Queen City of the South: The Cebu Experience

The day before exploring Bohol, we toured Cebu: dubbed as the “Queen City of the South”. I have always wanted to visit this place out of curiosity but most importantly, to get the chance to personally see the Basilica de Sto. Nino. I asked a former officemate (thanks dai Gwynne! J) if she can refer a van-for-rent plus a driver who can also act as our tour guide. I heard that this was the most economical way of roaming around the city. As if truly meant to be, she informed me that this is the business of his cousin. She gave me the number to contact and I immediately called Kuya Sonny. He was very nice and gave us a very good deal too! When we arrived at the airport, we were immediately fetched and we started the tour right away. Wala nang patumpik tumpik pa! J

We were able to visit famous landmarks and tourist spots but I must say that these are my top three favorites:

Basilica Minore del Santo Nino

The church is beautiful, rustic and historically rich. We waited in line to see the image of Sto. Nino. I took a quick photo of mama while she’s whispering her prayers. I felt so blessed to have this experience.

 

Taboan Market

Days before our vacation, Habibi and I were already dreaming of eating Cebu’s most famous danggit. We were very eager to visit this so-called Taboan market because we were told that this is where we should buy dried fish. We couldn’t believe our eyes (and nose for that matter haha!). The place is literally flooded with all sorts of dried fishes, big and small. Even before we stepped outside the van, we can already smell the distinct salty smell. Here’s habibi happily posing beside the mountain of dried fishes before him:

 

CNT Lechon

They say you haven’t been to a place at all if you haven’t tried the food they are most known for. We requested our tourist guide to bring us where the best cebu lechon is. He drove us to CNT Lechon. I’ve read rave reviews about this lechon in the w@w forum. Brides who have listed lechon as part of their menu prefer to get theirs at CNT. Now I know why. It’s the best I have tasted so far. It’s so delicious you can taste the myriad of flavors in its meat. As in, super sarap. Even the skin is so yummy! Nakaka-guilty so we ordered some veggies too haha!

Daghang salamat for the experience Cebu! J

Lovin' Bohol Bee Farm 

I don’t know how else to describe our wonderful stay at the Bohol Bee Farm.  I must say this was one of our most memorable vacations so far. I’ve read a lot of positive reviews about this hotel but to actually experience what it has to offer is something different. From the exceptionally delicious food to the warm hospitality of the staff, everything was perfect. We stayed at the “Danao” room and look at the view from our balcony. It’s so serene I could stay here all day long:

 

 

Apart from the magnificent views, what I love most about the bee farm is that they organically grow the ingredients they use for their dishes. Just outside our room, we saw the assortment of herbs that they have. My mama and papa who both love gardening were drooling at the sight of the backyard. I bet my mama fought the urge to ask kuya if she can have some seedlings for free, haha!

 

I have to commend them for their creativity too. I never knew that bougainvillea is edible! Habibi ordered himself a pizza for dinner and here’s what was served to him:

 

 

 

Looks nice eh? Habibi said it tasted good too. Not to mention, the bread they use is their famous squash bread - a yummy and healthy combination! That was just a sampler tough. The real treat was when we had our breakfast (buffet). I tried to taste everything and our instant favorites were the squash muffin and the buco soup. Oh and by the way, here's the Lantaw Restaurant where we had our meal. Bongga di ba? J

 



 

My mama doing the Japan, Japan pose after having the sumptuous feast, kulit lang! Hehe. As if our bellies won't explode yet, habibi and I tried their ice cream for dessert. We were intrigued with the various flavors they offer - they even have spicy ginger. I wonder how that tastes like? I think we were not adventurous though, because we chose our favorite avocado. I promise to try either tomato or malunggay next time (Lord, please let there be a next time). J

 

 

Of course, a vacation would not be complete without shopping for pasalubong. The range of their farm products are unbelievable. There are home baked breads, honey, all sorts of tea (malunggay, guyabano, mango to name a few) and super delicious spreads too! I particularly loved the mango spread which was a perfect partner for their kamote bread. 

