after almost three long years..

i can't hide that i am suuuper excited for Kringle's birthday bash later. Not only because we're sure to have a blast @ gateway (reminiscing college days), but also because Ange will be able to join us!!


Ok, here's a little back story of our friendship..


We studied at the same university for four years, took the same course, we managed to 'interconnect' with each other's attitude, though at times we get pissed at each other..hehe.
Originally, there were four of us, Me, Kringles, Angelica and Diane. Then came Mara and the return of Jhoanna (its a li'l long and different story).


Moving on, we're gonna be having a good time later and hopefully time will permit us to cope with each other, especially Ange. (she's actually my college partner in crime).


Oh, how life runs fast..But still, in my thoughts, the mem'ries of my fun-dull-tiring-deadkid college life is worth keeping.
:D

(from the left) Kringles, Jho, Diane, Me, Mara and Angelica

just another stuff running inside my head..

Well.I wouldn't want to sound so emo and all but I really need to pacify my hurting heart by writing down what my agonistic mind feels. (hehe..ok, ako na madrama).


Have you ever felt like you have to choose? Like, choosing to stay on your comfort zone and just play spoiled brat, or leaving all the comforts and be independent and just grow up and mature on your own. Like, ok I am now old enough to spend my entire life making decisions for myself, I can stand on my own two feet now, I don't need my parents to spoil me with all the riches in the world just to be contented. I can now take care of myself, I can sustain my everyday living with my work!


But no. Why?
First and foremost, yes I have a job, but I admit, my income is not enough to rent a house.
Secondly, I need someone else to cook for me, Of course I can cook! (puro pa-fry-fry nga lang), I wouldn't want to eat fried hotdogs, fried sausages, fried eggs and all the fried food everyday! (baka naman manghina na ako sa sobrang nutritions na nakukuha ng katawan ko sa mga prito).
Third, I have to admit the fact that I can't really live without someone, kasi I'm scared being alone. I don't know, its not the ghosts and stuffs, its just the feeling of being alone..
Ok, I know eventually I have to face that fear. I have to learn how to be independent enough to live on my own. I have to have strong backbones enough to stand alone. Not because I need to prove the people around me something, its just another phase in an adult's life where you have to let go of all the comforts and enjoy the fact that you CAN be alone, without anyone to help you manage your expenses and all.
Ang sarap siguro ng feeling kapag alam mong lahat ng kinakain, binabayarang bills and tinitirhang bahay mo e matatawag mong sa'yo..as in, bunga ng pinaghirapan mo at hindi bunga ng paghihirap ng mga magulang mo..
:D

isang araw sa masikip na ep eks

Araw-araw simula nang magkolehiyo ako, sa "FX" ako sumasakay mula sa Deparo (lugar sa Caloocan North) patungong Cubao. Madali lang ang byahe, mga 45 minutes hanggang isang oras ang tinatakbo ng byahe ko araw-araw papunta at pabalik. nagiging 'hassle free' talaga kapag sa isang malamig at kumportableng sasakyan ka nakasakay tuwing papasok.


Ang problema nga lang e kapag nakaupo ka sa gitnang bahagi nitong sasakyang ito. Mapapa-tsk-tsk ka sa sikip lalo na kapag isang dabyana o isang lalaking napaka-insensitive ang makatabi mo. Kapag mataba, wala ka ng magagawa, kahit anong pilit niyang magpaliit, at umurong ng umurong, kahit pa gustuhin na nyang hatiin ang katawan nya, well atleast may effort diba? Yun nga lang, sana naisip nyang doon nalang sa likod umupo, mas maluwag, at hindi pa nya masisiksik ang katabi nya. Ang nakakainis e yung kapag isang lalaking napaka-ewan ang nakatabi mo. Tipong, kapag umayos lang siya ng upo niya e lahat kayo, kumportable ang upo. Pero dahil nga astig sya, ang sarap ng sandal nya, with matching bukaka pa at wagas na sandal sa sandalan. Ni hindi man lang ata nahahalata ng mokong na ito na halos itiklop mo na yung katawan mo magkasya lang sa upuan. Nakakainis kapag feel na feel mo ng onting usog mo nalang e baka sa kalsada ka na pulutin! Pero dahil nga hari ang katabi mo, wala kang rason para magreklamo (e kung sya kaya ang ihulog ko sa fx at ipasagasa sa rumaragasang bus??). Minsan naman e isang maarteng dilag ang makakatabi mo, pinapausog mo lang ng kahit kaunti para maisiksik mo ung pwit mo sa sasakyan e hindi gagalaw, kahit sigawan na ng drayber. Yun bang gustong gusto mo na sabihan ng "Ay, sosyal! Magtaxi ka nalang 'teh!", Inangkin na kasi yung buong upuan e! hehehe.


