Sunday, July 16, 2006

God, please do something!

maraming nangyayaring injustice sa mundong ito. mga injustice na directly at indirectly affected ako at mga kaibigan ko. kaya ang prayer ko for the longest time, God, please move! please do something, please rebuke and teach them the lesson na hindi nila makakalimutan. do something sa buhay nila to the point na kahit ang matigas nilang puso ay lumambot para sa inyo. change situations in my favor! in Jesus' name, Amen!

Monday, July 03, 2006

Bohol Trip

Natuloy din ang Bohol trip namin ng family at ng husband ko last week. Grabe, parang antagal namin hinintay ang trip na yon! Dahil I booked it nung may Php10 promo ang Cebu Pacific nuong February, we literally waited for it for 3 and a half months! Yun ang pinakamatagal na booked trip ko. Usually kasi, mga isang buwan lang from the time of booking to the actual trip. Imagine, I postponed getting pregnant for that? Yep, I was taking pills para hindi pa ako preggy by the time we get to Bohol.

Anyway, it was worth it naman. Syempre pa, windang windang ako sa pagma-manage ng writing deadlines ko para lang hindi sumapaw sa pagpunta namin ng Bohol. Yun nga lang, when it came time for my turn to write for I Love NY, yun din ang week na aalis kami. So I had no choice but to pass muna, pinasalo muna sa ibang writer yung episode ko.

Maganda ang Bohol, yun nga lang masyado kasing mahaba ang panahon ng paghihintay so mas marami na akong expectations. Ako pa, eh surf kiti surf ako kapag may pupuntahan akong lugar. I want to know what to expect. Eh sa taas ng expectations ko, nasobrahan yata. Kaya hindi ako masyadong na-amaze sa Bohol, even sa Pangalo.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the place. Hindi nga lang yung tipong lugar na gugustuhin kong puntahan uli in the near future. At balak ko, kung babalik ako, kami na lang ni Romy. Yung lakad kasi namin last week, kasama sina Papa, Mama and Belle. So may mga limitations like island hopping, visiting the caves, yun bang mga hindi pang senior citizens.

Pero nagawa naman namin yung mga nasa itinerary. Nakapaglaro sa beach, nakakolekta si Romy ng mga starfishes and corals for his aquarium, naka-kain ng seafood (not as good as Cebu restos, though). The next day 8pm pa lang on the go na kami for the countryside tour. Inuna namin yung Blood Compact Site (which is not big deal for me, hindi ako nae-excite sa mga istatwa, eh), yung Tarsier Sanctuary (na hindi naman cute pero sige, dahil maliit sila at doon lang matatagpuan, pinatulan ko na rin ng napakaraming pictures), yung Century-Old Balete Tree, yung Pandayan, yung Used Tires Industry, tapos nag-45 minutes drive kami going to Chocolate Hills. Ito ang nakaka-amaze. Anlalaki nila, mga bundok nga na pagkarami-rami! As in 1,000 ++ sila lahat according to our nice tour driver, Mang Vic.

After ng Chocolate Hills, sakto abot kami ng lunch time sa Loboc River Cruise with Buffet Lunch. Nice ito kasi nagku-cruising kayo while having a sumptuous lunch. Syempre enjoy dito si Romy at ang papa ko. Sino ba naman hindi mag-eenjoy sa food after waking up early and going places, diba? At the end of the river, may mini waterfalls. Ganda and very relaxing. May local kid pa na nagmala-Tarzan at nagpakitang gilas mag-swing sa baging habang dumadaan yung motorized boat/lantsa namin. Hindi na namin kinarir yung Hanging Bridge. Umuulan kasi saka ano naman ang exciting sa pagdaan sa gumegewang-gewang na tulay? I’ve seen and walked through others longer and steeper before.