 

We marveled at the wide variety of homemade, 100%  pinoy products that they sell. Their souvenir shop is a tourist destination by itself. You can check out their website just to get a glimpse of these treats that I get so ecstatic about.

 

Overall, I must say that our stay in the bee farm exceeded my expectations. I would highly recommend it especially to those who are considering having a trip to Bohol. You have to include it in your itinerary!

 

Happy bee-cation loves! J

Pinas 2012: The Arrival

A 3-week vacation is never enough! Though it was too quick, we enjoyed every single day of it! Nothing beats being with the people you love. Generally, the weather was good during our entire stay in Manila/Laguna. It was rainy during the first few days but eventually, it took pity on us and gave us plenty of sunshine. The traffic is still horrible. It took us more than 2 hours from airport to reach our home in Valenzuela.

I will never forget an incident which took place when we were at the airport parking lot. My parents, habibi and I were merrily chatting when someone approached us. A blatantly gay "beggar" whom I suspect was about 16-18 years old. He was asking for some money. His exact words were: "Ate, Kuya, pahingi naman po ng kaunting tulong. KAHIT 10 DIRHAMS LANG po okay na po"

I was sooooo shocked (@_@). I stopped talking to take a good look at him and saw that his expression was so serious! Oh my, how could he have known the currency of the country we came from? That's when I realized that he must have seen our luggage tags! But then, what made me flip was that he named his price - 10 dirhams!!! Wow sosyal si Ate! Dirhams talaga ang gusto!

 

By the way, what's the airport management doing about this? Why are there so many so-called "porters" in the arrival area? As soon as you step out of the arrival gate, you literally get swarmed with people asking you to let them help with the luggages. It's not just annoying but it's also very, very scary! My mama had an awful experience at the NAIA airport because of these guys. She lost a baggage with some valuables in it. 

Oh well, and this was just the start of our 3-week Pinas adventure! Sweet! :)

 

 

Inside the Emirates aircraft, prior to take off from DXB to MNL

 

Yahoo! Vacay Vacay!!!

Finally! My leave form was approved! Whew! I was able to haggle for a 3-week vacation and I am so ecstatic! Woot woot!

It’s always a challenge to set a date for my vacation because there are many months where I cannot be away from work. I am super thankful that I have the signed leave form now so I can start planning. Last year’s vacation was quite stressful because we got married. Almost 75% of our time was spent on finalizing the details for our wedding. This time, I am pretty sure that EVERY SINGLE DAY will be devoted for VACATION!  I just wish the weather will not be stubborn and help us enjoy our precious days in Pinas hehehe.

I hope that I can stay focused on work too. My mind tends to wander knowing that it’s only a few weeks before we get to see our families back home. Oh and another thing, I can’t stop thinking about all sorts of FOOD that we will eat. Jollibee I miss you so bad! Hahaha! My husband is so excited too! Okay let’s start doing the itinerary!

Cheers!

Happy Anniversary!

 

My heart is filled with much joy and gratitude as we mark the first year of our most special day today. God has indeed blessed me in so many ways and for this I constantly give praise and thanks.

I am grateful for the unfaltering guidance; for the endless grace and most importantly, for His boundless love that brought us together.

Happy Anniversary Only One! I love you today, and for the countless tomorrow that we will happily share ♥♥♥

A 'Mistress in the Bus'

Today, I had the most unfortunate experience of riding in a bus with a “mistress”.

I was sitting comfortably when a lady and her friend boarded the same bus. I was ogling at the lady’s bag because it was so nice. I looked at her carefully curled hair and thought she looked pretty. The lady and the friend chose to sit opposite the chair where I was seated. We were sitting face to face so I was able to see her perfectly well.

She then went on with her jolly blabber. I am not the type who eavesdrop but their topic caught my attention. She was telling her friend about her constant communication with a supposedly “ex” who is now MARRIED. She was so proud to share that this guy is still calling her regularly. She claims that he tells him he misses her and that he still thinks about her. She arrogantly told her friend that they still have this “connection”. According to her, she already challenged the guy by asking him what he wants to do with their situation. Apparently, the real question that she wanted to convey was: are you ready to leave your wife for me?

