was to celebrate the birthday of my friends Jesse and Aldwin. We wanted to have a meal somewhere in the Fort area and since most of my friends have never been to the Piazza at Venice in McKinley Hill, we picked Little Asia as our dinner venue.
The entire gang was there and we ordered a whole lot of food. Tim got a couple of small-sized cakes which we shared after the meal was over (the waiters very kindly allowed us to eat there and even brought out plates and forks. I naturally ordered coffee to go with the dessert. We spent about 2 1/2 hours in Little Asia and would probably have stayed longer but Little Asia was about to close already. This must've been the first birthday celebration we had with this set of friends that didn't involve alcohol LOL but it was a weeknight so we couldn't drink a lot. There will be a lot more chances for that, though so nothing to worry about. :)
The entire gang was there and we ordered a whole lot of food. Tim got a couple of small-sized cakes which we shared after the meal was over (the waiters very kindly allowed us to eat there and even brought out plates and forks. I naturally ordered coffee to go with the dessert. We spent about 2 1/2 hours in Little Asia and would probably have stayed longer but Little Asia was about to close already. This must've been the first birthday celebration we had with this set of friends that didn't involve alcohol LOL but it was a weeknight so we couldn't drink a lot. There will be a lot more chances for that, though so nothing to worry about. :)
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Barcino night
My friends Tim and Steph, who are getting married later in the year, were in town - they are both Singapore-based now - to do some early preps for their wedding among other things. Everyone had full weekends so a Friday or Saturday night out wasn't possible. To make sure we all got to meet up while they were here, we decided to meet up for dinner on a Monday night. At least we would get to start the work week on a good note.
We decided to have dinner in Barcino in Burgos Circle because Steph said she had a meal there before and really liked the food. There were quite a few of us there that night - Steph and Tim (of course), Joh, Raffa, Chris, Alvin, Doray, Peegee, and Mike. The food was good and so was the company and the conversation. After dinner, Tim very generously took the bill and we moved to Bar Dolci for dessert. It's not really advisable to have coffee and ice cream (hot and cold) but this is the second time in a couple of months that I have had that combo with the same set of friends. Me-Ann, who had an evening meeting, joined us in Bar Dolci. We stayed there for about another hour or so before calling it a night.
We didn't stay out very late coz we all had work again the next day. But it was fun to have a good evening meal on a Monday night. Maybe we should do this more frequently. Help shake the Monday blues away. :)
We decided to have dinner in Barcino in Burgos Circle because Steph said she had a meal there before and really liked the food. There were quite a few of us there that night - Steph and Tim (of course), Joh, Raffa, Chris, Alvin, Doray, Peegee, and Mike. The food was good and so was the company and the conversation. After dinner, Tim very generously took the bill and we moved to Bar Dolci for dessert. It's not really advisable to have coffee and ice cream (hot and cold) but this is the second time in a couple of months that I have had that combo with the same set of friends. Me-Ann, who had an evening meeting, joined us in Bar Dolci. We stayed there for about another hour or so before calling it a night.
We didn't stay out very late coz we all had work again the next day. But it was fun to have a good evening meal on a Monday night. Maybe we should do this more frequently. Help shake the Monday blues away. :)
Monday, May 16, 2011
Adele's "Someone like you"
Fantastic song, fantastic voice. Performed with just a piano background in front of an audience of thousands without frills or fanfare. This is how it should be done. Adele sings her song "Someone like you" during the 2011 Brit Awards and it is absolutely brilliant.
video uploaded in youtube by user Texhnician
She has many other amazing live performances of this song (such as her more intimate performance on Ellen) and when you consider that she wrote it, it is easy to see why she connects so deeply to words. You can truly feel the emotion and pain in her voice, her face, and her gestures. I really need to get her album.
video uploaded in youtube by user Texhnician
She has many other amazing live performances of this song (such as her more intimate performance on Ellen) and when you consider that she wrote it, it is easy to see why she connects so deeply to words. You can truly feel the emotion and pain in her voice, her face, and her gestures. I really need to get her album.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Celine's wedding
My cousin Celine just recently tied the knot and my family attended the wedding. The church ceremony was held at 1:30pm in the Shrine of Jesus, The Way, The Truth, The Life which is right next to MOA. It was an incredibly hot day so instead of parking my car under the sun, I decided to park in SMX (Philippine Fashion Week was being held on the same day in SMX, and it was interesting to see all those models and photographers getting ready.) My mom was a proxy ninang so we needed to make sure we got there early (we did).
The reception was held at the Diamond Hotel. We arrived at around 3:30pm and cocktails were served at 4pm on the 27th floor, providing us with a fantastic view of the bay. The program started at close to 5:30pm and when people were invited to join Celine and her husband Ian for photo ops before heading to the buffet table, the emcee randomly pulled out table numbers and picked ours second. Amazing! Even more amazing was the food. The buffet selection was enormous and there was even a pasta bar that I didn't get to try.
