Highway 81

It has been months since my last post and it feels just like yesterday. With so many things and seasons happened in between, Halloween/ Christmas/ the New year and Valentine's day, there's a lot of things to talk about yet I'm still lack of something to say and don't know what and where to start. But for sure I had meaningful months behind me.

To start of, I have 2 'kwentos' for this LOVE month. First up is the out-of-town birthday celebration of my daughter who turned 6 last week. In Davao, we also have our own version of 'Tagaytay City' or 'Baguio City' because of its cool climate. Situated at 4,000 feet above sea level, Brgy. Buda, which word is derived from Bukidnon-Davao Highway, is our retreat for the weekend. It's nearby places are Davao City, Valencia and Malaybalay cities of Bukidnon.

We went to this relaxing and chill place called Highway 81. From the name itself, it is located along Km. 81, literally along the highway of Brgy. Salumay, Marilog District. Check out below some of the photos I took.

Facade in front their restaurant, Cafe Binukid.

The reason why we are here. Happy Birthday dear!

Snippets inside their quaint resto. I love bricks! Much like England's structures.

I love their food! Super! Must try: Pasta Carbonara, Pork Adobo, I love the crunchiness and juiciness of their fried chicken, Bulalo soup, deep fried fish with white sauce.

I took a video of the surroundings. Please bear with it as I got lazy to stand up on where I was sitting. It's so cold during that time that I just want to sit, sip coffee and savor the beauty of the place and sunset.

This is where we stayed for the night. We are 14 in all and we fit into this cozy and charming log cabin house. It has a comfort room inside with hot/cold shower, a small kitchen with stove where you can cook, the upper floor is the sleeping area. It has a grilling area outside.

Facade of the house where we stayed.

Sitting at the terrace of their restaurant.

Waiting for the sun to set.

 

We definitely love the place! And we shall return...

This view captivates me... Silhouette ang drama!

God is truly amazing! I felt grateful every second I was here. I saw every creation He has made and I am in awe.

Valentine's day was not over yet as I got to spend quality time chatting, bonding and savoring the place with the loves of my life.

London Diaries 2014 (Part 2): Charity Shops & Tea Cups

For all of you who are not familiar with this, London has several charity shops that sells second hand and even brand new stuff that owners didn't use even once. You won't miss a shop since every area in London has two or more. Some of the charity shops where we frequent to are Salvation Army, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Princess Alice Hospice Shops, Oxfam to name a few. They are called as such because the proceeds goes to the needy. Each charity shop has its respective recipients depending on their cause. They are legal entities operating in the country. While for us here, we can equate it to the thrift shops or "ukay-ukay" being the seller that benefits. It's not more on the cause anymore… hehehe. 

Being a thrifty-natured one, we always end up entering into these shops because we can buy items priced from £1 or even less and at the same time helped in their cause in our own little way. So imagine my happiness when I bought Aldo wedge shoes about £7, a Zara belt for only £2, a Havaianas slippers for my daughter for the same price as my Zara belt. There's also this one charity shop where I forgot the name, I saw and bought a brand new (tag still attached) Levi's 501 jeans in black (but unfortunately didn't fit me but I gave it to my mother) that cost me only £4. That's less than Php300.00. It's such a steal! But so much of my random steal finds (to which I plan to make a separate post), here's to one of a charity shop find (or was it a car boot sale find?) that is actually given to me by my ever generous and sweet SIL. Since they moved out to UK na and now based in the US, she gave these pretty tea cups with saucers perfect for tea break and matching plate for a dessert to pair with it.

I was actually inspired to write this post because of Ms. Ellen of PseudoShrink. Hers is a brand new elegant royalty tea cup talaga. But in my mind, hindi naman lalayo din kung ano yung meron ako. Hi Ms. Ellen! If you happen to come across this post of mine, here's my share of tea cups din! Toast to our tea cups, hihihi… Parang sorority sisters lang ang peg. "Would you like a cup'a (of) tea?"