I sooooo wanted to grab her bag and rescue the poor thing from her clutches. I looked at her again and decided she wasn’t pretty after all. I reminded myself to get my vision checked.  I wanted to kick the friend just to see if she’s really listening. If she was, then she must have not understood what the lady was saying. Surely, you’re not a friend if you can’t say “Hey, stop! You know, that’s not right”.

I fought the urge to do this and simply stay glued in my chair. I was just… speechless. Well, I really cannot talk to them though. I realized I wasn’t part of their conversation. I know I am no saint. I am not perfect and have my flaws here and there. But I wanted badly to tell the lady EVERYTHING about what she said is just WRONG, so WRONG!

No one deserves to be hurt by irresponsible choices. She can opt to get herself out of that mess if she wills to do so. At the end of the day, you get to choose who you become. I feel sad for her and pray that she may find the strength and courage to do what’s right. I hope that the next time I see her; I will no longer think of her as just the “mistress in the bus”. Maybe by then I can ask her where she bought her bag.

Cuatro sa Disyerto

This month, I am celebrating my 4th year of working in the Gulf. A very happy ‘cuatro sa disyerto’ to me!

Time really does fly. Who would have known I will get the chance to live in this part of the world? It was painful to leave my parents back home and I still miss them terribly. I also experience stabs of homesickness every now and then. I thought that by this time, I would already be immune to it. On the contrary, it actually got worse. I remember crying my eyes out last year while waiting to board the plane bound to Dubai. Nonetheless, I have always regarded working here as a blessing. I am perpetually thankful to God whose hand has led me in this place. If there’s one thing that I have learned here, that would be to have a grateful heart for even the littlest of graces received. Actually learning just ‘one’ thing will do so much injustice considering the length of time I have stayed here. So here’s a random list of what the desert has taught me (just some – there are still loads to learn!)

1. I am a ‘Kabayan’ and I’m proud of it!

Filipinos here call each other ‘Kabayan’. I admit that it took me a while to be comfortable in using it. It sounded too… patriotic hehe. Even other expats mimic our use of the term and call us ‘Kabayan’ too!

I have high esteem for all OFWs. I know what it feels like to work our a** off while being a million miles away from our family– which brings me to point #2

2. Family. They’re the reason.

The very basic motive why we chose to leave our family is to give them a better life. Okay, I need to be more specific for the married peeps: Family you left behind – those who are legally your spouse and not the one you “accidentally” got involved with as soon as you stepped out of the plane (rant mode).

3. Freedom. It’s intoxicating.

You can basically do anything and everything here – except of course if it’s prohibited by law. The point is that there’s nobody to tell you what you can’t or what you shouldn’t. You are entirely responsible for yourself. You are accountable for all your actions. This kind of freedom is intoxicating. You can drown and get drunk with it all you want. Sadly, a lot of people do and tend to forget #2 above.

4. I can cook!

I’ve had a very sheltered life back home. I would wake up and find supper (I work nightshift) waiting for me. I can do different household chores but mama would lovingly opt to do it instead. So all I generally did was to eat, work, go home, sleep & repeat the same routine over and over again. When I got here, I learned to rely on myself and found out I can actually cook! Believe me, my dishes are edible! Haha! Now, I love cooking for my husband. He’s not a picky eater anyway so he basically eats anything and everything I prepare for him.

5. Save, save, save but don’t forget to have fun, fun, fun once in a while.

My mama would always remind me to save even just a small percentage of my salary. I’m happy to take her piece of advice. I realize that I won’t be forever young so I need to spend wisely and save ‘for the rainy days’.

While doing this, one should not neglect the importance of rewarding one’s self. My idea of reward is very cheap though. I consider buying a new shirt or having a lovely dinner with habibi a golden prize for working so hard.