I also performed one song during the reception. Celine asked me a few weeks before if I could sing and I naturally agreed. I didn't have a lot of time to learn a completely new song so I suggested some songs that I had already performed before, and she picked 'Bless the Broken Road' by Rascal Flatts. I've sung this in two previous weddings, and both times I forgot the lyrics. Thankfully, I remembered all my lines this time although I added a big high note during the instrumental that wasn't hit cleanly - I guess I was really tired and dehydrated that day. In any case, Celine and most of the people seemed not to mind that and I guess for the most part it was still a decent performance.
The program ended at 8pm - it did start in the late afternoon - and while it was a tiring day (the heat in the early afternoon took its toll on everyone), it was great seeing my relatives and being part of one of the most special days of my cousin.
The reception was held at the Diamond Hotel. We arrived at around 3:30pm and cocktails were served at 4pm on the 27th floor, providing us with a fantastic view of the bay. The program started at close to 5:30pm and when people were invited to join Celine and her husband Ian for photo ops before heading to the buffet table, the emcee randomly pulled out table numbers and picked ours second. Amazing! Even more amazing was the food. The buffet selection was enormous and there was even a pasta bar that I didn't get to try.
I also performed one song during the reception. Celine asked me a few weeks before if I could sing and I naturally agreed. I didn't have a lot of time to learn a completely new song so I suggested some songs that I had already performed before, and she picked 'Bless the Broken Road' by Rascal Flatts. I've sung this in two previous weddings, and both times I forgot the lyrics. Thankfully, I remembered all my lines this time although I added a big high note during the instrumental that wasn't hit cleanly - I guess I was really tired and dehydrated that day. In any case, Celine and most of the people seemed not to mind that and I guess for the most part it was still a decent performance.
The program ended at 8pm - it did start in the late afternoon - and while it was a tiring day (the heat in the early afternoon took its toll on everyone), it was great seeing my relatives and being part of one of the most special days of my cousin.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Deals, deals, and more deals!
Deal sites (similar to Groupon) have now become hugely popular in Manila. My friend Walter has been suggesting to me for a long time that I check these sites out to get massive discounts on food, hotel accommodations, and a lot of other stuff but I never really spent any time checking them out. That is, until recently. I saw a deal for a P1,000 voucher in Mr. Jones that cost 'only' P500 and I decided to purchase it. After that, I have become a bit of an addict LOL. I have now purchased discount vouchers (most of them 50% off) for CPK, Old Swiss Inn, Sweet Pea, Mr. Jones, and Murray & D'Vine.
Here are some of the deal sites I regularly visit now:
I've seen a lot of vacation package deals but I don't see myself being able to go on holiday right now. Hopefully there will be some pretty good deals next year so I can get a really good discount on an awesome summer holiday.
Here are some of the deal sites I regularly visit now:
I've seen a lot of vacation package deals but I don't see myself being able to go on holiday right now. Hopefully there will be some pretty good deals next year so I can get a really good discount on an awesome summer holiday.
Monday, May 09, 2011
Running put on hold
This is definitely horrible news for me. I attempted to start training for the July 31 Milo Marathon in early April to give me 3 months to get in proper shape. But two things have worked to my detriment. First: my shift. I'm sort of working mid-shift right now which means my gym is closed by the time I get out of work. I guess you could argue that I should just wake up earlier and then hit the gym before I head to the office. But the second obstacle, my overwhelming workload, prevents me from doing this. I tend to wake up right before I need to head to work, and that leaves me no time to hit the treadmill.
I did weigh myself recently and I gained about 3 pounds. Crap. So even if I don't get to train well enough to run my 8th marathon in July, I should still try running anyways just to make sure I remain healthy.
I did weigh myself recently and I gained about 3 pounds. Crap. So even if I don't get to train well enough to run my 8th marathon in July, I should still try running anyways just to make sure I remain healthy.
Saturday, May 07, 2011
Manny Pacquiao for HP Veer
Manny Pacquiao has cemented his place in history with another stellar performance against Shane Mosley to defend his WBO World Welterweight title. With his immense global popularity and international boxing success, it's nice to see that he is now endorsing something that is not sports-related. Check this out. :)
video uploaded in youtube by user bhopisback
video uploaded in youtube by user bhopisback
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
More repairs
I posted a couple of months ago about the few repairs that were required in my place. Even more recently, I needed a few more. My kitchen sink has been clogged for some time now and I was thinking of having a plumber look at it. But while grocery-shopping one day, I saw a Mr. Muscle sink-declogger and decided to give it a go. Thankfully, it worked! My kitchen sink is no longer clogged, which means I didn't need to get plumbing services. Or so I thought.
