I managed to back-post an entry which I initially wrote in September 2009 but was only able to save it as a draft. I finished it today and you can read about our Bohol Travel Kuwento here.
I really want to go back to that place. Hopefully really soon.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
2011 Personal Projects
I managed to do 6 out of my 10 personal projects last year. Not bad. Hoping for a better batting season this year. I should take a leaf out of what I learned in MBA and make my objectives SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timebound)
Here are my 2011 Personal Projects
# 1. DECLUTTER! (more on that in another post)
# 2. Be more physically active (walk/cardio at least 3x/week)
# 3. Cook/bake at least 1x/month
# 4. Find a new hobby by end of Quarter 1
# 5. Be pregnant by Quarter 3
# 6. Meet with "old" friends at least 1x/month
# 7. Try a new restaurant at least 1x/month
# 8. Visit my mom and sister in the US by Q2
# 9. Celebrate Basti's second birthday
# 10. Celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary
Here are my 2011 Personal Projects
# 1. DECLUTTER! (more on that in another post)
# 2. Be more physically active (walk/cardio at least 3x/week)
# 3. Cook/bake at least 1x/month
# 4. Find a new hobby by end of Quarter 1
# 5. Be pregnant by Quarter 3
# 6. Meet with "old" friends at least 1x/month
# 7. Try a new restaurant at least 1x/month
# 8. Visit my mom and sister in the US by Q2
# 9. Celebrate Basti's second birthday
# 10. Celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary
Busy Week
This week has been very exhausting in a sense that I would get home past Basti's bedtime already. It was only yesterday that I arrived home just in time for dinner and had time to play with Basti.
On Monday, I stepped out to meet with my childhood friend.
On Tuesday, I went to a wake.
On Wednesday, my officemate and I had our physical exam to check if we're fit to work-out.
On Thursday, I went to another wake.
And now, I'm here at Asian Hospital waiting for my doctor for my annual exam. And tomorrow, it'll be another busy day as we'll be out of the house again.
Hope next week won't be this exhausting.
On Monday, I stepped out to meet with my childhood friend.
On Tuesday, I went to a wake.
On Wednesday, my officemate and I had our physical exam to check if we're fit to work-out.
On Thursday, I went to another wake.
And now, I'm here at Asian Hospital waiting for my doctor for my annual exam. And tomorrow, it'll be another busy day as we'll be out of the house again.
Hope next week won't be this exhausting.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Childhood Friends
My memory is not dependable nowadays but I do know that I had a happy childhood.
My siblings and I would spend most of it outside our house playing with the other kids in the neighborhood. We would play patintero, pico, habulan or whatever game we could think of until the sun would go down. Our maid/yaya would yell out threats from inside the house as we refused to come in even when it's our bedtime.
In the early 90's, our playmates from the corner house had to move away. I remember missing them so much. I have this vivid sensory memory of their house always smelling like newly baked cookies or cakes. I thought we would never see them again but apparently, the world is not as big as I thought it is.
A few days ago, I was looking for a person in the village who can bake Basti's 2nd birthday cake. As we won't have a party, I just wanted a simple cake for him. Googled spewed out Bohemia Cakes which apparently had an address which is 2 houses away from our home. I asked my husband and in-laws and though they know about the house, they're not aware that there's a bakery there.
I searched for the owner's name and a familiar name popped up. Through the wonders of Mark Zuckerberg's creation called Facebook, I was able to find a name to match the face. My memory was then kicking my brain telling me that I know this person and everything connected. I was still not yet 100% sure if she's my childhood friend so I sent her a message in Facebook. She replied a few minutes later with an affirmative.
Like someone who's suffering from amnesia, bits and pieces of our childhood came trickling back--the scent of their home, the games we used to play...but basically how happy we were.
A few more FB messages, we managed to set a time and I just came back from having tea with her. I saw her mom, brother and dad and they're the same welcoming people who I met years and years ago.
It was great to see her again and I can't wait to reconnect with her. We spent more than an hour catching up and she invited me back to their house. I can't wait to go back.
