Down Southwest: Palawan IV

Day 4: March 8

530AM, on our way back to PPC. Entire trip was relatively quiet. Slumber time for everyone, waking up ever so often just to check out the time or the view outside. [The mood was probably due to exhaustion from the activities the previous day, or maybe because we were hoping to stay a little longer. We stopped by a small eatery along the highway for a coffee break.]

Lunch at Viet Ville. Almost empty when we got there, except for the staff of its restaurant that serves authentic Vietnamese cuisine.

Checked in at Starlight Hotel. Two airconditioned rooms with cable TV, T/B, and small laundry area/veranda cost P2,880 per day. Spent an hour downtime to recharge ourselves. Dashed ahead to Palawan Museum, waiting for Sha, and her boyfriend, Joel, who had just arrived from Manila. Part of the couple's tour package was a free private van for city tour. Sumabit lang kami. Thanks, Sha.=)

Stopped by the Palawan Wildlife Resource and Conservation Center, formerly Crocodile Farm.

Mastered the "10-shot" pose, which we had been doing since day one.

Made it to Mitra's Ranch, overlooking Honda Bay, for another photo op.

Left the ranch after several minutes for Baker's Hill. Tried newly baked hopia, crinkles, and some bread.

5PM, returned to the hotel to refresh. Took a late afternoon stroll to explore the city proper, including the Provincial Capitol, cathedral, and public market [all of which are situated far from one another], and to look for some souvenirs.

830PM, dinner at Kalui, a cozy, spacious, Hawaiian-inspired resto along the stretch of Rizal Avenue, a few minutes away from the airport and very near to Pagdayaon Inn, where we stayed on our first day. Made our reservation three days in advance.

[Guests are required to take off their shoes, sandals, or sleepers, which can be kept in shoe drawers, under the wooden seats, or even just on the floor at the entrance. Guests can also choose to enjoy their dinner on regular dining tables and chairs, or on the the floor as they sit on huge pillows.]

Ordered delish seafood plates and fresh fruit blends. Reasonable prices. [We tried to order their lobster (or was it steamed prawn?). But since it was peak hour, we cancelled the order to save our time.]

Yumyum! And another rewarding dinner.
Went back to the hotel at 11PM.

Today was swell. Right, buddy ko? =)

Day four was 3 1/2 stars.

Down Southwest: Palawan III

Day 3: March 7

Stayed at Marina Garden, and found two new guides, one of them happened to be a fellow Bicolano. Accommodating staff, more convenient location, and more comfy bed. Allotted P1,500 for an airconditioned room per day, with T/B, good for five.

Fired up for island hopping, the highlight of our trip. Started at 9AM, ended at 530PM. Usually categorized into four tour packages (A-D), depending on the location. Managed to negotiate with the guide, combining some islands from two different packages.

Small Lagoon, part of Miniloc Island. Personal fave. [Aside from its captivating view, I spent my longest time underwater here, periodically lifting my head to catch my breath and to expel the water that had entered the snorkel's purge-valve.] No other way to access the lagoon but to jump off the boat and swim toward a small opening in the rock wall. Led us to pristine calm green water bounded by limestone walls. Entertained by a school of Nemo and small jellyfish.

Big Lagoon, also part of Miniloc Island. As enchanting as the Small Lagoon, but bigger and "private". [We were only allowed to see the lagoon and have some picture picture.]

Shimizu Island. Second fave. Provides an extraordinary private escape. Warm clear water, with gradually slopping sea floor. Enjoyed our simple packed lunch included in the tour package and some shaggy dog stories. [Ang cam whore talaga ni Sol, hehe.]

Secret Lagoon. Shhh.

Ipil Beach. Fine stretch of sand, just right for getting brown and going for a dip. Shallow reef area near the bend for snorkling.

[No one was there when we arrived. It was ours for half an hour. Sol resumed her come-hither poses. Talaga naman. We covered him with sand. Rosch took the task seriously-- like her masterpiece-- carving a slimmer version of Hulk slash Robocop slash astronaut figure.]

Decided to pack up at around 530PM. Spotted oversize jellyfish drifting in colonies near the water edge. Grotesque scene one way or another.

Took an easy stroll back to Ca-alang Beach, where we stayed the previous day, to have our last photo op in EN, taking advantage of the sunset background. [Quite conventional. But having this laidback town as location, you can't help but consider every view a must-have shot.]

Some of his shots. Framing and shutter speed setting-- not bad. Improving ang buddy ko. =)

Wrapped up the day with a dishy supper at Ric Sons, a downright neighborly beachfront resto. [Night life in El Nido is relatively calm, feelgood.] Most customers were Europeans. Some of them were playing cards, others were just chatting and enjoying their SMB bottles. An in-house acoustic band with a shy male lead vocal and his more confident female substitute (even better than him, or maybe he was the sub), warming up in the background. Started out slow, eventually changed their set to Bob Marley's and Joey Ayala's. Nabuhay ang alaala ng pakikipaglaban, hehe. Felt like we were singing for a cause.