I later on realized that the fill valve of my toilet was broken. Water kept pouring out even if the tank was already full. To make sure I wasn't wasting water, I had shut the water source and just turn it on every time I needed to flush it. So for this problem, I got a plumber who initially tried to clean my tank. This didn't solve the problem, so he told me I needed to get a new fill valve and some kind of pipe. Everything cost me more than P1000. Ack! But at least my toilet is working properly again.
One additional house issue I have is that some important buttons on my TV remote are no longer working. I think I've used those buttons so much that they don't responding anymore. Thankfully, the remote of my DVD player can be configured to work for my TV as well. As such, I haven't purchased a new TV remote yet. I may give the Samsung service center a call one of these days - I already have the number - to find out how to get a new remote (and find out how much it costs).
I later on realized that the fill valve of my toilet was broken. Water kept pouring out even if the tank was already full. To make sure I wasn't wasting water, I had shut the water source and just turn it on every time I needed to flush it. So for this problem, I got a plumber who initially tried to clean my tank. This didn't solve the problem, so he told me I needed to get a new fill valve and some kind of pipe. Everything cost me more than P1000. Ack! But at least my toilet is working properly again.
One additional house issue I have is that some important buttons on my TV remote are no longer working. I think I've used those buttons so much that they don't responding anymore. Thankfully, the remote of my DVD player can be configured to work for my TV as well. As such, I haven't purchased a new TV remote yet. I may give the Samsung service center a call one of these days - I already have the number - to find out how to get a new remote (and find out how much it costs).
Monday, May 02, 2011
DVD-watching
I've been tremendously busy the last months now so when I manage to watch a few DVDs at home, it was a good sign since it meant I had a couple of hours to spare. I still have a lot of unwatched DVDs at home, but a restful weekend allowed me to reduce that list by three as I finally saw The Bourne Ultimatum, Memoirs of a Geisha, and How to Train your Dragon.
My friends gave me The Bourne Ultimatum as a gift (either for my birthday or Christmas some time ago) and it's only now that I managed to watch it. It's a really good movie that's fast-paced and action-packed, and the fact that it ends positively for the lead characters makes it a feel-good action flick to watch.
I bought my Memoirs of a Geisha DVD a long time ago when I saw it on sale. I'm glad I had enough time to watch it carefully and really absorb it because it is such a brilliant and well-written story. The imagery in the film is equally superb, so it is not surprising that the film won Oscar awards for Best Cinematography, Art Direction, and Costume Design. The acting was also remarkable, with Zhang Ziyi in the lead role actually receiving a Golden Globe best actress nomination.
I missed How to Train your Dragon when it came out in the theaters here, but my friend Me-Ann told me that she liked that movie better than Despicable Me (which I really liked). So when I saw a DVD of this Dreamworks animated film, I decided to get it. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed. The animation is great and I love the underlying themes of the film, like how you should not judge something that you don't know understand, or how friendships can be formed in the most unexpected places.
I still have a lot of DVDs at home, and hopefully I can continue to find some quiet time at home to allow me to watch more movies.
My friends gave me The Bourne Ultimatum as a gift (either for my birthday or Christmas some time ago) and it's only now that I managed to watch it. It's a really good movie that's fast-paced and action-packed, and the fact that it ends positively for the lead characters makes it a feel-good action flick to watch.
I bought my Memoirs of a Geisha DVD a long time ago when I saw it on sale. I'm glad I had enough time to watch it carefully and really absorb it because it is such a brilliant and well-written story. The imagery in the film is equally superb, so it is not surprising that the film won Oscar awards for Best Cinematography, Art Direction, and Costume Design. The acting was also remarkable, with Zhang Ziyi in the lead role actually receiving a Golden Globe best actress nomination.
I missed How to Train your Dragon when it came out in the theaters here, but my friend Me-Ann told me that she liked that movie better than Despicable Me (which I really liked). So when I saw a DVD of this Dreamworks animated film, I decided to get it. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed. The animation is great and I love the underlying themes of the film, like how you should not judge something that you don't know understand, or how friendships can be formed in the most unexpected places.
I still have a lot of DVDs at home, and hopefully I can continue to find some quiet time at home to allow me to watch more movies.
Sunday, May 01, 2011
Family weekend
My mom decided to book a room at the Mandarin Oriental for the weekend as sort of a summer getaway for my nephews. The initial plan was that my nephews would go swimming upon arrival, but due to several delays, my family ended up checking in at around 4pm. My mom wanted us to get something to eat first, so we went to the Ayala Triangle and had a meal in Bon Chon Chicken. I ate here once before and I really enjoyed the food, and as it turned out, so did my family.
On the way to Ayala Triangle, my mom saw a billboard for 'Thor' and asked me when it was showing. I said that it already was. My mom wanted to see it so I decided to head over to Greenbelt to try and get tickets while the rest of my family had some gelato in Amici. All cinemas in Greenbelt 3 were fully booked (next available showing was close to 11pm already) but luckily for us, the old theater in Greenbelt 1 still had a lot of seats. And, since the cinema was older (but still clean and comfortable!), tickets here cost only P120. So not only did we manage to catch the 7:10pm showing, we got good seats and saved close to P400. Cool!
