Angel and the Flip

On the last day of work before Christmas, Angel tagged along to our office to join us in a sort of Christmas party in the afternoon. To keep her busy and at the same time leave me alone while I worked in the morning, I asked her to take a video of all of my officemates. It was the first time my daughter had the chance to use the Flip.

The Flip Video Ultra HD Video Camera (3rd Generation) was sent by my sister from the States this month. We bought it from Amazon via credit card and had it mailed to her postal address in California. The video cam is easy to operate that my daughter had a blast using it. There are no other buttons to use except the red one to record and stop and of course the on/off switch.

photo courtesy of  http://www.bhphotovideo.com   

Zugbu Liempo: Tastier than Cebu Lechon?

We were finally able to use the voucher, worth P300 of Zugbu Liempo, which I bought for P50. I had made an earlier post about this. It was an unplanned purchase.

Earlier, we left SM MOA at around 6:30 PM and found ourselves in an almost standstill when we reached the Macapagal corner EDSA as the traffic was really heavy. Thinking of another way to get home in the Bicutan area, we weighed our options. First, we continue with EDSA and hope that traffic lightens up after EDSA corner Taft. Second, we turn left in Macapagal Avenue and right to Gil Puyat (Buendia) Avenue passing by a Bazaar in World Trade Center until we reached SLEX. And thirdly, do a  u-turn at the slot in front of Heritage Hotel and turn right to Roxas Boulevard and turn right again at Libertad Street going straight until we reached SLEX.

Burgoo: Not your average burger restaurant

The first time we ate at Burgoo, I thought that it was a play on the word burger and specializes in tt. It does serve burgers and a whole lot more American food. Burgoo, I was to find out later in the Burgoo's website, is a stew which originated from Kentucky and originally was prepared using different meat, which includes goat, squirrel, deer or any game caught during the day and mixed with different vegetables, herbs and spices.

The first time we ate there was when we used a voucher from the kit of the SM Advantage Card (SMAC). I think you get an entree of similar value free when you order at least one entree. We ordered their Boneless Buffalo Chicken (BBC) and Supreme Sampler. We got a pizza for free. We never got a chance to dine in there until now. Angel particularly liked the BBC and whenever we are in SM MOA and asked her what she wants for lunch she would always mention Burgoo because of that chicken.

Staycationing

I recently heard from a TV news program about the word above. The news reported that it is the latest trend in vacation in  Metro Manila where families stay in hotels and resorts within the same locality instead of going out-of-town.

photo courtesy of www.abs-cbnnews.com

Quickie Trip to Bais City

On our last day in Dumaguete, we went to Bais City to check out the White Sand Bar. Since our flight is not until 4:45 PM, we negotiated with a multi-cab driver, Christian, to take us to Bais and back and drop us off at the airport later in the afternoon. As agreed upon the night before, it was still dark when our driver picked us up at the hotel for the more than 1 hour trip to Bais.

Some portions of the road going to Bais are being concreted hence we encountered some traffic along the way. 

Angel's 10th Birthday Celebration in Dumaguete City

On the third day of our vacation, we returned to Dumaguete to celebrate Angel's 10th Birthday. We usually go out-of-town during the end of November as part of Angel's birthday.

After our Siquijor trip, we requested Bethel Guest House to have their shuttle pick us up at the pier. After checking in, I went down to Shakey's Restaurant which is just across the hotel to buy pizzas. Fortunately, I have a Pizzanatic Super Card, so I ordered a large Hi Protein thin crust pizza and got a large pepperoni pizza for free. Lunch is served.

Sidetrip to the Enchanting Island of Siquijor

When I told my friends that we have included Siquijor as part of our itinerary, some had advised us against it as the island, as they claim, is full of witchcraft and some danger may befall us. Actually, we had planned to exclude Siquijor altogether not because of the witchcraft but because of the weather forecast that it will be rainy and crossing the sea might not be advisable after all.

We went anyway and caught the 6 AM trip (Mondays only) via Delta Fast Ferry. The fare is P120 for the 6AM trip, while the other trips cost P160. I asked the ticket seller why the difference and I was told it's the "policy." Fine with us as long as we get to the island earlier and faster as it takes around 45 minutes to cross the sea.

