Mindanao Trip, Day 1

After four years of being boyfriend-girlfriend, my brother proposed to his then girlfriend, Emmy. Marriage seemed to be the only thing left for them to do, but even if we already anticipated it, we were still surprised with it. Why? because my brother proposed to his girlfriend December of 2012, and he only told us about it last August 2013. They set the wedding December 2013. He was able to keep mum about it, and I seriously didn't know if I would be pleased at how good he was able to keep it from us, or if I would be so annoyed at how little of a time he gave us (mom, sis, and I) to prepare about it.

Their wedding was set December 28, 2013 but we didn't want to celebrate Christmas and New Years Day in Cagayan de Oro, so we booked our flights on December 26 and December 30.



As per brother's advice, both flights were scheduled at 2pm. This would be the first time we would travel with Aunt Mary (mom's younger sister) and a few friends - brother's best man Benjie as well as one pair of principal sponsor. Traveling to the NAIA Terminal 4 (formerly known as the Manila Domestic Airport) has been easy since we hired a van to take us there, but once we arrived in the airport, we knew flying out would be difficult.

I just don't know if I have the bad airport aura, but the first two times I traveled via airplane, the flight was delayed. This was my third time to fly, and it was delayed again! Oh drats! I wasn't sure what the main problem was, but additional problem was that the airport's system was down and each clerk had to manually check all flight details. We queued in for our tickets around 1pm for our 2pm flight (although we were already there as early as 10:30am), and we finished just in time for the "supposed to be" boarding time. By 2pm, we were told our flight would be delayed and we were scheduled to leave around 3pm. Sigh.

When it was time to fly, sister, mom and Aunt Mary were assigned to one row and our three other companions were assigned to another row. I was the odd person out, and was seated two rows away from them. It was just fine - I am not too clingy of a person, but then I was just bored - it was like traveling alone.

If there was one consolation about this plane ride, it would be the plane itself. I hoped and hoped to be able to ride the new AirAsiaZest plane, and I did (or we did).


It was nearly 5pm when we touched down Laguindingan Airport. Seeing the sunset from afar was such a great welcome greeting from the heavens. We took time taking pictures, but ground crew were rushing us to finish our business because as soon as the passengers were exiting from the front door, passengers flying back to Manila were embarking via the back door.

I found out from brother that the new airport still doesn't have enough lights and navigational system, so all flights must land and leave before it gets dark (no night flights yet for this airport). Brother was happy that it wasn't raining that day (he said it normally rains late in the afternoon), because if the skies were heavy with clouds, we might not be able to land (either the pilot take us back to Manila or take us to another airport).


From the airport, we traveled to the hotel brother booked for us (four rooms - two people per room, sister was my roommate; mom and Aunt were together). Then just a few minutes of freshening up, we went to the dressmakers to fit the gowns for the wedding (sister and I were the bridesmaids). It was quite an annoying experience, but tolerable.

Then, it was time to eat dinner, finally! My head was aching real bad - we only had a small chicken sandwich for lunch, and the waiting game as well as the flight caused us to be really hungry. We ate dinner at Dear Manok together with Emmy's family. It was the first time for us to meet Emmy's parents, and as we spend time with them, we were more and more thankful that brother met Emmy. She has nice parents and siblings, brother certainly hit the jackpot. :)


We were tired, but it was our first day in Cagayan de Oro - and because this was the first time sister, mom, aunt Mary, and the principal sponsors to travel here (I already traveled here back when I was having my internship for a shipping company), they wanted to see the place before calling it a night. We all walked to Divisoria - sister was hoping she could do some thrift shopping, but certain events caused some changes in the city, so we just walked and walked.... and finally decided to head back to the hotel.

* Jesz *

Celebrating My 25th

I almost wanted to omit my age as it is typical for women to hide their age as it increases in number, but then I know there are people who didn't get to live longer than I did, so it has to be something I should be proud of. I turned 25 a few days ago, and although I didn't get to spend the entire day with my mom and sister, we still got to celebrate it.
Last Sunday, we went to check out the tiangge - what's it called in English? Flea Market? It's a big marketplace located at the grounds of Robinson's Place Novaliches, where people can buy clothes, footwear, and so many gift items for less the price compared to the malls.

There were a lot of people shopping, so we decided to just enter Robinson's Place Novaliches because we thought SM Fairview had more shoppers, considering it was the last weekend day before most Christmas parties will be held.

For dinner, we ate at Pizza Hut, as this mall had very few restaurants and we didn't dare enter the two well known fast food chains as for sure it would be jampacked with diners. For this dinner, we shared a pizza, and we chose our own food. I went for the penne pasta, mom chose the lasagna, and my sister ordered chicken wings and this food called cheesy thins, just for us to try it out.

Mom decided to go home after eating dinner, while sister and I stayed and walked our way to SM Fairview (the mall fronting Robinson's) to look for more gift ideas.