I really enjoyed 'Thor'. Of course, the special effects were amazing. And considering that this was a big blockbuster, I didn't expect that the cast would put in really good performances. Oscar winners Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins (who portrayed Thor's love interest and Odin, respectively) and Tom Hiddleston, who played Loki, were all great (I especially loved Hiddleton's delivery of an enraged and bitter Loki in one of the final scenes of the film). Chris Hemsworth was also very believable as the arrogant god of thunder who later learns the value of compassion and need for peace. I think what made the film an even better watch was the fact that it didn't take itself as seriously as most other films in the same genre. Leave it to director Kenneth Branagh to inject a lot of humor and witticism throughout the film that made it more interesting overall.
After the movie, we decided to have a late dinner in Mr. Jones. I've eaten here a few times but my family haven't, and I know there are lots of items in the menu that they would enjoy.
The next day, I took my nephews swimming while my mom went to the gym. The pool was pretty full and I wasn't really in the mood to get wet so I just listened to my ipod while looking after my nephews. They spent more than 2 hours in the pool before we went back to our room to get cleaned up before checking out. We ended up heading back to Ayala Triangle for another meal in Bon Chon Chicken (which seems to be my nephews' new favorite resto). It was a full and fun weekend, and why would it not be? Any quality time spent with the family is always fantastic.
On the way to Ayala Triangle, my mom saw a billboard for 'Thor' and asked me when it was showing. I said that it already was. My mom wanted to see it so I decided to head over to Greenbelt to try and get tickets while the rest of my family had some gelato in Amici. All cinemas in Greenbelt 3 were fully booked (next available showing was close to 11pm already) but luckily for us, the old theater in Greenbelt 1 still had a lot of seats. And, since the cinema was older (but still clean and comfortable!), tickets here cost only P120. So not only did we manage to catch the 7:10pm showing, we got good seats and saved close to P400. Cool!
I really enjoyed 'Thor'. Of course, the special effects were amazing. And considering that this was a big blockbuster, I didn't expect that the cast would put in really good performances. Oscar winners Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins (who portrayed Thor's love interest and Odin, respectively) and Tom Hiddleston, who played Loki, were all great (I especially loved Hiddleton's delivery of an enraged and bitter Loki in one of the final scenes of the film). Chris Hemsworth was also very believable as the arrogant god of thunder who later learns the value of compassion and need for peace. I think what made the film an even better watch was the fact that it didn't take itself as seriously as most other films in the same genre. Leave it to director Kenneth Branagh to inject a lot of humor and witticism throughout the film that made it more interesting overall.
After the movie, we decided to have a late dinner in Mr. Jones. I've eaten here a few times but my family haven't, and I know there are lots of items in the menu that they would enjoy.
The next day, I took my nephews swimming while my mom went to the gym. The pool was pretty full and I wasn't really in the mood to get wet so I just listened to my ipod while looking after my nephews. They spent more than 2 hours in the pool before we went back to our room to get cleaned up before checking out. We ended up heading back to Ayala Triangle for another meal in Bon Chon Chicken (which seems to be my nephews' new favorite resto). It was a full and fun weekend, and why would it not be? Any quality time spent with the family is always fantastic.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Dinner in Stock market
Raffa celebrated his birthday more than a month ago so when we had dinner in Stock Market in Bonifacio High Street, it was a really belated birthday celebration.
It was good to have most of the gang there - Raffa and Joh of course plus Chris (miracle that he was there and that he was early! lol), Me-ann, Peegee, and Mike. It was technically my second visit to Stock Market but only the first time I ordered anything. The first time I went there was right after the Rihanna-Chris Brown concert a few years ago when the group I watched the concert with managed to get a table there, but the place was bursting in the seams that the expected service time would be about an hour so I ended up looking for another place to eat.
The food was pretty good and I loved the lighting of the place. The interesting thing was that I didn't realize that this was Raffa's celebration, so once I had eaten my main course, I ordered an ice cream parfait and coffee (interesting combo, ice cream and coffee haha). Naturally, when Raffa took the bill I felt embarrassed that I ordered so much food. I left at around 10:30pm, just as the discussion was turning slightly serious with Mike raising some key government issues (wow, we are so adult in our conversation LOL), since I was meeting up with a few friends for drinks in The Keg.
It was good to have most of the gang there - Raffa and Joh of course plus Chris (miracle that he was there and that he was early! lol), Me-ann, Peegee, and Mike. It was technically my second visit to Stock Market but only the first time I ordered anything. The first time I went there was right after the Rihanna-Chris Brown concert a few years ago when the group I watched the concert with managed to get a table there, but the place was bursting in the seams that the expected service time would be about an hour so I ended up looking for another place to eat.