My siblings and I would spend most of it outside our house playing with the other kids in the neighborhood. We would play patintero, pico, habulan or whatever game we could think of until the sun would go down. Our maid/yaya would yell out threats from inside the house as we refused to come in even when it's our bedtime.
In the early 90's, our playmates from the corner house had to move away. I remember missing them so much. I have this vivid sensory memory of their house always smelling like newly baked cookies or cakes. I thought we would never see them again but apparently, the world is not as big as I thought it is.
A few days ago, I was looking for a person in the village who can bake Basti's 2nd birthday cake. As we won't have a party, I just wanted a simple cake for him. Googled spewed out Bohemia Cakes which apparently had an address which is 2 houses away from our home. I asked my husband and in-laws and though they know about the house, they're not aware that there's a bakery there.
I searched for the owner's name and a familiar name popped up. Through the wonders of Mark Zuckerberg's creation called Facebook, I was able to find a name to match the face. My memory was then kicking my brain telling me that I know this person and everything connected. I was still not yet 100% sure if she's my childhood friend so I sent her a message in Facebook. She replied a few minutes later with an affirmative.
Like someone who's suffering from amnesia, bits and pieces of our childhood came trickling back--the scent of their home, the games we used to play...but basically how happy we were.
A few more FB messages, we managed to set a time and I just came back from having tea with her. I saw her mom, brother and dad and they're the same welcoming people who I met years and years ago.
It was great to see her again and I can't wait to reconnect with her. We spent more than an hour catching up and she invited me back to their house. I can't wait to go back.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Travel Kuwento: Hongkong Dec 3-5, 2010 DAY 3
We were leaving on the last flight back to Manila on Sunday night. We opted to check out early though so we can still go around Hongkong without worrying our check-out time.
As tradition, hubby took a picture of our hotel room and the view. This is what the view from our room looks like:
Apparently, there are no houses in HK, just condos.
We decided to go to Hongkong Island and ride the tram going up to the Peak or ride the never-ending escalators. Instead of the MTR, we decided to take the ferry just to see how it's like and also to see the famous Hongkong skyline from the sea. This is my picture with my husband posing with the Hongkong Island harbor behind us:
After treating my family to lunch at a fastfood place, the siblings wanted to return to Temple Street to see if we can score more finds. After meeting up with an old friend who is based in the country, we then took the MTR up to Jordan Street where we walked towards Temple Street.
After buying more pasalubongs, we had an early dinner at one of the food stalls there and proceeded back to the hotel where we retrieved our baggage and waited for our shuttle to pick us up and bring us to the airport.
It was an exhausting trip. Moreover that we had to watch over my siblings who are not familiar visiting a foreign city. It was fun though experiencing these things with my family. We're already looking forward to the next trip--wherever that may be.
As tradition, hubby took a picture of our hotel room and the view. This is what the view from our room looks like:
Apparently, there are no houses in HK, just condos.
We decided to go to Hongkong Island and ride the tram going up to the Peak or ride the never-ending escalators. Instead of the MTR, we decided to take the ferry just to see how it's like and also to see the famous Hongkong skyline from the sea. This is my picture with my husband posing with the Hongkong Island harbor behind us:
After treating my family to lunch at a fastfood place, the siblings wanted to return to Temple Street to see if we can score more finds. After meeting up with an old friend who is based in the country, we then took the MTR up to Jordan Street where we walked towards Temple Street.
After buying more pasalubongs, we had an early dinner at one of the food stalls there and proceeded back to the hotel where we retrieved our baggage and waited for our shuttle to pick us up and bring us to the airport.
It was an exhausting trip. Moreover that we had to watch over my siblings who are not familiar visiting a foreign city. It was fun though experiencing these things with my family. We're already looking forward to the next trip--wherever that may be.
Planners Galore!
Taking a break from the Travel Kuwento, I'm giving away 3 planners as shown below:
My #1 New Year's resolution is to declutter and I'm giving, throwing, selling away some stuff. I've already cleaned out my closet and vanity table. I still have tons of stuff to clean but at least, I've started.
If you want any of the above planners, send an email to cdsangalang at gmail to com. Unfortunately, this is for meet-ups only in Makati or Alabang area.