It is already a habit for English people to have tea breaks or drink tea. Whittard of Chelsea is a famous brand that sells premium teas and drinks that is renowned worldwide and dates back in 1880's. I had the chance to visit their store and taste their selection of tea and chocolate. I must say that it really satisfied my taste buds more so to my palate. See their various products here.

This one is my pasalubong for my boss. He like it!

This first set of tea cup I got is more on a Chinese-y inspired design because of the blue and white color combination. Owning something like this inspires me to get fit. Why? Because ang sarap uminom ng tea pag ganito ka elegant and kaganda ng craftsmanship ng tasa. Diba? Not to mention tea  has a lot of healthy benefits. Inom lang ng inom.

And when we say royalty and elegance, Europe and the Great Britain automatically pops in our mind. The following two sets of tea cups I own now says more of that. Ala Greta Baretto diba? 

Part of our London trip last October of 2014, we went to museums and visited castles and palaces where the kings and queens have lived. In there, they displayed various kitchen utensils and dinnerwares they used. It is very amazing to see such fine porcelain wares. Talagang royal highness ang dating lang.

These three are sitting prettily on my cupboard and never used any of it. I love staring at them. But just this morning I thought of using the blue one first for my tea breaks here in the office. It's not only inspiring but it teaches (forces) me to drink tea for health reasons. ;-))

How lovely! Common expression of typical English people when they appreciate things. Couple that with a very warm and welcoming smile and politeness that makes me a happy tourist in London. 

London Diaries 2014 (Part 1): Away From Home

Hey yah! I'm back. Sleeping blog it is. Not a pretty site. But while in that absence, I've been to and done something worth experiencing. I am not a traveler, but by heart, who wouldn't want to? I admit that I have fear of heights and flying by plane gives me panic attacks all the time. A 15-hour plane ride is no joke, gruesome and it's like eternity for me! But I've come to terms with myself while in the plane. The constant mind conditioning made my 15-hour journey worth the challenge. The idea of thirty-four-days-in-London was all I needed to fight back that anxiety and fear. 

As of writing, I am back to reality. Me and hubby are still recuperating that jet lag. Blame it on the 8-hour time difference here and in the United Kingdom. But nevertheless, the fun-filled memories we had in our London trip is still fresh and keeps us up in our momentum daily while chit chatting with our friends and family our wonderful experience. It is a different world out there that I will forever cherish. 

With all the photos we have taken, it's very difficult to know where to start. But for this post (and several more to come), I intended this as a diary from day 1 and to our everyday life while in London. Hope you guys enjoy some photos that I'll be sharing.

Warning: photo bombarded blog post ahead…

We chose Philippine Airlines as it flies straight to London's Heathrow
Airport from Manila Terminal 2 airport. but for 15-something hours. Quite tiring!
Others prefer to have stop-over let's say in the Mid East to somewhat stretch
those lax body muscles.

This is the inside of PAL plane. I like the service of their cabin crew.
Very warm, accommodating, friendly not to mention beautiful ladies.

One of our 2-full meal course in the plane. Their food is delicious
and fine. For a petite frame like me, it's quite generous.

One of our 2-full meal course. There is also a 2-snacks course which
I forgot to take photos of. Their drinks have wide selections as you can
just ask anytime you want.

A sight of London.

Our neighborhood where we stayed. I am amazed of London's
building structure. It's very fascinating to see brick-made
houses.

Inside the neighborhood. Most of the residences looks like this.
However there are also landed ones but generally all are made in bricks.
Those two are my constant companions roaming the city of London,
my nephew on the left and my hubby on the right.

This is the next day after our arrival. Heading to the park
for these two boys wanting a basketball one-on-one.

Entrance leading to the park. At this time, I'm freezing.
It's so cold especially it's early in the morning.

Upon reaching the park, this is my view while waiting for them to finish playing
basketball. It's so relaxing and refreshing to see this view.

Roaming around the city, we choose to ride the bus if not walking.
We love seating at the top deck to see the full view of London.

Each bus stop has a sign like this. Those are bus numbers that pass this
street. You can never get lost as the bus stops has legend route maps
which I haven't took photos of.