The food was pretty good and I loved the lighting of the place. The interesting thing was that I didn't realize that this was Raffa's celebration, so once I had eaten my main course, I ordered an ice cream parfait and coffee (interesting combo, ice cream and coffee haha). Naturally, when Raffa took the bill I felt embarrassed that I ordered so much food. I left at around 10:30pm, just as the discussion was turning slightly serious with Mike raising some key government issues (wow, we are so adult in our conversation LOL), since I was meeting up with a few friends for drinks in The Keg.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Sagada: final thoughts and tips
Here are some parting thoughts (and a few more photos) from my Sagada trip.
You should visit!
It's a 10-11 hour trip by van (and I think a 12-13 hour trip by bus) but that investment in time is well worth it. If you join a tour like we did and ride a van, expect to have issues with leg room and make sure you get out of the vehicle and stretch your legs whenever your van makes a pit stop. Bring ear plugs and a neck pillow if you can. And make sure you pass by the Banaue Rice Terraces. It would be a shame if you were in Sagada, only 2 hours away from Banaue, and not get to see one of the most famous places in the country.
Go early in the year.
You need to avoid the rainy season, otherwise some of the roads may be rendered impassable by landslides. While May is still technically summer in the Philippines, I've heard that rains do start to come in the Mountain Province around that time. (My mom was actually advised to go in March because last year, it already started to rain in April so we were lucky that the weather cooperated while we were there.)
Bring food and drinks.
You will most likely get hungry on the long drive to and from Sagada. The establishments also close at around 8pm (closing time shifts to around 9pm during very busy periods like Holy Week) so you won't have any place to get food late at night. You will also need a lot of fluids in your adventure trips so bring water or other drinks, or buy them from the town proper and bring them with you during the day.
It was in this trip that I discovered the Cheese and Mushroom Pie of Banapple. My mom brought a couple of these pies to Sagada since (1) they are pretty heavy, which means you can eat about a third of it as a snack and be ready to go, (2) it lasts at least a few days, even with no refrigeration, and (3) it tastes good, even when it's not warm. What I love about them is that they cost only P65. Considering the heft of this pie, I'd say that's exceptional value for money!
Join the Tripinas Sagada Tour!
I've mentioned this a few times already in my past few blog posts but the Sagada Tour of Tripinas should be one of your top options when visiting. It costs P3,890 per head but this fee includes transportation, lodging, entrance fee for the cave, and payment for the guides. You are also saved the hassle of having to book and pay for all these individual items. Plus you get a van that takes you to all the must-see places in Sagada. I read another blog post about a do-it-yourself trip that actually cost more than ours!
My mom was concerned about the payment terms (she had to deposit the payment upfront to someone's bank account) but we didn't have any issues with this.
Visit Tripinas at http://tripinas.blogspot.com/.
Study the itinerary.
If you do take this tour, make sure you study the itinerary. Sometimes, the drivers may not take you to all the spots mentioned in it (we missed a visit to the Lumiang coffins because of this) because they don't have it handy and might not necessarily remember what is part of the package. Also, make sure you remind the driver that the trip home should have a couple of stops for photo opportunities in the Bontoc and Banaue Rice Terraces. The driver told us initially that there were landslides along this route and as such, we would pass through Baguio again on the way home. However we sort of had this feeling that it was because this side trip would use up a lot more gasoline (due to the ascent through mountain passes), and would be a more difficult drive. I think the fact that everyone in our tour group were insistent that we should see the Banaue Rice Terraces eventually led to our driver saying that he confirmed with other drivers that there were no landslides and that we could take the route home prescribed in our itinerary.
Sagada is mystical, beautiful, and adventure-filled, and it ranks as one of the best places I have visited in my life. I'm really happy that I got to experience this amazing place and actually enjoy it with my family.
You should visit!
It's a 10-11 hour trip by van (and I think a 12-13 hour trip by bus) but that investment in time is well worth it. If you join a tour like we did and ride a van, expect to have issues with leg room and make sure you get out of the vehicle and stretch your legs whenever your van makes a pit stop. Bring ear plugs and a neck pillow if you can. And make sure you pass by the Banaue Rice Terraces. It would be a shame if you were in Sagada, only 2 hours away from Banaue, and not get to see one of the most famous places in the country.
Go early in the year.
You need to avoid the rainy season, otherwise some of the roads may be rendered impassable by landslides. While May is still technically summer in the Philippines, I've heard that rains do start to come in the Mountain Province around that time. (My mom was actually advised to go in March because last year, it already started to rain in April so we were lucky that the weather cooperated while we were there.)
Bring food and drinks.