My #1 New Year's resolution is to declutter and I'm giving, throwing, selling away some stuff. I've already cleaned out my closet and vanity table. I still have tons of stuff to clean but at least, I've started.
If you want any of the above planners, send an email to cdsangalang at gmail to com. Unfortunately, this is for meet-ups only in Makati or Alabang area.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Travel Kuwento: Hongkong Dec 3-5, 2010 DAY 2
We all woke up late Saturday morning. But the kids were up early as they know that Saturday is their date with Mickey Mouse and Friends. Yes, it's the day that we will all finally set foot (except for hubby) on Disneyland! Yahoo!
Everyone has been looking forward to this day, especially the kids. I was also excited (although trying to be nonchalant about it) as I was not able to visit Disneyland when I was in the US 20+ years ago. I've been pretty sore about it and I was so glad to be given the chance to visit the Magical Kingdom.
After a quick breakfast at McDonald's, we took two taxis which brought us to the MTR station where we can catch a train which would take us to Sunny Bay station. From there, we will board another train which will bring us to tadah! Disneyland resort.
The Disneyland train gave us our first flavor of Disney. From the mouse-shaped windows and handles (as seen below) to the statues on the train.
When we got off the Disneyland station, the kids were jumping up and down with excitement. We paused to get our bearings and walked towards the direction of the park. Lo and behold, this was the sign that greeted us and my heart skipped with delight. This was our first stop of non-stop picture-taking for the day:
We entered the archway and all around us, we could hear Christmas music and Disney songs. Magic is definitely in the air and it brought out the kid in all of us. More than a hundred meters down, this fountain of Mickey surfing on top of a whale greeted us:
It was another round of scurrying to get FB-worthy shots and that was mine above. A few more minutes later, I told everyone that the whale was not the reason why we went to Disney. So a few more shots later, we turned right and followed the crowd which led us to the park gates.
According to my hubby, HK Disneyland is the smallest Disneyland there is as it only has 4 attractions: Main Street (bottom), Adventureland (left), Fantasyland (top) and Tomorrowland (right). Map is taken from themeparkbrochures.net.
At Main Street, everyone wanted to look at the souvenirs first but I said we'll just buy before we go home. As we're still at a loss on what to do, we decided to ride the train and see the whole park. From there, we'll just choose which attraction to go to next.
From the train, we decided to ride the Dumbo ride at Tomorrowland. After that somewhat boring ride (we barely got off the floor), we decided to have lunch. I chose the Mickey Mouse waffle below:
After lunch, we decided to try Tomorrowland. I couldn't resist having this photo with the orb where I could literally say, Pasan ko ang daigdig (I carry the world).
Since the waiting time for the ride was still long, we decided to line up with the photo op with Buzz Lightyear:
I also had one with the statue:
We finally got into Space Mountain and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. It was an indoor rollercoaster and you cannot see a thing inside except for "stars", "moons", etc. You don't know whether you'll be turning or falling or rising or whatever. It adds to the thrill. It's not surprising that we look like this:
After the ride, we saw a booth outside selling ice creams and I just had to buy this one:
We were fast getting tired so we hurried off to Fantasyland but the lines were too long. We just posed for pictures at the houses and Sleeping Beauty's (or was that Cinderella) castle below and walked to Adventureland.
At Adventureland, there was Tarzan's tree house(below) where we had to ride a raft to get to his treehouse.
We were all just so tired by then that we decided to go home (but not before buying our souvenirs first). I went gaga over the coin press machines as I remember playing with them when I was in Vegas 20+ years ago.
All I wanted was to go back to the hotel and sleep but my family had other ideas. They wanted to go to Temple Street to look for more bargains. As I was overruled by the majority, we took the train to Jordan where we looked for a place where we can rest. We ended up at this "authentic" Peking restaurant where we ended up paying for a lauriat meal that we barely enjoyed. We found the peking duck delicious though--as modeled by my sister below:
We then trudged off to Temple Street where we browsed through the famous night market. Unfortunately, after a few meters, I just gave up that I sat down literally on the street. I was so tired and cranky and all I wanted to sleep.