Meron pang mga nakakainis sa pagsakay sa FX, yung mga bata na malilikot, minsan nahuli ko na ang antok ko, biglang may nangangalkal ng bag ko, akala ko kung ano, yung bata pala, nangingialam ng gamit ko! Minsan naman yang mga batang yan, magsisisigaw, ang aga-aga, biglang sisigaw, sasabihin, "Ay mommy diba yan ung iskul ni Andrei", o kaya naman "Penge tubig, rararo ako, penge tubig". Nakakarindi kapag bigla nalang silang sisigaw! Di pa ata naturuan ng modulation of voice ng parents nila kapag nasa isang public transpo o lugar. pero walang mas nakaka-aning kapag biglang may umiyak na sanggol sa FX, tapos yung nanay, aawayin na rin ung bata kasi nga ayaw tumigil. "Ang kulit-kulit mo namang bata ka e!!Ihuhulog na kita d'yan! makita mo". Aba mommy, e lalo ngang iiyak yan! Try mo kayang padedehin o paypayan? Kung ayusin mo kaya ang pagkaka-kalong mo sakanya. Baka di lang kumportable sa pagkakaupo! Teka, mas nakakabadtrip pala kapag yung batang katabi mo e biglaang...sumuka!! Pati ikaw e babaliktad ang sikmura sa amoy ng sinuka nya! Mas badtrip kapag umamoy sa damit mo yung suka, at ang pinakabadtrip kung ikaw mismo ang nasukahan! Paktay ka diha!


Meron naman akong nakasakay, lalaki, sa gitnang upuan ng FX, aba, gentleman! hindi sya sumandal para nga naman ako ang makasandal! Ayos, may ganito pa pala sa panahon ngayon! Okay na sana kung hindi ko lang naramdaman yung siko niya na lumalapit sa dibdib ko! Siniko ko nga at ako ang hindi sumandal, sabay irap! (wow taray!). Hindi pa ata siya nakuntento sa pag siko ko sa kaniya, may naramdaman ako maya-mayang kamay malapit sa hita ko, ay "P*&@ng i$a, gera gusto!" Siniko ko nga uli sabay tingin sakanya, wow, tulug-tulugan. buti di  na nya inulit kundi matitikman na niya kamao ko.


May mga bagong usong PUV na ngayon na bumabyahe ng Deparo-Cubao, mga Van, Hi-Ace ba. Wala rin namang problema, mas malamig, mas malawak, mas bagong modelo at mas marami ang naisasakay. Minsang nagmamadali ako at wala ng ibang available na upuan, sa tabi ng drayber nalang ako naupo, sa harapan. Ganda sana ng byahe, swabe, mabilis, kitang kita mo yung daan, ang ganda ng windshield e, pero nung biglaang nagbreak si manong, aba dumausdos ako sa kinauupuan ko! Walang mahawakan, madulas pa yung slacks ko pamasok, buti nalang at naiapak ko yung paa ko sa ibaba ng Dashboard! Kung hindi, nakakahiya ang posisyon ko. hehehe


Maraming nangyayari sa araw-araw na pagbibyahe natin, marami tayong co-commuters na talagang pasaway. Pero kung maarte ka at ayaw mo ng ganito, e di bumili ka ng sarili mong sasakyan! (tulad ko, heheh). hindi maiiwasang may makairingan dahil sa maangas na pagkakaupo o sa maingay na katabi. hindi naman kasi lahat tayo ay pinanganak na pare-parehas. Maaaring ang okay lang sa kanya e kinababadtrip mo na pala. Kaya sa araw-araw, ipagpasa-Diyos na lamang natin lahat ng makakasabay natin. o-ha!

Underground River Tour

As I wake up early to ready myself for the last day of our Puerto Princesa escapade, I can't help but feel sad. I've been planning this vacation since February of the same year, I've been asking so many friends who have been there about the do's and don'ts, I surfed the net for reviews and blogs..and now..after my much awaited Underground River Tour, we'll be heading back home..:(

The third and final day is discovering the most popular tourist attraction of Puerto Princesa, Palawan. We will be heading to Subterranean River National Park where the Underground River resides. We woke up at 5:30 a.m. to pack all our things because after the tour, we'll go straight to the airport for our 5:30 p.m. flight back to Manila. We had longsilog for our breakfast, with our hot coffee and choc.

my breakfast plate 

fran pension cafeteria

outside the cafeteria

We took photos of the pension house, for remembrance. We went to the pool (i regret not dipping into it), and to the kubo infront of our room.

view of the pool

way to the pool

way to our room

tambayan just across our room

Kuya Peter (the tour guide) arrived at exactly 8:00 a.m. to pick us up.

bidding Fran Pension house goodbye..

inside the van, mga antok pa..