Behind my BIL and hubby is a passing bus. That's how double decker bus
looks like. Oh, that's the Big Ben (will let you see later on my upcoming posts
the tourists spots we visited).

Another mode of transportation in London is their tube/train/tram as what their
terms are. This is one of their busiest station, Liverpool Street. On the screen are
schedules of the timings of the train arrivals and departures.

This is the King's Cross Train Station where I'll show you later on the Platform
where Harry Potter scene was shot. Those machines are where you tap your
Oyster card or tickets which serves as payment for the ride. Oyster cards
are used to pay for all the rides in the city. 

A view of where the trains are passing. In here, we are waiting
for our train to arrive.

This is the inside of a tram (a kind of train also).

Cycles. If you want to have adventure, bicycles are for hire. There's a machine
here where you can drop your coins for renting this. No need for you to go back
here in case you're done using it. There are lots of like this in the city, so you can
just return it anywhere where there is a post of this.

Black cabs.

Worry not. If you're a tourist here, you can never get lost as maps are
very convenient for you in their sidewalks.

Most of the telephone booths here don't have telephones anymore.
It mainly serves as a tourist attraction where London is known. 

Being away from home, these two are the ones we terribly miss. Everyday 
Skype-ing is what keeps as in touch. This is our everyday communication
so that it doesn't feel like away from home.

So, this is just my initial London tour-sharing with you guys. Stay tuned in my upcoming London diaries 2014. I hope you enjoyed!

Happy Days ahead!

After that last post I published, good things have been coming our way and more. Good things come to those who certainly wait and it's all worth it. Such a wonderful feeling when you just claim everything to be positive and possible even if you find it impossible and unimaginable to happen. No, don't think of it that way! Don't ever allow even a little to think about it. As they say, habang may buhay, may pag asa! Ganun dapat tayo pume-peg sa buhay. Even if sometimes, things do not happen the way we want it, let's bear in mind that God has something better in store for us. Envision that thing, the bull's eye, so that life would be more colorful and exciting on the days to come. There's no reason to bum about the waiting period. It should give us hope and let's put that faith alive in us.


After a week, the waiting paid off indeed. I'll be seeing one important person in my life soon... and five more. It's too good to be true! Thank you Lord for the goodness! I'm so freaking impatient to let you know but I'm still not allowed to say anything. Nakakawalang gana ang post ko ano? No details yet but full of suspense and surprise. But I'll definitely blog it once we got there. I have the clearance to do so. One month more to go and I'm off for a great vacay! 

August is the Best!

I AM CLAIMING IT like it's gonna be all positive and the way I want it to be. Being assuming at times isn't that bad at all. It's just a matter of embracing good vibes and karma so that everything will follow accordingly. The start of the month gave us a reason to look forward to the coming days. Not to mention that this month has 3 declared holidays which means no work for a working parent like me, thus, more quality time with my kids. You might wonder why there are 3 instead of 2. The 3rd declared holiday is for Davaoeños ONLY. It is the month where we celebrate the Kadayawan sa Dabaw. It is our 29th year and considered the "Festival of festivals" as we feast the abundance Mother Nature has gifted our City. In every street, you see bountiful harvest of fruits being sold at a very affordable price. This is because there is a plentiful of supply of fruits from the region. I am lucky because my husband's family own a vast land because of my MIL's blood line (she's a Bagobo). And because they love farming (and hubby) too, we have generous rations of fruits from the fruit-bearing trees they planted, namely: durian, lanzones, mangosteen, rambutan, avocado and banana. For this alone are the reason why I will never leave my hometown. We have everything in here where urban cities don't have: peace, no heavy traffic, no excessive pollution, great climate, richness of soil for agriculture, nature, beach, clean water, laid back life and much more. 