That day's happies:

• We were lucky to occupy the last vacant table in the restaurant.
• Sister was able to buy books at cheap prizes.
• Spending good, quality time with the girls.
• Walking most of the time - from 3pm til 9pm, only sat down when we ate dinner.
• Mom gave me 1000 pesos as birthday present.

That day's crappies:

• The tiangge was filled with so many fake goods! It was so disappointing to see all sorts of brands in many products! 
• Mom told me I could buy whatever I want to buy with the money she gave me, but when I saw a pair of flat shoes I liked, she was quick to say I own a lot of shoes already.
• The penne pasta served to me was way too salty. I asked them to replace it, and at first one of the managers told me that if I preferred less salty food, I should have told the serve staff before hand. Well, I usually just go for what food served to me - I rarely make requests whenever I dine in.. but the pasta was just way too salty! And.. this pasta was my usual choice whenever we dine at Pizza Hut and this was the first time I encountered something like this! Well of course, they did replace it and the new plate of food tasted much better, thank heavens!
• My sister wanted to buy this mason drinking jar with handle, but the shop already ran out of stocks. Bummer.
• SM Fairview, contrary to what we thought of, had less shoppers. Had we known, we should've just went there.

My shift at work this week was 4pm to 1am. Very difficult to adjust because I get home around 2:30 to 3:00 am everyday, so I spent the first few hours of my birthday at work and traveling home. My mom prepared our brunch that day while my sister baked me some cupcakes. It was very touching because she considered a food I like - Nutella! It was so good... and I think my sister has already mastered the art of baking cupcakes using the Oven Toaster.

I went to work with a warm feeling because I felt my mom and my sister's love for me. Work was okay, then after our shift, I treated my team to a nearby fast food. It was already nearly 5am when I got home, but it was just fine.

My last day at work will be tomorrow, as I already filed a leave of absence starting Sunday until the end of the year. I look forward to spending more time with my mom and sis, then after Christmas, we will be traveling for brother's wedding.

* Jesz *

 

A Hectic Weekend With Mom and Sis

When my mom filed for retirement, one of the biggest concerns she had was her social life. Seeing how my late father struggled with adjusting to life at home, my mom first thought that as soon as she stopped working, her social life will also stop. Well, for the first few months was quiet - she would just stay inside her room and watch TV, but for the past two months, things had been going better for her. She would spend early mornings with some neighbors walking around the plaza, or she would attend several meetings and events.


Our weekend started last Friday. Mom received a message from the bank about her newly opened account (where her monthly pension would be deposited). It made her a little worried, so she asked me to come with her. The bank was full house when we got there and even if she was the fifth person on line for the customer service, the line just wasn't moving! It was way past lunch time when we finished with the inquiries, so for lunch mom decided to treat me to some good lunch, and instead of eating at a fast food, we went to eat at Shakey's, her choice of restaurant. It was my first time to eat their Hero Sandwich and even if it was packed with cold cuts, it was very delicious!


Saturday was a food day for us - I experimented with another cupcake recipe, then after attending some festivities, mom came home with a Bibingka for us to share, and for dinner sister and I had something exotic for dinner - barbecued chicken intestines. Dipped in spicy vinegar, it was awesome!


Sunday was a long day for mom and I, we started it with an event for a Christmas Party organized by Jollibee, where we shared a hearty meal with other bloggers and their families.


As soon as the event ended, we quickly hailed a taxi going to a food tasting event. My mom's friend is opening a restaurant and they are in the process of gathering information about their dishes, and because mom's friend knows I am a food blogger, they want to know my thoughts about the foods they plan to serve once the restaurant opens.

Of course, I didn't photograph any of the dishes as it was confidential, but based on what I tasted, I think their dishes would do good.



We then met up with sister after her work and we walked to the mall to check some stuff then walked to Ayala Triangle to see the dancing Christmas lights. It was a long walk from the mall, but totally worth it. After eating dinner, we decided it was time to go home, and although it took us more than hour to wait for the bus to arrive, it had been a smooth ride 'til we got home.

My mom's schedule is filled for this week. Last Monday, she went to the Baranggay Hall to process some documents, then today she attended a friend's birthday. Tomorrow, she and I are going to watch the Barbie Musical (thanks to a blogger friend who gave us tickets for the show), and we still plan to go to Aunt Mary's house so I could return the books I borrowed and take home new books. December is certainly a busy month for everybody, but I am just so happy that my mom's social life is slowly getting better and better.

* Jenn *

A Weekend Well Spent

The past two Sundays before yesterday, we were always just at home because either we baked cupcakes or that my sister was so tired after working six days that she just wanted to stay in bed or catch up on television shows. Last weekend was a different story, though.


Saturday morning, us three girls traveled to Makati together, but my mom and I went to The Maya Kitchen while sister walked further to her work place. For this month's featured class at The Maya Kitchen, celebrity chef Fern Aracama treated the class to easy to make dishes, which can be served this Christmastime. One of the dishes really wowed my mom, and I think it will be something we will re-create this weekend.