Visit to the Land of the Gentle People - Dumaguete City

The trip to Dumaguete City was not really in our plans when we bought it last June. The only reasons why we purchased it was due to the Zero Fare promo (which actually cost  P2,429 for a return trip for the three of us) of Cebu Pacific and the birthday of my daughter falls on the said dates of our travel, as well as the 30th of November being a holiday. This means that we only have two days to go on leave. Our trip is from November 27 to 30.

With our trip finally booked, we started searching the internet on places to see and visit and at the same time wouldn't cost us a lot as our travel funds for the year had already been depleted as a result of some trips we made: Baguio City in February, Boracay in April, and Cagayan de Oro/Camiguin in August.

Craving for Barbecue at SM Bicutan

Because our household help went for a day off today, we decided to dine out. No more cooking and cleaning the dishes afterwards. Since we are flying to Dumaguete tomorrow, we went to the SM Bicutan Mall to do some last minute shopping for things to bring.

We have seen Reyes Barbecue at the lower ground of the mall for quite some time now, but never actually ate there. It either KFC or Shakey's Pizza which are just beside the barbecue restaurant. This time we gave it a try.

I ordered a two-piece pork barbecue with an extra java rice, while my wife ordered a half liempo.  Our daughter ordered the burger meal. All were served with java rice. Except for my daughter, we also had peanut sauce (unlimited daw) and a small serving of atchara (pickled vegetables).

Shakin' at Shakey's - How I Spent My Birthday

Today, I turn 49 and I don't really feel my age. Parang 48 pa rin ako, he he he. Anyway, my wife asked me what my plans are for this special day. I told her that I was not feeling well and would just like to attend mass at our neighborhood mall, SM Bicutan, have lunch and do our regular grocery shopping.

Since it was still early after the mass ended, we went to our friendly photo shop, Picture City, and had a family photo taken for posterity. The package for five shots with 20 wallet size photos and one 8 x 10 blow up picture cost us a whopping P150. Add another P20 to get a copy on a CD.

A Family Get-Together

Our family tries to find excuses to have a get-together. November is a special month for us. Four out of the five siblings celebrate birthdays on this month. My brother celebrates his on the 4th, a sister on the 9th, me on the 13th, and our youngest sister who is in the US on the 26th. Today, we decided to jointly celebrate my sister who celebrated her birthday last Nov. 9 and mine. My brother had earlier celebrated his the previous weekend.

After Angel's violin lessons, we went to buy pork barbecue (P17 per stick) and pichi-pichi with cheese (P200 for 40 pcs.) at Amber along Filmore St. in Makati City. The place has improved a lot since the first time we visited the place. It's brighter and looks cleaner.

the makati branch is near Cash and Carry

the counter for dine-in and take-outs

Renewing your driver's license

It had been almost three years since I last renewed my non-professional driver's license (DL) and I had already forgotten what to do. All I know is that doing it in one of LTO's Driver's License Renewal Center (DLRC) is convenient and fast.

My suggestion is to call the DLRC you are going to, to confirm what time they close and suggest that you arrive there about one hour before closing time. When I called up the one at SM Manila I was told that they usually close at 7PM, but for the month of November they close at 5 PM because they have to practice for the cheerleading contest for their family day.

It beats going to a regular LTO Office, which was where I went when I returned from a 1 1/2 year stay in Australia in 2006. I was penalized then due to an expired license. The LTO office in FTI was hot, had long lines and so slow.

A Day at the SM Mall of Asia

During the All Saint's Day holiday, my daughter, her cousin who lives in Quezon City and their 2nd degree niece from Pangil, Laguna talked about going to the SM Mall of Asia to go skating there the following weekend, just before the semestral break ends. We agreed for them to have one last get-together before school starts.

The SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City at the end of EDSA is considered one of the biggest mall in the world, and has the largest skating rink in Southeast Asia.

We arrived at the mall a little after 10 and we immediately bought an all-day ticket (P390) to the skating rink. She went ahead while waiting for her two companions. However, their arrival was delayed as one of our daughter's cousin's father had to run some errand.