The next reason why I'm so thrilled with August is it's my sister and my grandfather's birthday. Me and my family/relatives (at my father's side) is excited to spend an overnight trip to the beach this time at Mahan Garden Resort in the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS). It's the second grand reunion we always have next to Christmas. Another thing that I look forward to this month is the wedding of my former officemate. What makes it exciting for me is this will be my first time to wear a long dress/gown being the theme is formal. Normally, when I go to formal events, I'd wear a knee-length dress. It never goes beyond that. For me, I feel wearing a long dress makes me look like all the more petite having a 5'0 height. Or is it just my belief? Anyways, I'm still in the hunting stage of that long dress I'm gonna wear. By the way, what's a good design for a petite frame like me? Any suggestions?


Last but definitely not the least, this month will reveal something me and my hubby are planning for. I will not preempt anything yet as we are still in the verge of that suspenseful waiting in vain situation. This is why I am very hopeful and feeling blessed this month because with this I am grateful already to God because of the many opportunities He has bestowed me and my loved ones. There may be downs but it's part of the essence of life. God directs everything in our lives. Whether it will happen or not, I will still be thankful because I know God has a reason and purpose for everything that will happen. 

Baguio, the City of Pines: After a Decade

For the longest time, I've been yearning to come back in the coolest place in the Philippines, Baguio. I'm wondering how's it like today. I can vividly remember the sweet and dusky smell of pine trees that welcomes us, of the hushing cold wind that blows right on my face and the fireplace in every house. I want to experience again walking around the city without worrying of sweat and air pollution that stinks in my face, body and clothes. Whilst, sporting a covered and cozy attire like you're outside the Philippines. It's great to try out the unusual stuff right?

The City of Baguio  (Ilokano: Ciudad ti Baguio; Filipino: Lungsod ng Baguio; Pangasinan: Ciudad na Baguio, according to Wikipedia) is the go-to destination during the summer season here in the Philippines (usually falls on the early months of the year). It was designated by the Philippine Commission as the Summer Capital of the Philippines on June 1903 due to its cool climate and high elevation with temperature at around 8 degrees Celsius with an average temperature ranging from 15 to 23 degrees Celsius. Apart from the cold temperature, strolling around the place where everywhere you have a view of pine trees that relaxes oneself. I feel fresh and sweet. What's great is you can never see establishments and houses that has air conditioner as well as taxi cabs. You can't see one in there. Lest a fire place is a staple in every household. Cool noh? And energy saver too!

Some of its known and long-time tourist attraction when in there is the Mansion, The Burnham Park, the Mines View Park, Camp John Hay among others. The Session Road is where all the buzz is happening. It's the center of trade and life of the city. I love their thrift shops (the ukay-ukay), their strawberry and ube jam, their flavorful cornicks (dried corn bits), their hand woven handicrafts are some my the favorite stuff and memories in Baguio.

Maybe now they have a lot of tourist destinations. I'm excited for our planned vacation with hubby. We're thinking too of bringing our 2 year old daughter along. It will be her first airplane ride. I wonder what will be her reaction. I bet she'll have a good time as well as my husband. He has never set his foot there so I suggest that we should proceed to Baguio instead. Hubby smiled with agreement. So off to Baguio soon! Any suggestions where to stroll and visit new attractions in there?

Santorini of the Philippines

As I was visiting some blog sites of bloggers here in the Philippines, I came across one site that mentioned www.dealdozen.com. In here, you can purchase items at a much lower price. As I searched for the that site and started browsing for its offers, I was hooked on to the travel & adventure section. That's how amazed I was with the grandeur of one of the hidden resorts here in the Philippines: The Bellarocca Island Resort & Spa. 

Photo from their website

It is located in Marinduque, known to be the heart of the Philippines. Marinduque (Filipino: Marinduke pronounced [mɑrinˈduke]) is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region in Luzon. Its capital is Boac. Marinduque lies between Tayabas Bay to the north and Sibuyan Sea to the south. It is located south and west of Quezon, east of Mindoro, and north of Romblon (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marinduque). The resort is situated at the Southern part, off coast of the island of Marinduque, the Elephant Island. When I saw the photos, it looks like Santorini. I fell in love right away and thought of blogging it. Its rates are in USD, so better check their site for complete information: http://www.bellaroccaresorts.com. It's indeed more fun in the Philippines! Proud to be Pinay!