After the class, mom and I walked over to sister's workplace and waited for her break time so we all could eat lunch together. This was my lunch - yeah I know it was a lot... but I didn't eat it all, some I gave to sister.


Sister had to go back to work, so it was time for mom and I to leave, but we passed by The Landmark first to shop for some things. I bought the spoon and spatula set as well as a pack of paper cupcake liners then I bought some nail implements. The Landmark is a shopper's heaven! They sell items cheaper than other malls, that's why whenever I pass by this mall I make sure I buy something to make it worth my time and bus fare. Anyway, I want to put spotlight on the nail polish remover. A month ago, I was "forced" to buy a new bottle of nail polish remover at a pharmacy because it was the only place I could buy what I needed and a bottle of Bobbie Nail Polish Remover 120ml was priced 46.50 pesos. At The Landmark, I first thought of buying the same kind and was surprised to see it was only 36 pesos. I told mom about it, and when I checked the bigger bottle - 275ml, we were more surprised to see it was only 49.50 pesos. Definitely, we bought the bigger bottle.


Sunday, mom and I woke up early because mom had to go to the Divine Mercy center where she and her friend attended a church service. Sister got home a little after mom left, and because she didn't sleep the entire night, she immediately dozed off and I thought this is going to be another laid back Sunday for us, but when she woke up, she asked me to prepare so we could go out and enjoy our time together.

We ate at the newly opened Manang's Chicken at the mall near our house, then strolled around - tried on some shoes, and spent time at Booksale where I rummaged through the books but didn't buy any because nothing caught my interest.


Before going home, we went to an HBC branch. At first, we just went there to check their products, but when sister saw this tube of BB Cream for only 149 pesos, she decided to buy and try it out. This was very cheap compared to her usual choice of BB Cream, so she is just hoping this would be just as good for her to save money. I bought the cheek blush because the one I am using already hit the one year mark.

Mom was already home when we arrived. While eating dinner, us three girls shared stories of how our day went... and because boxing news was so good (Manny Pacquiao won), part of our talkies was about that, too.

It was a great weekend, and a good opening to a new week.

* Jenn *

Boracay Weekend, Day 3

Time to wrap up our Boracay weekend.

With my mom staying with my sister Jenn, it was just I who ate breakfast. Sister suggested I walk over Real Coffee and try their Calamansi Muffin, but when I got there they were only accommodating orders. My guess was that maybe because it was an off-peak season, the Cafe didn't want to stock up on muffins that would only get lapse. I didn't have that much money, so I decided to eat at Andok's Manok and walked along the shore while waiting for sister and mom to arrive.

They arrived around 9:30AM, and told me that I needed to pack my things because by 11AM, staff of Southwest Tours would pick us up. They availed their services so we would have easy travel from Boracay to Kalibo Airport, to assure that we won't be late for our flight back to Manila.



We had early lunch at Lemon i Cafe, ending this weekend with a bang. Jenn and I both have Enjoy Philippines card, and we both availed of the voucher giving us the privilege to buy two main dishes for the price of one. It was a very heavy lunch, but something that sustained us for a long day again.


By the time we reach Kalibo Airport, we already feared the worst - that this would be another delayed flight, and we were correct. When we lined at the Check-In counter, we were told that our flight would be delayed. The plane that would take us back to Manila encountered a problem when it skidded on the runway. We were told that we just had to wait because our flight back to Manila would be determined after investigators give the plane a go signal.


A few days ago, Jenn was upset that our flight got delayed, even blaming herself for the hassle. This time, she said that even if she was upset, she didn't feel guilty at all because even if the cause of the delay was the plane that would take us back to Manila, all airlines were delayed - meaning, even if booked at a different airline, we would still be stuck at the airport.

We arrived at the airport around 2PM, and it was only around 9 or 10PM when the airline provided us with food. It was difficult to sit on the floor (as the airport was full of people) - waiting for people to vacate the seats so we could sit properly, but we were actually okay. Sure it was upsetting, but with so many people to look at, it was also like given front row tickets to the many facets of people.

By 11PM, the boarding area of the airport started to clear out. We laid out our bags across the bench so mom could lie down and catch up on sleep, while sister and I drain our batteries playing games.



It was 3AM when we finally boarded the plane - a different one. Most people on our flight already purchased different tickets from different airlines. We decided to stay as we don't have anything to do anyway, and honestly, we already stayed there for a long time, what's the trouble of waiting for more time?

By 7AM we were already home. We were very thankful to be home, safe and sound.

It wasn't the best of all trips, but I loved it. I loved the feeling of seeing Boracay, and I loved the experience despite of the many setbacks. I am encouraging mom and sister to travel there again, but the next time we do, I am praying it will be a great trip.

* Jesz *