all about my journeys in life

24-26 August
Dubai / Abu Dhabi
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

We agreed on Monday (21 August) to go to Dubai for the weekend so we prepared all the necessary documents, including my visa application requirements for Canada (in case we'd have time to go to Abu Dhabi where the embassy is located). On Wednesday, ex-roommie wanted to back out, saying that we might as well go the following week. I don't like planning something then not executing so I contacted my cousin in Abu Dhabi and told him that I would like to go there on 25 August (just to apply for the visa). He agreed so I told ex-roommie that I'd be going to Abu Dhabi since she was not keen on going to Dubai anyway. She panicked and asked me to wait for her decision until Thursday morning (Thursday morning?! If we're going to Dubai, we should be leaving on Thursday night!) Anyway, at 10am on Thursday morning, we decided we'd go to Dubai together and go to Abu Dhabi the following day where they'd leave me to stay with my cousin.

We were bumped off twice before getting on the last flight. Dubai is just an hour's flight from Doha though an hour earlier. Our flight was delayed for about 45 minutes and so we arrived in Dubai at almost midnight and we still had a 45-minute drive to Emirates Hills where we'd be staying for the night. Ex-roommie's sister lives there and she prepared a very nice room for us, almost like a hotel room complete with amenities...and more.

Visa on arrival is available for GCC residents in the managerial level of employment and with at least 1 year residency in the Gulf. Since it was my first time to go there, I was afraid I won't be given visa or will be held at the immigration for questioning, though my officemates told me that I won't have any problem at all as I am an officer, still I was nervous. Well, they were right, there was no need for worries as I got the visa on arrival. I paid Dhs102.

In the morning, ex-roommie's sister prepared a breakfast that she said was specially made so for people from Doha--bacon(!) and eggs. Porky, porky! Heheh. Then we went around the city after a while, going to the Jumeira Beach and then to the condo unit that they have recently purchased at Dhs2M (around Php30M! Yay!).

From Dubai, we drove through the vast desert region and reached Abu Dhabi in about one hour and 30 minutes. We had lunch at Zen restaurant located at Al Ain Palace Hotel. Afterwards, I met my cousin and aunt (my father's sister) at the Al Noor Hospital where they work as nurses (though my aunt works at Mafraq but is currently the sheikh's private nurse). My cousin toured me around the city pointing out the places of significance but I was not in tour mood because of the heat (43C) so we ended up at the Marina Mall where it was more comfortable. We went to their place later and had chicken shawarma (Abu Dhabi style---too much chicken!) for merienda and then beef tapa for dinner.

The following morning, I went back to the hospital to meet my aunt who wanted to accompany me to the Canadian Embassy located at the Abu Dhabi Trade Towers (west wing of the Abu Dhabi Mall). We submitted the application (Dhs480) and was asked to just come back at 230pm. (Whoa! Efficient service huh!) We went to my aunt's flat for lunch and she cooked yummy tilapia and served calamansi juice. What's special about the juice is the fact that they came from the Palace. Haha!

Speaking in Arabic, my aunt arranged a taxi ride for me from her flat to the airport. The agreement was we'd call the driver 30 minutes before I planned to leave. Unfortunately, my aunt lost his number, but fortunately still, the driver came even without us calling him. Hehe.

The airport was a 45-minute drive from my aunt's place but it took me an hour to arrive at the airport since the driver was driving at a leisurely speed. He enjoyed my company too much that he even asked me to go out with him for snack before we went straight to the airport! Ngek! (Oh yes, kahit dito, security guards and taxi drivers pa rin ang target market ko! Haha!)

At the airport, the duty officer told me that the flight was full and that I could try again 2 days later when the flights would be open. I almost fell for her joke and the other staff were laughing hard at my expression. Hmp! Crazy people. Haha. I only had a problem with the cork remover I bought so I was held at customs and they confiscated it. A little drama here and another sad face there, the customs officer returned my cork remover and asked the duty officer to put it in as checked-in 'baggage.' Luckily, I introduced myself as crew earlier so the duty officer helped me get it on the flight by checking it in---yep, just that one piece! Hehe.

3-6 August
Singapore
SINGAPORE

Thanks to the emergence of low-cost carriers such as Tiger Airways, we were able to go to Singapore for less than a hundred dollars!

Some months ago, my ex-roommate told me that she was going to KL because Air Asia, another low-cost airline, offered tickets at a bargain. So I browsed through Air Asia's website but found out that the ticket sale was over. Then I checked Tiger Airways' site and voila! Sale of tickets from CRK to SIN just started! Right there and then, I emailed my friends about it, as well as Zev, and asked him if he wanted to go. When he said yes, I did not hesitate to book and buy online. The round trip CKR-SIN-CRK and one way CRK-SIN tickets that I bought only cost US$97!

Without a proper itinerary for our tour, we went to Megamall, the pickup point of Philtranco to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark. Advanced reservation is needed because surprisingly, the bus is full of travelers going to other regional destinations. Quite a number of airlines operate at the DMIA--Asiana (Incheon), Air Asia (KL, Kota Kinabalu.), Tiger Airways (Singapore, Macau), CR Airways (Hong Kong) and Seair (Cebu). With the low fares that these airlines offer, everyone can really fly!

Our flight was at 4pm so we took the 11am departure from Megamall. We arrived at DMIA at around 1pm but the airport was still closed. By 130pm, the checkin counters were opened. Food was available inside the pre-departure area but at a much more expensive price! Imagine, a can of coke cost me P50! Nyek!