You will most likely get hungry on the long drive to and from Sagada. The establishments also close at around 8pm (closing time shifts to around 9pm during very busy periods like Holy Week) so you won't have any place to get food late at night. You will also need a lot of fluids in your adventure trips so bring water or other drinks, or buy them from the town proper and bring them with you during the day.
It was in this trip that I discovered the Cheese and Mushroom Pie of Banapple. My mom brought a couple of these pies to Sagada since (1) they are pretty heavy, which means you can eat about a third of it as a snack and be ready to go, (2) it lasts at least a few days, even with no refrigeration, and (3) it tastes good, even when it's not warm. What I love about them is that they cost only P65. Considering the heft of this pie, I'd say that's exceptional value for money!
Join the Tripinas Sagada Tour!
I've mentioned this a few times already in my past few blog posts but the Sagada Tour of Tripinas should be one of your top options when visiting. It costs P3,890 per head but this fee includes transportation, lodging, entrance fee for the cave, and payment for the guides. You are also saved the hassle of having to book and pay for all these individual items. Plus you get a van that takes you to all the must-see places in Sagada. I read another blog post about a do-it-yourself trip that actually cost more than ours!
My mom was concerned about the payment terms (she had to deposit the payment upfront to someone's bank account) but we didn't have any issues with this.
Visit Tripinas at http://tripinas.blogspot.com/.
Study the itinerary.
If you do take this tour, make sure you study the itinerary. Sometimes, the drivers may not take you to all the spots mentioned in it (we missed a visit to the Lumiang coffins because of this) because they don't have it handy and might not necessarily remember what is part of the package. Also, make sure you remind the driver that the trip home should have a couple of stops for photo opportunities in the Bontoc and Banaue Rice Terraces. The driver told us initially that there were landslides along this route and as such, we would pass through Baguio again on the way home. However we sort of had this feeling that it was because this side trip would use up a lot more gasoline (due to the ascent through mountain passes), and would be a more difficult drive. I think the fact that everyone in our tour group were insistent that we should see the Banaue Rice Terraces eventually led to our driver saying that he confirmed with other drivers that there were no landslides and that we could take the route home prescribed in our itinerary.
Sagada is mystical, beautiful, and adventure-filled, and it ranks as one of the best places I have visited in my life. I'm really happy that I got to experience this amazing place and actually enjoy it with my family.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Banaue Rice Terraces!
We headed home after two full days in Sagada. The great thing about our Tripinas tour is that on our way home, we passed by the world-famous Banaue Rice Terraces!
We were worried that we wouldn't be able to pass by this Philippine landmark because our driver told us that bad weather in the Mountain province left some roads impassable. Luckily for us, the day before, our driver confirmed that there were no landslides (thankfully) and we would be able to make this detour on our trip home. Yahoo! We left our hotel at 730am on Saturday and made our way to Banaue, but along the way, we also passed by Bontoc. There are rice terraces all across the entire Mountain Province, and Bontoc is no exception.
We stopped by for just a few minutes to take a few photos. Pretty cool that my shirt and shades are color-coordinated with the Bontoc sign. :)
It took about an hour and a half after leaving Bontoc before we got to Banaue. Along the way, we passed through several mountain ranges that featured a lot of amazing rice terraces, some of them pretty massive. We finally arrive at the Banaue Rice Terraces and it looked magnificent!
Can't believe I have now been to the Banaue Rice Terraces and had my picture taken there. Fantastic! There was a shop next to the viewing station where we got a few more souvenirs before heading home. This Sagada tour with Tripinas, while tiring and difficult to make, was definitely worth it.
We were worried that we wouldn't be able to pass by this Philippine landmark because our driver told us that bad weather in the Mountain province left some roads impassable. Luckily for us, the day before, our driver confirmed that there were no landslides (thankfully) and we would be able to make this detour on our trip home. Yahoo! We left our hotel at 730am on Saturday and made our way to Banaue, but along the way, we also passed by Bontoc. There are rice terraces all across the entire Mountain Province, and Bontoc is no exception.
We stopped by for just a few minutes to take a few photos. Pretty cool that my shirt and shades are color-coordinated with the Bontoc sign. :)
It took about an hour and a half after leaving Bontoc before we got to Banaue. Along the way, we passed through several mountain ranges that featured a lot of amazing rice terraces, some of them pretty massive. We finally arrive at the Banaue Rice Terraces and it looked magnificent!
Can't believe I have now been to the Banaue Rice Terraces and had my picture taken there. Fantastic! There was a shop next to the viewing station where we got a few more souvenirs before heading home. This Sagada tour with Tripinas, while tiring and difficult to make, was definitely worth it.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Sagada: Rice Terraces and Falls
Day 2 featured a trip to the Sagada Rice Terraces. The most popular ones are found in Banaue, but practically anywhere you go in Ifugao, you will see these amazing terraces carved into the mountainside. To jumpstart the day, we got up really early to take in the sunrise views in Kiltepan point.