[We were the only customers who can sing along with the band. Obviously. Redemption Song and Karaniwang Tao were a hit, mahn.]

Took a lazy walk around the town afteward to burn a few calories. Stopped at three souvenir shops for EN shirts. Nibbled some chips for dessert in front of our cottage, hoping to finish the tequilla that we had brought from PPC. But Rosch switched to her usual "night mode" again-- lay down on the bed, and didn't get up until the next day. The rest opted to call it a night.

Day 3 was 4 1/2 stars.

Down Southwest: Palawan II

Day 2: March 6

3AM, on our way to El Nido. Rent for the van was 10k for an 8-hour drive. Short stopover at Fort Isabel in Taytay.

El Nido. Woohoo!

Limestone cliffs as its backdrop. Ganda. Mas maganda yan sa totoong buhay. =)

Stayed at Sunset Lovers Point, a 20-minute tough walk from town proper. Beachfront, but not swimmable. Call it false advertising [those Websites]. Ok naman yung place, dini-develop. Give it a year or two. Yung owner naman masyadong mahiyain, hindi proactive (some orientation on customer service might help).

If you're into relatively long trails and literally peace and quite, you may give it a try. Otherwise, look for an accommodation closer to town.

Grabbed a quick lunch at Tubay Dos, second branch of Balay Tubay. Another artsy partsy cafe. Arvin bought a wooden boat paddle, with a nicely done tribal design, for only P200. Had some deliberation on what to do and where to go after lunch.

3PM, hired a boat to take us to nearby islands for an afternoon swim. Our guide was an hour late. Tsk. [Mukhang in demand sya sa foreigners.]

First hop was Helicopter Island. Relatively expansive beach with rugged shoreline, strong current, and sea floor that abruptly deepens. [Lifevest is vital.] Second hop was Cadlao Island (or was it the island beside Cadlao Island?). Secluded, rocky, not a good snorkling site but a good photo shoot location.

Nakakatakot na nakaka-excite yung dagat. Pa-cute na snorkling lang muna yung mga girls. Mabait yung guide na iniwan sa min nung main guide. I forgot his name. Basta sabi nya sa totoo lang daw sa kitchen sya assigned. But he's a strong swimmer anyway. =P

Returned to town at around 7PM. Weathered the taxing trek back to the cottage and the blackout due to zoning (where electic supply on a particular area or zone is generated at certain hours of the day). Lasted out our way back to town for a late dinner. Decided on Squidos. House pizza for the two of us. Shrimp for Rosch. Crab for Arvin. And a safe food choice, which I couldn't remember, for Sol. Went to Marina to inquire about island hopping package and to make a room reservation for our day three. Explored the town just a little bit. Waited until 10PM for the lights before we went back to our lodge.

[We realized two things on day two: we were not so into that kind of peace and quiet plus a demanding trail; and we had been putting our trust a little too much on Hany.]

Pero kung kami lang dalawa yon? Long walks wouldn't be an issue.=)

Day 2 was almost 3 stars.

Down Southwest: Palawan

Day 1 : March 5

To Puerto Princesa City via Cebu Pacific.

Arrived at 1030. With Hany giving us a ride from the airport to Pagdayon. Place was decent enough. Had two rooms reserved a month earlier. Total damage was roughly P1,600 per day.

Set off to Underground River in Sabang after checking in. Took a four-hour drive from PPC, taking 8k from our budget for the van. The trip was entertaining. Stopover for lunch by the beach at Sabang. Tossed down some oversize buko. Met Manong Totong, who was once or twice featured in National Geographic and Discovery channels [Meron kaming sikat at mahirit na guide. :P]

Returned to Pagdayon at around 6pm. Took a couple of hours rest. Headed to Kamarikutan Cafe and Art Galeri for a satisfying dinner. Had a small discussion on how to decline Joseph, the other "Hany" for our supposed transpo. [The former gave us a better deal.]

Tried Robert's to grab some "common" stuff using our "common" fund. Arvin treated us with a local tequilla. Had four or five rounds before calling it a night.

Day 1 was 2 1/2 stars. =)

Sunny Sideup

After lunch. Shimizu Island, El Nido.

Cuddle

The paper bag of chocolates is a nice touch.

[Even though I spoiled the surprise, the effect was still the same.]

Onset

Blogless for almost three months. Bid au revoir to my old blogcity home, and was pretty much encouraged to try blogger. Transferred all entries manually, and carried a new name. Absolute hardwork. And more catching up to do.