After the lunch, Mang Vic brought us to Baclayon Church. Syempre dahil hindi naman kami so into church tours, hindi kami nag-stay nang matagal. Ang creepy nga actually ng feeling sa loob, eh. Well maybe it was just us, it was not our kind of adventure. Although ok, it is known as the oldest church in the Philippines, and it was made of corals, pero yun na yun. Kaaliw lang kasi it is the oldest church pero yung CR nila super bago. As in one day pa lang yatang kabubukas at super amoy-pintura pa. Na-guilty nga ako dun sa manong na nagbabantay kasi naputikan namin yung tiles eh super bago and linis pa talaga! We apologized and he said ok lang po, with a genuine smile. Hehe. Ay, ngapala, may bayad ang CR na ito. Php10 per pax, nyay, presyong CR sa Greenhills, ah!

After ng Baclayon, pupunta pa sana sina Mama and Belle sa Baclayon Museum. Nung nalamang may entrance na Php25, haha, biglang nabarat! Back out agad at ayaw na daw nila. Natawa nga si Mang Vic saka yung girl na nagbabantay sa entrance, eh. Paano ba naman, hindi man lang nagpasimple sina Mama, as in changed their minds, about face at sakay na uli sa van!

Last stop was the Aproniana Souvenir Shop. Nice place, as in one-stop shop talaga. Andami kong nabiling delicacies from the famous Peanut Kisses, Pinasugbo, Piaya, Banana Chips, Peanut Sticks, Cheese Sticks, etc. Php7.50 lang yung Peanut Kisses na nasa plastic dito compared dun sa Tarsier Sanctuary na Php15 each! At yung nasa box na Peanut Kisses na Php30 sa Tarsier Sanctuary, dito Php15.50 lang! I bought some bead necklaces, too. Gusto ko sana ng shirts pero ewan, kinuripot ako, eh.

At around 330pm, we went back to Panglao, to our resort, yung Bohol Divers’ Resort. Rest rest nang konti, pero kami ni Romy nag-stroll kami sa shore. O diba romantic? Picture taking din. Nag-gather din siya ng more corals. Haaay, para nga akong may anak na lalaki na hindi matapos-tapos sa pagkolekta ng corals at iuuwi daw niya for his new aquarium! After that nag-rest kami sa mga reclining monobloc na nakaharap sa beach. That was nice, and very peaceful. Naiisip ba ng mga Boholano na napaka-swerte nila at everyday, kahit kelan nila gustong makakita ng beach, pwede nilang gawin? Wala sa Maynila nito!

At 7pm, nag-dinner na kami. Puro ihaw naman this time. The first night kasi sa Trudis kami kumain. Anliliit ng serving at ang bagal pa! Ewan ko nga ba at ang famous ng Trudis sa internet! Nice thing about Trudis though, is that magkakatabi lang sila ng mga other restos, bars and souvenir shops. After dinner, nagpa-foot massage ako. Nice feeling, sa shore ka ba naman minamasahe. Kaya lang dahil gabi na, inaaninag ko na lang ang dagat at ang mga boats na nakalaot. Papa, Mama and Belle had their massages, too. Si Romy ayaw, eh. Pero siya ang nakikipagsara ng deal dun sa masahista, hehe. Parang may commission ka ba diyan, honey? Hehe.

The next day was the best part, yung dolphin watching and island hopping. Nag-snorkeling din si Romy sa Balicasag Island. Oh, by the way, si Mang Viao na bangkero namin is the father of Rebecca Lusterio, yung little girl sa Muro Ami. Sikat si Rebecca sa buong Bohol as well as Cesar Montano. Mang Viao picked us up from our resort at 520am. Well, yung mga dolphins, they’re cute and very clannish. At one point na-teary eyed pa ako kasi ang cute cute nila at sabay-sabay talaga silang lumulundag. Kaya lang ang hirap nilang ma-capture sa camera kasi matter of seconds lang sila kung tumalon sa tubig. Also, pag nilalapitan na namin sila, nawawala na sila.

Off we went to Balicasag Island. Grabe, kahit natatanaw mo na yung island, 30 minutes pa rin ang inabot para lang makarating yung lantsa namin doon! Si mama nga inip and tense most of the time, hehe. Kitang-kita sa fez! Natatawa nga si Mang Viao kasi gusto nang bumalik ni Mama sa Panglao eh dapat pupunta pa kami sa Pamilacan Island. At 8am, back to Panglao na kami.