The view here is great. We also had a bit of exercise since we went up a hillside to see the sunrise. It didn't matter though since it was a beautiful walk through the pine trees.
After checking out the views and taking some photos, we have breakfast to get us ready for another physical day. At 830am, we head out towards Banga-an to see the rice terraces and the Bomod-ok falls. It was about a 45 minute walk to the falls from where our driver dropped us off (our tour package provided a guide who would take us there). Along the way, we get to see the amazing rice terraces in Sagada!
It's great to finally see something that I have heard about ever since I was a kid. I can't imagine how much effort it took to actually carve out these terraces. But even better than seeing the them from afar is actually getting to walk through them! The trail to the Bomod-ok falls takes us through the terraces, providing us with a lot of photo opportunities.
We finally get to the Bomod-ok falls. It was a long, hot walk under the summer sun and my brother promptly got into the cold water to cool down. My mom sat down in the shade while I walked around taking photos.
Naturally I needed to have my own photo taken.
Before heading back to the town-proper, we pay a visit to Sagada Weaving.
After a late lunch, we met up again in front of the Ganduyan museum. It's basically a small room that contains a lot of Ifugao artifacts that have been collected by the owner throughout her life. She gives visitors a basic and very interesting tour of the museum: we were all just seated on the floor and she moved around different parts of the room and talked about the different artifacts there, as well as the history and culture of the Ifugaos.
To cap off the tour, we pay a visit to the a pottery workshop. It was quite late by the time we got there so all the workers had gone but our guide still walked us through the workshop to talk about the pottery processes.
We head back to town and purchase more souvenirs before having dinner in Yogurt Place. This is arguably the most popular restaurant in town and even at 6:30pm, we were 6th in the waiting list. Thankfully, there were only three of us in our group (me, my mom, and my brother). When a table for four became available (after waiting for an hour) and every party ahead of us had more than four people, we got bumped up and given a table in the veranda. It was a great meal to cap the night.
The view here is great. We also had a bit of exercise since we went up a hillside to see the sunrise. It didn't matter though since it was a beautiful walk through the pine trees.
After checking out the views and taking some photos, we have breakfast to get us ready for another physical day. At 830am, we head out towards Banga-an to see the rice terraces and the Bomod-ok falls. It was about a 45 minute walk to the falls from where our driver dropped us off (our tour package provided a guide who would take us there). Along the way, we get to see the amazing rice terraces in Sagada!
It's great to finally see something that I have heard about ever since I was a kid. I can't imagine how much effort it took to actually carve out these terraces. But even better than seeing the them from afar is actually getting to walk through them! The trail to the Bomod-ok falls takes us through the terraces, providing us with a lot of photo opportunities.
We finally get to the Bomod-ok falls. It was a long, hot walk under the summer sun and my brother promptly got into the cold water to cool down. My mom sat down in the shade while I walked around taking photos.
Naturally I needed to have my own photo taken.
Before heading back to the town-proper, we pay a visit to Sagada Weaving.
After a late lunch, we met up again in front of the Ganduyan museum. It's basically a small room that contains a lot of Ifugao artifacts that have been collected by the owner throughout her life. She gives visitors a basic and very interesting tour of the museum: we were all just seated on the floor and she moved around different parts of the room and talked about the different artifacts there, as well as the history and culture of the Ifugaos.
To cap off the tour, we pay a visit to the a pottery workshop. It was quite late by the time we got there so all the workers had gone but our guide still walked us through the workshop to talk about the pottery processes.
We head back to town and purchase more souvenirs before having dinner in Yogurt Place. This is arguably the most popular restaurant in town and even at 6:30pm, we were 6th in the waiting list. Thankfully, there were only three of us in our group (me, my mom, and my brother). When a table for four became available (after waiting for an hour) and every party ahead of us had more than four people, we got bumped up and given a table in the veranda. It was a great meal to cap the night.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Sagada: St. Mary's, Echo Valley, Hanging Coffins
Next part of our itinerary was a trip to the Echo Valley where we could see the famous Hanging Coffins. Our van brought us back to the hotel so we could get cleaned up and we had a quick lunch before being dropped off at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, the starting point of our nature hike. It was quite funny that the church was actually just a stone's throw away from our hotel and yet our van still drove us there. :)
The Church of St. Mary the Virgin is an Episcopal parish. It has a pretty interesting altar that seems to have been constructed from the limestone that is found all around Sagada. (According to our guides, the limestone as well as some seashell fossils found in the area are proof that the Philippines was once under water).
We then start our nature trek through Echo Valley. We passed by a small cemetery along the way.
I didn't check the itinerary so I wasn't sure where we were going. Our guide told us we were heading down into the valley but didn't tell us what we would see there. Nevertheless, the views while heading down were beautiful.