Moving on.

29

Two stops today.

Tried a newly opened Suzhou Dimsum at Robinsons Otis.
Relatively cheap, toothsome treat.


Yumyum dimsum!

Found a nice spot in that coffee shop, had our cup, and talked.

That poster with Rekindle text as backdrop polished the view.

Day's Climb

Family Trip. Baguio.
December 29, 2007 - January 1, 2008

2008

Happy New Year!

2AM. AJ's old but still comfortable sofa. Two hours after our New Year's eve dinner.
While our families had been sleeping soundly, we managed to go online and throw some greetings, and play with our laptop's web cam. =)

Carpal Ophtha Syndrome

our boss left the company. she dropped the news during our one-on-one meeting. it was heartbreaking.

taken during our exchange gift session, swapangan, and our last FLUNCH with ms. moi. the team wearing the statement shirts that she gave and the expression that we imitated from ewika.

that was a pleasant but short stint, ms moi. merci boucoup.

Wingdings

Busy-busyhan last month, yet we managed to squeeze in some parties.

Threw a suprise Mcdo party for our boss at 32nd and 5th streets.

Invited ourselves to Rache's new home for her late birthday celebration.

Created our own version of Peter Pan's Neverland, under the supervision of our Art Attack Guy.

Peemayer

My friend, Ela, got her wedding dream. Finally. =)

James, love her more.

Held at Fernwood Gardens in QC.

SP3

White board marked with beta testing and discussions dates. Desk cluttered with hardcopies of guides, and a few insulated sleeves from the lone coffee shop downstairs. Engrossed with deliverables for the past three weeks. Target date is on the 11th. No time for blogging. Even for quick surfing. More on jugling the acronyms of my projects for the upcoming release. Spare time was solely meant for quality time with him. Just us. No work-related or even PC-related activities outside office.

*****
The wife of an officemate died in the Glorietta 2 explosion two weeks ago. Small world. Not fair..

*****
Ela's wedding day is getting closer and closer. I have yet to look for something nice to wear to a garden wedding. Oh, did I say "something nice"? I'm imagining a sundress, with either a little touch of bronze or aqua blue. For him, I saw this casual but elegant striped polo (a combination of dark blue, moss green, and off white). I'm a bit unsure if he likes it. But I hope he does.

*****
But before that, we have a prenuptial video to finish. Back to Dagupan for two more scenes, with Mademoiselle Joy and Ela's sister Reina. Spent the rest of the day until the next morning in one of the beaches of San Fabian. Capturing the couple's candid moments and taking the plunge into the waters, interchangeably. The sand was not so good. But not bad either. First time I saw a passenger jeepney passing by the seashore. Travelled back to Manila at around 3PM. Stopover at Hacienda Luisita, Joy treating us with coffee at Starbucks and us posing for a few more shots.

*****
si dude, masaya...=)

For Hire

I - On my way home from Eastwood, a taxi driver told me that he could guess a person's destiny. He showed me his palm and explained how he does the reading. Then, he snootly told me that he can even foresee how I would die. I was daydreaming of an automatic eject button so that I could disappear right there and then. Coming from a 13-hour night shift, the encounter was a major caffeine booster.

II - It was lunch time, one of the hottest days of the previous summer. I decided to ride a cab from Manila to The Fort. I was already enjoying the music when the driver started telling me stories about his family. His family lives in Bulacan. And that the coming weekend they had to go there because one of his nieces was getting married. That he didn't want to attend but his wife was pushing the whole family to come. That he didn't want to be one of the principal sponsors because it would mean spending money, and these days it is so hard to earn money. All I can mutter was a series of "uh-huh...hmmm..ok..."

III - In another Eastwood - Diliman route, a taxi driver started to comment on the Philippine economy as we traversed Katipunan. He mentioned something about stocks. And about foreign investors. He actually made sense, at first. But as we made a u-turn in front of Ateneo to Xavierville, he asked me what my plan in the future is, where my boyfriend is, how I save my earnings. I had no plan to answer those questions and I believe he had no plan to hear my side because he begun explaining things. He told me I could start a sari-sari store in a strategic place, for example, in front of Ateneo (sabay turo sa Shakey's). According to him, I should wake up early in the morning to wait for a delivery truck of Pepsi. When I see the truck, I should chase and stop it, then ask for at least 3 cases of softdrinks. Wow, a bloody marketing principle.

IV - One day, I left the house early for work. As I stepped inside the taxi, the driver said: "yan yung pabangong nakakabighani..." Referring to the perfume I was wearing. Then, he smiled. He looked decent though. He remained silent after that. But as we entered Eastwood, he said: "Buti ka pa parang laging naka-smile. Eh yung iba kong pasahero parang laging may problema". Oh. God. Good thing, it was time to drop-off. We stopped at IBM.