How I was able to buy a P300 voucher for P50

It has been a long time since I had availed of those discount vouchers being sold by a lot of online companies. The other day, I saw an item from Ensogo which sells a P300 voucher from Zugbu Liempo for P150. 

What, where or who in the world is Batangala?

The Office of the President has suspended today, 27 September 2011, work in all government offices due to typhoon Pedring. With a lot of time in my hands, I tried googling the word batangala and found these entries:

I tried to click the first entry which, however, flagged a "trojan horse" so I didn't continue with it. It appears to be in Spanish though.

Angel's Violin Recital 2011

Angel had her last violin recital for this semester yesterday at the St. Scholastica's College of Manila - School of Music, in their newly built SOM Building. I think this was the biggest one we have attended as there were more than 20 students who played individually. There were also group performances according to their level. I am not sure but I think its beginner, intermediate, advance, etc.

Angel started her formal violin lessons last year when she was in Grade 3. She already had a violin when she was still in Kindergarten but we had a hard time finding someone to teach her. We did find someone from the ads but that didn't work well.

Jump for Joy

Through the years of our travels, I discovered that we had taken some jumping pictures. Inspired in part by Jumping Norman, I've tried browsing through our old digital pictures and rediscovered some of them. Surprisingly, I have no recollection of taking jumping photos during our more than 1 1/2 years stay in Australia from 2005 to 2006. And unfortunately, I have no photos taken prior to owning a digital camera since most of those "hard" copies were either lost or mutilated. 

Digital photography has made jump shots easier as you can immediately see if you took the right one and repeat it right away, if not. Of course, that is if the subjects are still willing to jump.

Good Shepherd, Baguio City, February 2007

Sound Scapes: PPO's 29th Season Concert

Last Friday, we went to the Cultural Center of the Philippines to watch the opening concert of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra's 29th Season entitled Sound Scapes. My wife, daughter and I bought subscription packages for 4 shows. Students and government employees get 50% and 20% discount, respectively.

I have to be honest that we are not into classical music but we bought the season passes just the same to encourage as well as inspire our daughter with her violin lessons.

Buon Giorno Don Henrico

It has been ages since we last ate at Don Henrico's (not counting the birthday party we attended at DH in Tomas Morato Avenue a couple of months ago). In fact, the last time we ate pizza here was when it had an "Eat All You Can Pizza" promo at the Festival Mall several years ago. We've always passed by the one in SM MOA but had never actually tried it.

Today, we finally had lunch there. The owner (I think because he was not in uniform and kept on giving instructions to the wait staff) greeted us at the door and asked us to take a seat while our table is being cleaned and prepared. He gave us a menu so that we can check out what we would order later.

CDO: On the road with Mang Lito

Mang Lito was someone we met on our last day in Cagayan de Oro. We hailed his cab just across the Vjandep Bakeshop along Bulua Highway to take us to Gaisano Mall (it opens at amazingly 9AM). When we were near the mall, I casually asked him how much it would cost to take us to the Divine Mercy Shrine in El Salvador, Misamis Oriental and just show us around CDO and finally take us to the airport for our flight back to Manila at 4:50 PM. He asked for P1000. I asked for his mobile number and told him that I will send him an SMS in case we need his services.

We waited for the mall to open and did some last minute shopping. We finally decided to txt him and asked that we be picked up at 10AM in a gasoline station near the mall. He answered back immediately that he can fetch us right away. But with some more things to buy, we stuck to our original schedule.

Panagatan: Lunch by the Sea

On our last day in Cagayan de Oro, we decided to squeeze in a visit to the Malasag Eco-tourism Village and the Shrine of the Divine Mercy.

Divisoria Night Cafe and Market in CDO, not in Manila

When one hears Divisoria in the Philippines, what comes to mind to most people is that bargain hunter's paradise in Manila where one can stretch his last peso to the limit.

However, the Divisoria we visited recently is the one in Cagayan de Oro and it is their Night Cafe and Market which is open for business only on Friday and Saturday nights. The place around Plaza Divisoria is full of food stalls selling mostly inihaw (barbecued) pork, chicken, and seafoods. while on the other side of the street, dry goods such as clothes, dvds, etc. are sold.

Big Flat Bread - CDO's Answer to Yellow Cab?