It was a rough 2 hour drive to the town of Sabang, the drop off point to the national park. On our way, we stopped by a breath-taking view from Buenavista View Deck.

View from the deck 

from the deck

After taking shots from the view deck, we proceeded to Sabang.

a cross on top

elephant-like mountain (ah basta mukha raw syang elepante)

When we reached the drop off point, we registered our names and waited for our designated boat. It was a 20-30minute boat ride from the mainland to the park. Many beautiful sceneries bumped our sight on our way to the Underground river.

Then, a sight of the park's seashore..

inviting..

We then alighted from the boat and took some pictures while waiting for our turn to sail inside the soon-to-be (one of the) 7 Wonders of the World.

the trail to the Underground River

ang galeng lang ng background e..hehe

And then, our turn to experience the beauty of the underground..

ang bunganga ng kuweba

about to enter the underworld..hehe

The boat used to sail the underground river is small, you have to balance yourselves inside the boat so as not to make it sink. Be advised that the entrance of the cave has this stinky smell of the bats' urine, who live inside the cave. There are these tour guides who'd paddle the boat and keep you entertained with their funny punch lines while explaining the limestones seen while you sail.

As we entered, limestones with different awesome shapes welcomed us. Its a bit scary inside, given that its a cave and its dark, (you only have this flashlight on the boat to light you),  you'll also never know how deep the river is. But still, its applauding beauty will never fail to catch your attention.

unicorn daw yun e..

sabi ni kuya raffy (bangkero), mga sitaw  yan..haha

another well-formed limestone sa 'palengke' sa loob ng underground

The tour lasted for about 30-45 minutes. Alas, I don't have (yet,hmmm..) this good camcorder or an SLR to record and capture the beauty I saw inside.

on our way out!!

After visiting the underworld, we headed to Sabang beach for our buffet lunch.

view of the Sabang beach

The place is astounding, of course, with its white sand and wide seashore. We enjoyed our buffet lunch by the sea. Then waited a little longer until the tour guide told us we had to go.

may 2 Korean nationals na raw na namatay kasi di sinunod ito

a scenic view after a bountiful lunch

ang ganda ng Palawan!

As we entered the van, and went to the airport, my heart aches in lonely, realizing that we'll be living this precious place we longed to visit.

Fritz with Kuya Peter, and our ever attentive driver

Sakto! We're 2 hours early for our flight, but then, our flight back will be delayed due to bad weather in Manila. So, while waiting for the flight, we chilled inside the Cafe and chitchatted about our trip.

with my mocha shake and chips

ang lalim ng iniisip nya rito!

Finally, after an hour of waiting, its time to go home. The escapade was far from what I have imagined. I did not just enjoyed it! I loved it! With all the great places we saw, (this is where I discovered the fun of snorkeling), all the bonding moments we had, the chismisan and laughs we had at the pension house.. its all worth every single penny we spent, its worth the vacation leave filed, and the time spent. I can't wait to visit Palawan again! I'm sure the next time, Puerto Princesa Underground River is already a part of the 7 New Wonders of the World!
:D

Honda Bay Island Hoping

Day 2 of the Puerto Princesa Escape is waking up early, getting ready early, eating early..and everything early! hehe.


Since our tour guide told us that we will be fetched @ 7:30 a.m. for the day's activity, we woke up as early as 6:00 a.m. to fix the things we needed to bring for the island hopping. (im sorry but 6 a.m. is waaaay to early for me, im not an early person kasi)


After packing our bags, we headed to the cafeteria to eat our complimentary breakfast. We had fried rice, corned beef with sunny side up egg served with hot chocolate and coffee. Then, after the scrumptious meal, we went back to our room to wait for our sundo. (yeah, yeah, we both didn't bathe that morning, i felt it wouldn't be necessary, 'cause we'll get soaked and wet on the beach anyway). 


15 minutes passed and off we go!


Availing the tour package for our Puerto Princesa Getaway also means that there will be others who will join us. (fail ito, since kami ang unang nasundo, we had the 'privilege' to wait for the others sa pagsundo sa kani-kanilang tinutuluyang hotel, parang nagtour na rin kami..sayang ang time.tsk).


Finally, after decades of waiting for the two families who'll be joining us, we proceeded to our destination for the water activity of the day,. splurging on the treats of Honda Bay.