V - Another new route, Eastwood to San Juan, with all the courage I could muster to watch my buddy's basketball game. The driver was looking at his rearview mirror. Afterward, he told me that I looked stressed out. Somehow, I felt annoyed because that time I wasn't feeling stressed out at all. Then, he told me maybe it was because of the nature of my work. He assumed I was working in a call center, which I didn't care to correct because I didn't want to have that conversation with him anyway. He continued his commentary. He told me my work could really affect my health. As an added insult to injury, he noticed the pimple on my cheek and started giving me advices on how to clean my face! Duh. He told me to apply this thing and that thing because he himself had been using it. He warned me that if I wouldn't follow, I might appear older sooner or later. "Parang ngayon-- di ka na kse mukhang bata." Wtf?! That was the first time someone told me I don't look younger than my age. We missed the first and the closest u-turn to reach the gym. Manong kase.

VI - Just last week. I rode a tricycle from our building to the main gate in BCDA. The tricycle stopped because an old woman, accompanied by two young women, was crossing the street. A van was waiting for them. The tryc driver, who was wearing a pair of fatigued pants, a white shirt, and a matching fatigued cap, said something I didn't comprehend. As the three women approached the van, the driver continued talking: "pero lam mo sa communist country, pinapatay na mga ganyan," referring to the old woman. I decided to ignore his comment. As he continued driving, he asked me: "Palagay mo, ano ang pinakamasamang imbensyon ng tao?" I thought it was sort of a knock-knock-who's-there joke. But nooo! He was waiting for my reply. I wasn't sure what and how to answer. A witty remark might call for a longer chat. A dumb reply might result to mockery. To play safe, I said: "Ano manong?" (which was like saying Who's there? to a Knock, knock). Sabi nya: "ultrasound". I was totally dumbfounded. Unrelentingly, he said, "kse sa communist country, pag female yung magiging anak ng buntis, pipapatay na yun.." He said that with conviction. He added, "eh ano ang pangalawang pinakamasamang imbensyon ng tao?" Oh nooo…longest three-minute tricycle trip ever. Without looking at me and waiting for my stance, he said, "TV," because kids learn a lot of violence by watching. That was dense man.

*****
Thankfully, most of these encounters happened a few minutes before I reached my destination.

It's Raining Cow and Dog

Bigoy on top.
Where's Moo?

Pack Up

We're moving out today.
Off to McKinley Hill.

****
Job, the Handy Man, on the move. =D

By Chance

I just wanted to see how my profile looks from another perspective. There was no plan of poking my nose into something not mine. Really. But perhaps the little devil in me spoiled its curiosity. A particular phrase had kept me thinking whether what I did was completely inappropriate. Or did I just miss something? Hmm. I opted for one tall iced mocha, wishing for the thought to eventually evaporate. Munching a coffee bun on the side wasn’t much of a help. Well, maybe a little confrontation would do.

Bush League

The world was wired for the past couple of weeks. Mine, in particular.

There had been a chain of adjustments in terms of chores and budgeting caused by my moving out. General room cleanup on a weeknight. Laundry pick-up and delivery every week. Several swipes of plastic cards by the cashier. Wardrobe update on-hold. No grand out-of-town spree. Some rookie mistakes in the kitchen. Home cooked meal in a ziplocked plastic container at work (thank God for my instant fine chef, Kat).

Speaking of home cooked meals, I have become a fine food taster-- a low-maintenance, fine food taster. And her official vegetable slicer and chopper. Beat that, huh. Ask Kat (she MUST say yes). Dudut, who manages the house, was my mentor in chopping. She was forced to teach me when she noticed that I had been struggling so hard with the basil leaves. Kat has been reinventing recipes she already knew and those she learned from Dudut. Adobo. October fest. Chicken with mushroom and white sauce. Italian spaghetti. Chicken pesto sandwich. Spaghetti in creamy white sauce with shitake mushrooms. Afritada. At marami pang iba. Yumyum!

==
My M3 Environment Manager (MEM) project update went well in spite of some minor out-of scope modifications in between. Good thing my boss in M3 Deployment and Platform (D&P) plus my SME (ehem, ehem, Kat) was really obliging. It took me almost two weeks to play around with the test environment, and capture all the screenshots using the SnagIt version 7 that I illegally (but temporarily) installed on my local, thanks to Jay for the copy. One cool tool by the way.

I accumulated a few behind time submissions due to the moved MEM deadline. The Visio and iProducts exercises for Raymond, and the Process Management for Teth. And my LifeCycle Manager (LCM) project update had been briefly shelved. Tsk, tsk, another call for a bit extended working hours. Anyway, it was me again, the buzzer beater. =P