Finally, our guide brings us to the hanging coffins. She explained to us that the locals have a few choices for their final resting place - it can be the hanging coffins, the Lumiang coffins (which we didn't get to see), or a cemetery. Some of the coffins are shorter than others, but this is because the deceased was placed in the fetal position.
It was around 3:30pm when we returned to our starting point, and we decided to take a few more photos. I believe this bell used to be in the belfry of the church.
Our tour companions decided to return to the hotel for some much-needed rest but my family decided to try out some of the recommended food places in Sagada. I read about "Yellow House" which serves some pretty good pies and suggested it to my mom, so we asked our transport to bring us there. We ended up ordering coffee and five slices of pie: 2 blueberry pies (my favorite), 2 lemon pies (really good), and 1 egg pie (it was just okay). The lemon pie and egg pie both cost P25 per slice while the blueberry pie cost P35 per slice. Very cheap!
We shopped for some souvenirs before heading back to the St. Joseph Resthouse. We decided to just have dinner in the St. Joseph Cafe. It was a very tiring day with all of us severely lacking sleep and we knew we had to be up by 430am so we called it a night at around 9pm.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sagada: Sumaguing Cave
We arrived in Sagada at around 7am. The first part of our itinerary was a trip to the Sumaguing Cave, but before heading there, we had a quick breakfast in Salt and Pepper then checked into St. Joseph Resthouse, our accommodations for the next two nights. At around 8:30am, we make our way to the cave.
What to wear: sandals or slippers that provide good traction and a quick-dry shirt and board shorts as you will get wet. If you can, bring a head lamp, but it's not necessary as the guides all have powerful lanterns. The guides will also suggest that you give your cameras to them so they can take pictures of you as you go through the cave.
I didn't get the memo and wore a cotton shirt and shorts and my slippers didn't provide the best traction. :)
The Sagada guides give us some basic instructions and tell us that our spelunking adventure can be split up into three parts. The first part involves the descent. There's a basic trail you follow heading down the cave but you have to be a bit careful because the bat guano makes the path quite slippery in some parts. As there are no handrails, you really have to hold on to the rocks sometimes (so yes, unless you are wearing gloves, you will end up with bat poop in your hands. :))
The second part begins once the descent is complete. The guides ask us to leave our footwear before going further, but this is no problem since at this point, the jagged rocks are replaced with smooth stones that are surprisingly not slippery at all. There are a lot of interesting rock formations in this area, some of which have been given pet names by the locals. Here, we are sitting on the 'turtle':
and here, our tour group sits right in front of the 'curtains'. (It's too bad we only have a photo up close to the 'curtains' since I've seen fantastic photos of a wider shot of this area of the cave.)
The final part of Sumaguing cave adventure is pretty much the 'action' section. You will need to crouch if not crawl,
wade through waist-deep water, and use ropes to make your way through certain parts of the cave.
While this trip may seem daunting, it is also a lot of fun and not nearly as impossible as it may seem. My mom made it through just as easily as anyone else, which I thought was just amazing because some of the people we were with were not even half her age. I've been through a cave once before but it was more like a nature hike. Sumaguing Cave stands out because it offers a lot of physical challenges and great photo ops that keep you excited and entertained.
What to wear: sandals or slippers that provide good traction and a quick-dry shirt and board shorts as you will get wet. If you can, bring a head lamp, but it's not necessary as the guides all have powerful lanterns. The guides will also suggest that you give your cameras to them so they can take pictures of you as you go through the cave.
I didn't get the memo and wore a cotton shirt and shorts and my slippers didn't provide the best traction. :)The Sagada guides give us some basic instructions and tell us that our spelunking adventure can be split up into three parts. The first part involves the descent. There's a basic trail you follow heading down the cave but you have to be a bit careful because the bat guano makes the path quite slippery in some parts. As there are no handrails, you really have to hold on to the rocks sometimes (so yes, unless you are wearing gloves, you will end up with bat poop in your hands. :))
The second part begins once the descent is complete. The guides ask us to leave our footwear before going further, but this is no problem since at this point, the jagged rocks are replaced with smooth stones that are surprisingly not slippery at all. There are a lot of interesting rock formations in this area, some of which have been given pet names by the locals. Here, we are sitting on the 'turtle':
and here, our tour group sits right in front of the 'curtains'. (It's too bad we only have a photo up close to the 'curtains' since I've seen fantastic photos of a wider shot of this area of the cave.)
The final part of Sumaguing cave adventure is pretty much the 'action' section. You will need to crouch if not crawl,
wade through waist-deep water, and use ropes to make your way through certain parts of the cave.
While this trip may seem daunting, it is also a lot of fun and not nearly as impossible as it may seem. My mom made it through just as easily as anyone else, which I thought was just amazing because some of the people we were with were not even half her age. I've been through a cave once before but it was more like a nature hike. Sumaguing Cave stands out because it offers a lot of physical challenges and great photo ops that keep you excited and entertained.
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