On our last night in Cagayan de Oro, we went to the Limketkai Mall to have dinner.  Our daughter wanted to have Yellow Cab Pizza but we told her that we can always have it in Manila. Across the North Concourse of the mall is a line of restaurants and we saw this pizza joint which we was new to us.

The name of the place was Big Flat Bread and they offer their pizzas in 3 sizes: big (12 inches), bigger (18 inches), and biggest (30 inches).

Camiguin: Come Again

Our trip to Cagayan de Oro/Camiguin this last week of August 2011 started when we bought our plane tickets from Air Philippines last November 2010 at P886 per person for a round trip ticket. On the second day of our trip, we took a taxi going to the Agora Terminal where Bachelor Tour buses bound for Butuan City, which passes Balingoan port, wait for passengers. The travel time is about 2 hours and it costs P140 per person.

Upon arrival at the Balingoan bus terminal, one has the option to take a tricycle (P8) or just walk towards the pier. There is a terminal fee of P2.25 and the ro-ro fare is P170.

the ro-ro that will take us to camiguin

Malacanang Museum Tour

It's been a long time since I've visited the Malacanang Palace. When the tour was still free and you get to visit the rooms of the Marcoses, including the Ceremonial Hall, Heroes Hall, etc.

Now, the Palace is no longer open to the public. Instead, a Presidential Museum and Library was established in the nearby Kalayaan Hall, which is just beside the Palace, where memorabilia from the former Presidents are displayed. It is no longer free (P50) and you have to set up an appointment 7 working days prior to the visit.

For those who are interested in visiting the museum, I have attached the request form. Just print and fill it up and email it to the presidentialmuseum@yahoo.com

Papa John's Pizza

We finally had a chance to eat at Papa John's at the University Mall near DLSU. Having a difficult time finding parking space near St. Scholastica's College, I decided to park at the Mall (parking fee is P40 for the first 2 hours, and P10 per succeeding hour).

Saturdays are spent in Angel's school for her violin lessons. After her individual and group lessons, we went to look somewhere to have lunch. Most of the fastfood restaurants are full, so we chose to try out Papa John's instead. I first saw the pizza joint on History Channel which featured their delivery system.

Visit to the Land of the Kiwis

We were able to visit New Zealand (NZ) in February 2006 during school break at the University of Queensland. We had saved enough funds from  my wife's full time job at the Queensland University of Technology and my summer job at an electronic assembly company to have this vacation. We got a promo fare from the Virgin Blue/Polynesian Blue for our Brisbane-Auckland-Brisbane flight.

To get our NZ visa, all we had to do was send by mail a self-addressed stamped envelope, our passports, bank statement, flight itinerary and the application form to the NZ Consular Office in Sydney and waited for a week to get our approved visa.

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We booked a cab the night before our departure to pick us up at our apartment in St. Lucia. The trip to the Brisbane International Airport was quite lively, with the cab driver doing most of the talking. He narrated that he originally was from England and that he arrived in Brisbane almost penniless and how he began as a baker until he met his wife and got different jobs. Now retired, he drives the cab part-time for the extra income.

After checking-in at the airport, we waited at the lounge's floor for lack of available seats.

Our two week trip around Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne

I was fortunate enough to be given a scholarship to finish my masteral degree at the University of Queensland in 2005. My family joined me in Australia about 2 months after I got there. My wife wanted to visit her sister in Melbourne but lack of funds made us defer the trip.

We started planning on how to go there the cheapest way we can. It was then that I came about the website of CountryLink which offered a travel pass where one can travel almost anywhere between Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne by train/bus for two weeks for about A$200. The pass comes with four bonus CityRail passes. First there's a DayTripper ticket so you can travel all day on Sydney trains, buses and ferries. Next is a return bus/train ticket to the famous Bondi Beach. And then there is a return train tickets to Katoomba, heart of the scenic Blue Mountains. You can choose between making a day trip or staying in the mountains for longer. The good thing with the pass is my daughter travels for free since she was less than 6 years old then.