Nag-swim pa kami ni Romy kasi tutal medyo nakaempake na kami the night before. Picture taking with the family till around 1030am, then 1145 check out na. Our flight which was supposed to be at 140pm got delayed for about 10 minutes kasi umuulan. It was a peaceful flight, though. At 320pm, nasa Domestic Airport na kami.

So there, it was a blessed, favorable and enjoyable vacation. The stay was ok, hindi naman bitin. God also did not allow any storms to hit the place the whole time we were there. Actually, to think it is already the month of June, talagang favor ni God na sunny yung weather. All for God’s glory! In Jesus’ name, Amen… till the next trip!

Monday, May 01, 2006

Five Going on Six

It’s been five months, going on six since I got married. There has been a lot of changes, but nothing mind-boggling, thank God. Adjustments abound, though, specifically my body clock. Would you believe I wake up at 6 in the morning, whereas when I was still single, 6am is still madaling araw for me! Though I go back to bed once my husband leaves for work at 7, it’s still a big change for me to be out of bed at a wee hour of the morning.

I also know now how to cook… a little. Major accomplishment for someone who doesn’t even know how to open the stove! So far, I’ve made Korean barbecue, adobong chicken, lumpiang shanghai, chopsuey, fried fish, but my source of pride (hehe) is the pesto macaroni! Yummy! Mainly because it was my first time to cook pasta, al dente mind you! Not to mention it smelled great too! Thanks to Mr McCormick, we’re beginning to be close friends now. Haha.

Regarding some differences that Romy and I have discovered about each other, though, is the fact that I am the malakwatsa girl and he’s the ultimate homebody! He sees Saturdays as a time to rest, just stay at home, cook, lounge around, do the laundry, watch TV and sleep in late. I see Saturdays as my time to go to malls with him, a day to paint the town red, a day to eat out, or maybe, pag tinotopak ako, which is a lot of times, to spontaneously go to Baguio, or Cebu, or just to any resort. I must admit it caused a couple of arguments for us the past months, but we’re learning to adjust and compromise recently. He’s even initiated dinner out in Libis two weeks ago, initiated dinner in Megamall last Friday, and went shopping with me in Megamall during the mall-wide sale last Sunday.

I could go on writing about the many changes, discoveries, adjustments, even surprises and laughter we’re shared but they’re just too many to write about, even at five months!

Anyway, i can still say everything has been fun and wonderful, though it wasn’t totally easy and hassle-free. But for everything I am thankful. For everything I am joyous.
And I love him more than the day I married him. Indeed, married life is a blessing.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Barely A Day

Barely a day since my laptop and I met and I’m already so fond of him. I think he’s going to be a close friend, someone I’ll be hanging around with a lot of times. I declare that this laptop, whose name I am still thinking of, will be reliable, dependable, shall give me wonderful times and excellent scripts, shall not catch any virus or any form of disease and problems.

I am looking forward to bringing him along with me in malls, meetings and even out of town. Not that I want to work when I’m on vacation, but it’s just nice to know that I can still be productive during lull moments when I’m away.

It feels good to have finally purchased a laptop. I’ve been planning to buy one but may kuripot side keeps me from making it happen. Until I keep feeling and seeing the need for one, like the fanciness of working in a different ambience, like the living room, the garden, the malls, in cafes. Until I came across this insight in one of the books I’ve been reading, “21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader,” and it says there that effective leaders make it happen.

And so I knew I want to make the dream happen. I want to achieve the desire. I’ve always been someone who make things happen. Now, I say that not braggingly, but I make things happen with God’s guidance, wisdom and permission. And to purchase a laptop is just one of the many many things I want to make real.

Thus, yesterday I bought this. So happy and thankful for God has provided the money, the model, and the friend (Chicky) who sold this to me.

Thank you once again, dear Father for your favor and abundance and intervention in my life. In Jesus’ name, bless this laptop, bless this and give this a long long healthy life, Amen!

Wednesday, February 01, 2006


We've been waiting for this moment! Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, January 31, 2006


rae and mich Posted by Picasa

gwapo ng asawa ko! Posted by Picasa

Monday, January 02, 2006


naks, andrama! :-) Posted by Picasa

kasal na! Posted by Picasa

Honey and Me at the Baywalk Posted by Picasa