First, we stopped over to a shop where we can rent snorkeling gears and camera cases that we'd be using for the activity. I don't have an under water digicam, so I really need to rent one of their camera cases. Since Fritz became addicted to snorkeling after we first tried it in Zambales, he rented a snorkeling gear to be used on his newly discovered passion. (sorry i can't recall how much their prices are)


Palawan boasts of many beautiful small islands, with its soft white sand and abundant flora (and fauna). Here, you are able to relax, find serenity, a peace of mind you can never feel in the city. It  also has a rich marine life, thousands of different types of fishes swimming underneath the ocean which keeps the balance of nature thus preserves the ecosystem.


We headed to Honda Bay, (the drop off point for the Puerto Princesa island hopping), to unveil what is said to be the "Last Frontier".

view of the rich ecosystem of Palawan

Being as stubborn as I can be, I forgot to charge the digicam the night before the tour. But ofcourse, I need not to elaborate what happened anymore..we've taken like, 6-7 shots from the camera, and the rest of the pictures were taken from my beloved Nokia X3 mobile phone..hehe..AMAZING!


When I checked the itinerary of Honda Bay Island Hopping on the net, I was actually overwhelmed because there are like, six islands mentioned to be visited including Pandan Island, Snake Island, Pambato Reef, Starfish Island, Lu-li Island and Bat Island. I had my mind set of twice the tiredness we felt the first day. But no, Kuya Peter (the tour guide) said that since there's nothing much to see on the other islands, we'll just visit those more popular ones, (Pambato reef, Snake Island and Pandan Island).


First, visiting the fishes of Pambato Reef. It is a spot where you can find a lush growth of colorful corals and swimming fishes of different kinds.


(forgive the not so professional shots, from a not so expensive cam., ;)..)

snorkeling me

under the sea

corals..oh corals!

fish..captured!

After visiting the fishes' sanctuary, we headed to Snake Island for our lunch and for more snorkeling activity. We enjoyed swimming with the fishes here. Why named Snake Island?  Because the island's form is that of the reptile., not because its an island full of snakes! (frankly, yun din akala ko talaga, heheh)

snake island, ah basta sa snake island yan! ;)

The next stop was Pandan Island, where lots of Pandan-like plants live underwater. It's more relaxing here, with all the scenic view from our kubo and  with its wider seashore compared to Snake Island. I didn't snorkel much here because i was way too tired to go swimming, so i just enjoyed the view from the kubo and took some shots from my phone while I wait for Fritz to get tired of playing with the fishes.

Greetings!

Fritz..tired after like more than an hour of snorkeling alone

posing underneath the three-trunk tree..hehe

Prices of their foods

TIPS!

The Island Hopping made me appreciate snorkeling, feeding the fish and watching them dance under the water. Its an exceptional experience that I would really love to try, over and over again. Its where I discovered why Palawan is said to be the Last Frontier of the country.


We returned back to the pension house at around 5:00 p.m. Though we are both tired from the Island Hopping, we just took an hour rest and off we went to our dinner at Badjao Seafront. (nagpareserve na ako the night before so as not to disappoint myself kapag fully booked nanaman)


We hired a tricycle which costs P50.00 from the pension house to Badjao Seafront. The place is actually built above a mangrove forest, giving you a scenic view of the beach. You would have to cross a wooden bridge from its facade to reach the restaurant.

The Facade

The cozy wooden bridge

Upon reaching our designated table, the waiter approached us and handed us their menu. We ordered fried rice, Sinigang Soup, Tuna, and Shrimps, with my fresh buko juice and Fritz's can of coke. The foodies are all good, but costs too much for its price of 900 pesos (plus). The food is actually for 3-4 persons and its too much for our tummies. We didn't finish it all and just decided we'll give the left overs to the suuuper accommodating staffs of Fran Pension House.

*My advice is to not eat here if you're on a tight budget, especially kung dalawa lang kayo, not unless you are  having a grand  Puerto Princesa visit. Its costly, and the food is just too much for two people. I think it would be more enjoying if you are traveling with your barkada, mas mapapatipid, mas maeenjoy ang mga meal, para sulit din ang kain. ;)

just before we eat them

yumminess

After Badjao Seafront's delightful dinner, we hired a tryke back to Fran Pension House for also P50.00. Since I realized that it would be our last night of stay in the pension, we decided to have our pictorials for our memorabilia. hahaha!

Long Shot!

maitim na background, maitim na mga tao..hehe

Kulitan to the max

lambingan, ek-ek

Another long shot. :D

The second day was all worth the money and the energy spent. Just remembering how we indulge on the  white sand beaches of Puerto Princesa and swam with the nemos is worth it all.


stay glued: Underground River Tour