Everyone thankfully agreed to go back to the hotel where we went off to our own rooms. The next day, I learned that my siblings left their kids with my dad who babysat them and went back to Temple Street to do more shopping.
Anyway, that's it for Day 2. Day 3 will hopefully follow tomorrow.
Everyone has been looking forward to this day, especially the kids. I was also excited (although trying to be nonchalant about it) as I was not able to visit Disneyland when I was in the US 20+ years ago. I've been pretty sore about it and I was so glad to be given the chance to visit the Magical Kingdom.
After a quick breakfast at McDonald's, we took two taxis which brought us to the MTR station where we can catch a train which would take us to Sunny Bay station. From there, we will board another train which will bring us to tadah! Disneyland resort.
The Disneyland train gave us our first flavor of Disney. From the mouse-shaped windows and handles (as seen below) to the statues on the train.
When we got off the Disneyland station, the kids were jumping up and down with excitement. We paused to get our bearings and walked towards the direction of the park. Lo and behold, this was the sign that greeted us and my heart skipped with delight. This was our first stop of non-stop picture-taking for the day:
We entered the archway and all around us, we could hear Christmas music and Disney songs. Magic is definitely in the air and it brought out the kid in all of us. More than a hundred meters down, this fountain of Mickey surfing on top of a whale greeted us:
It was another round of scurrying to get FB-worthy shots and that was mine above. A few more minutes later, I told everyone that the whale was not the reason why we went to Disney. So a few more shots later, we turned right and followed the crowd which led us to the park gates.
According to my hubby, HK Disneyland is the smallest Disneyland there is as it only has 4 attractions: Main Street (bottom), Adventureland (left), Fantasyland (top) and Tomorrowland (right). Map is taken from themeparkbrochures.net.
At Main Street, everyone wanted to look at the souvenirs first but I said we'll just buy before we go home. As we're still at a loss on what to do, we decided to ride the train and see the whole park. From there, we'll just choose which attraction to go to next.
From the train, we decided to ride the Dumbo ride at Tomorrowland. After that somewhat boring ride (we barely got off the floor), we decided to have lunch. I chose the Mickey Mouse waffle below:
After lunch, we decided to try Tomorrowland. I couldn't resist having this photo with the orb where I could literally say, Pasan ko ang daigdig (I carry the world).
Since the waiting time for the ride was still long, we decided to line up with the photo op with Buzz Lightyear:
I also had one with the statue:
We finally got into Space Mountain and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. It was an indoor rollercoaster and you cannot see a thing inside except for "stars", "moons", etc. You don't know whether you'll be turning or falling or rising or whatever. It adds to the thrill. It's not surprising that we look like this:
After the ride, we saw a booth outside selling ice creams and I just had to buy this one:
We were fast getting tired so we hurried off to Fantasyland but the lines were too long. We just posed for pictures at the houses and Sleeping Beauty's (or was that Cinderella) castle below and walked to Adventureland.
At Adventureland, there was Tarzan's tree house(below) where we had to ride a raft to get to his treehouse.
We were all just so tired by then that we decided to go home (but not before buying our souvenirs first). I went gaga over the coin press machines as I remember playing with them when I was in Vegas 20+ years ago.
All I wanted was to go back to the hotel and sleep but my family had other ideas. They wanted to go to Temple Street to look for more bargains. As I was overruled by the majority, we took the train to Jordan where we looked for a place where we can rest. We ended up at this "authentic" Peking restaurant where we ended up paying for a lauriat meal that we barely enjoyed. We found the peking duck delicious though--as modeled by my sister below:
We then trudged off to Temple Street where we browsed through the famous night market. Unfortunately, after a few meters, I just gave up that I sat down literally on the street. I was so tired and cranky and all I wanted to sleep.
Everyone thankfully agreed to go back to the hotel where we went off to our own rooms. The next day, I learned that my siblings left their kids with my dad who babysat them and went back to Temple Street to do more shopping.
Anyway, that's it for Day 2. Day 3 will hopefully follow tomorrow.
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