Weekend at the Luxe

We stayed at the Luxe Residences in Global City, Taguig this weekend, where they have 12 units of hotel rooms located on the 8th and 9th floor. The rest are condominium units, of which some are for long term lease. We had a 2 night stay there for the price of one night based on their rack rate which we got from an internet-based travel agency. I'd rather not mention or promote their name because of the way we were treated when we booked for our stay, the experience of which I don't want other to undergo too, he he he.

courtesy of global city hotel, http://www.globalcityhotel.com/location/

The checking in was kinda awkward. I had to park my car outside the hotel while I register. After filling up a form and given a choice to put a P2000 deposit or a valid id, the key was finally given to the hotel staff and that's when I got to park on the 3rd floor of the Luxe. The hotel staff was waiting at the parking area to carry our things which was only a backpack plus our two laptops.

Weekend Market @ Mercato Centrale

We finally had a chance to visit Mercato at the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) when we stayed at the  Global City Hotel (Luxe Residences) this weekend. The place is about 10 minutes walk from the hotel. 

The Luxe Residences on the left.

It's easy to navigate the streets in the BGC because the streets and avenues are perpendicular to each other and are numberd sequentially, i.e., 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. Walking also gave us a chance to explore the place.

Goodbye Harry Potter, at last!

I am really not a big fan of Harry Potter (well, maybe he was cute when the series started, he he he) but my wife and daughter really liked him a lot. My wife so much so that she read almost all the HP books, which she borrowed from the public library while we were still in Australia.

I really have no choice but to watch the last HP movie with my wife and daughter at the Resorts World Manila cinema located on the 4th Floor of the RWM mall. We got there at around 1:15 PM and long line had already formed waiting to buy their tickets. All the four cinemas were showing the same movie. I would have preferred the Transformers, if only given the chance.

Tsugi sa Tsujiki - Turning Japanese

We had a chance to use the voucher my wife won in a raffle in the office. It was set meals for two at either the Cafe in the Park or the Century Tsujiki Japanese Restaurant at the Century Park Hotel. My wife chose to have Japanese.

We parked just across the hotel in the parking lot of Harrison Plaza and walked a few steps before reaching the entrance to the lobby. The Century Tsujiki is just to the right once you enter the building. As you enter the restaurant you are greeted by a samurai costume encased in glass and the staff with the usual "irashaimase" (or something like that).

samurai costume welcoming you

Pancitan sa United

Our househelp had left us two days ago and so we are again to become regular patrons of Bahay Pancitan, our friendly neigborhood food joint., here at United Hills Village in Paranaque City. We regularly go there, though not as often as when we lose our helper at home. The food is good, the price is right and its one of the nearest one in our place.

 They specialize in different pancits ( malabon,bihon, canton, miki bihon, etc.) in bilaos with prices ranging from P190 (good for 4) to the biggest at P675 (good for 20.

Discovering the Discovery Suites

We celebrated Father's Day, which was one week late, by staying overnight at the Discovery Suites in the Ortigas Center, which is just a few blocks away from the SM Megamall and just across the Podium. You get to park for free at the basement level 3 and 4. The driveway was too narrow that we had observed a lot of scratches on the wall at the turns, probably from cars who miscalculated their driving going down. After finding a suitable parking slot, we took the elevator going to the ground level where the Reception area is. When we got there, lots of people were waiting in line to check in. After getting our electronic key and the breakfast stub, we took another elevator going up to our room on the 16th floor.

checking in

Hungry for a Hungarian?

 were finally able to use our vouchers for Hero sausages when we went to the Ayala Center in Makati. Found in the Food Choices  in Glorietta 4, we missed it the first time we went around the food court because it had transferred its location from the last time we went there.

We bought the 2 vouchers at Metro Deal for P133 each.  A voucher is good for 2 sausage sandwiches with drinks. After presenting our vouchers, we had to wait for about 15 minutes as there were other people ahead of us who had ordered rice meals, that is java rice with slices of sausages. The sausages are deep fried which I guess is really not that good for the heart, he he he. I think this was just the second time I had Hero sausage and the first time for my wife and daughter.

crew posing for our daughter

Kainan sa Paete, Laguna - Capati Kainan

What does one do when one didn't take lunch because he was in a hurry to get to church as the wedding invitation says the ceremony starts at 1PM but in reality is scheduled at 2PM? That's what happened to us last Saturday, we got to the church before 1 PM, realizing later that no wedding was to take place as indicated in the inviation.

the facade of the church

Zero Plane Fare: Is it worth it?

Cebu Pacific had announced yesterday in their website that they are offering ZERO fare to all domestic and international destinations up to June 10 or until seats last. I have always seen this advertisements but somehow haven't really availed of it. It's either all those zero fare seats are already sold out (maybe they just offered 1 or 2 seats per flight and were already taken by friends of Cebu Pac employees who have advanced info?) or you get a zero fare one way but have to pay full fare on your return trip or vice versa.

End of Summer Outing: Palms Country Club

PAGASA has declared that the start of the rainy season has began. Before the start of the school year, we decided to use the vouchers we bought earlier from Beeconomic. Each cost P250 and entitled one to the use the pool and gym at the Palms Country Club in Alabang. Aside from this, each of us were also given a coupon which can be used to buy food worth P500 at the Cafe Asiana.  Among Angel, Vangie and I, we had P1,500 to spend for food for the day.

TGIF: Saucemate Resto Bar

Having no househelp for the past month now, we usually eat out for dinner since we're already exhausted from work to cook when we get home. Last Friday, we decided to eat at Saucemate Resto Bar, which is near the workplace of my wife in Newport. We wouldn't have known about the restaurant hadn't my wife's officemate, who lives near the place, told her about it. With our daughter, we got there at around 8 pm.

Courtesy of Google Maps (http://maps.google.com/)

Mother's Day at Cerealicious

This year, we decided to celebrate Mother's Day at Cerealicious Cafe in SM Megamall . Having earlier bought a P300 voucher from Beeconomic which can purchase food and drinks worth P600, we decided to use it for this occassion.

We thought that going to the mall would be a breeze considering that it was a Manny Paquiao fight day and just like before, most of the roads are free of traffic because almost all are glued to their televisions to watch Pacman fight Mosley.

Little did we know that all of the people would be going to SM Megamall probably to watch the fight in one of the cinemas. All the parking spaces were full and we were lucky enough to find a space in front of the supermarket where the security guard allowed us to park. Convenient and free parking, wow!

Paradise Revisted - Boracay

We always dreamt of returning to Boracay eversince my family went there 7 years ago. Plane fares were expensive then and we were a lot more adventurous that we decided to try the nautical super highway or via bus and ro-ro ships passing thru Mindoro.

The opportunity came when I booked last year for our flight to Boracay this April 10-13, 2011. The fare costs less than P2,000 for a round trip ticket per person. We flew to Boracay via Caticlan using the turbo prop plane and returned to Manila via Kalibo, which is about 2 hours away from Boracay.

Happy Tenth Wedding Anniversary

It has been ten years, last April 6, since we exchanged vows to love and cherish, till death do us part, etc., etc., etc. Thinking of something to surprise Vangie on our tenth wedding anniversary, i started planning on how to send her a singing telegram. The last time I did this was about 11 years ago before we were married.

Michelle behind my wife. Vangie



About 2 months before the event, I tried searching the internet for a singing telegram. Unfortunately, there are just a few people/or companies offering such service. Then I discovered Mr. Alex "Al-vis" Torres, an Elvis Presley impersonator who performs such service. He brings along a laptop where he displays a presentation while singing. I called him up and arranged for him to go to Marriot Hotel and deliver the "message".

With a singing telegram located, my next task was to find an accomplice in my wife's office who will help me make sure that my wife will be at the right place and time when Al-vis arrives. I emailed Michelle if she was willing to help me with my plan to which she enthusiatlically agreed. This started a month long correspondence between the two of us under my wife's nose.



So much to buy, so little money ...

Lately, I have been seeing a lot of ads on FB offering discounts up to 90% on fashion, food, travel, shows, cooking lessons, gym membership, etc.

Curious, last year I first tried Ensogo and purchased vouchers for Clawdaddy and Legend of India, using my debit card.

Ensogo also holds raffles for its members. I think the last raffle they have, which is still on-going, is for a travel; package to Cebu.

With my two purchases, I haven't encountered any problems. In fact I got my vouchers via email almost immediately after I paid for it.