Singapore Budget Terminal
We arrived at the Budget Terminal at half past 7 in the evening, but we finished the immigration formalities at around 815pm. Transportation to the city proper is not a problem as there are taxis waiting just outside the terminal. There's also a shuttle service which charges S$35 if you want it all by yourself, or S$7 per person that leaves every 30 minutes but you will have to go with some other passengers. With the S$7, it's either you are the first to be taken to your hotel or the last. We preferred to take the shuttle service that only cost S$7 per person as dropping passengers off to their hotel was an opportunity for us to 'roam around' the city for free! True enough, while dropping off the first passenger, we passed by Orchard Road, Arab Street and we even saw a backpackers' inn that only charges S$18 per person in a room for 6. So next time I go to Singapore with 5 others, I'd think about staying at that inn and not at the costly inn we stayed at. :)

Holiday Inn
Whatever I've saved from the cost of the tickets, I spent on our accommodation. I booked at the Holiday Inn Atrium for 3 nights at an expensive rate of US$90 per night! Huwaaat? Ok. I had no time to think and since I didn't have much time to look for alternative, I went with the first suggestion that was given to me. The hotel was ok, the room was huge enough, the amenities were great and we had a nice view of the surrounding area at night.

Sim Lim Square
Since I forgot the charger for my cam's battery, we decided to go first to Sim Lim Square. From the hotel, we took bus no. 75 to go to Outram station and from there, to Bugis station. We had a light breakfast at McDonalds then proceeded on to squandering almost P60,000 at Sim Lim. Lesson learned: never go to an IT shop with Zev in spending mode.

DHL Balloon
Four hours of bargaining went well so we hurried onto our next stop, the DHL Balloon, which is said to be the largest tethered helium balloon, certified as an aircraft and is the newest attraction for tourists. The cost of a 10-minute ride up to a 150m height that gives one a 360-degree panoramic view of Singapore's skyline is S$23. Quite cheap for an experience you won't usually get.

Bugis
We were tired and hungry after the ride so we decided to eat at Burger King. It was almost 430pm when we finished eating and though we planned to go to Sentosa that day, we postponed it to the following day and decided to go to the Night Safari instead. No one's in the mood to shop even more at Bugis after spending so much at Sim Lim. Riding on bus no. 33, we were able to reach our hotel, freshen up and prepare for our night tour. (It's worth mentioning that we bought EZ link cards so we didn't have to line up at MRT stations to get tickets and then refund all the time, plus the cards gave us access to buses without having to worry about whether we had the exact change or not.)

Night Safari
The concierge told us that it would be better if we went to the safari by cab because it would cost us only around S$20 one way from where we were versus the 2 hours it would take us if we went there by bus and then MRT and then bus again. But we wanted to explore the place on our own, so we did not follow his suggestion. While waiting (which seemed like eternity) for the bus that would take us to the MRT, a tour bus with the signage "night safari" put on the window stopped in front of me. I knocked and asked the driver if he was going to the place and if it was possible for two lost tourists to join them. He said yes and charged us S$45 each (entrance to the Night Safari was only S$18 per person). We thought that the tour was expensive at first but later on realized that with the amount we paid, the tour was ok since we did not have to worry about our ride back to the hotel and the bonus of having a tour guide mentioning some bits of facts about the places that we pass by.

Though I am not really fond of animals, we still went to the safari, for experience. I mean, it was just like going to the zoo--at night, minus the photo ops available during daytime. So if you can do without the 'experience' thing, the night safari is a no-go for you.

Mt. Faber
From the hotel, we took a nice long walk to the Outram MRT station the following day. We had to stop at the Harbour Front station where cable cars and buses to Sentosa were available. Hungry, we ate at a Taiwanese restaurant, Shihlin, first, before going to the cable car station. Unfortunately, we went on the wrong side of the station so we found ourselves at the bus terminal! So, we just decided then that we'd ride the cable car on going back from Sentosa. But, as fate would have it, we found out that there's a bus to Mt. Faber (S$1) available as well, at the terminal. I know that from Mt. Faber, we could go to Sentosa on a cable car. Hmmm...So, we changed plans again and had a side trip to Mt. Faber from which we were able to get a nice view of the city and a longer cable car ride. Hehe.

Cable Car
Zev has fear of heights. And while the cable car ride was joy in itself, it was made more interesting by the fact that the man I was with was holding on to his breath most of the time. The cable car ride cost us S$9.90 plus S$2 entrance to Sentosa. We were lucky to find a money changing station at the 'cable car stop' because we didn't have S$ anymore. But instead of the usual 1:1.55 exchange rate they give at the airport, we only had 1:1.5 rate at the station.

4D Magix
I don't know why Zev wanted to see this when we already have the same technology available at Enchanted Kingdom. The entrance was S$16 each and right after the 15-minute show, Zev said, "mas maganda pa yung sa EK dyan eh." Oh well. Couldn't say, "Oo nga" because I actually enjoyed it. Hehe.

Garden of Fountain
While on our way to Siloso beach, we spotted a nice area which we wanted to explore, so we hopped out of the bus on the next stop. After taking some wacky pictures (because only the two of us were there), we again decided to eat at Burger King which was the nearest food stop at that area.

Siloso Beach
Located in front of the Siloso beach is another attraction called Underwater World which we decided not to visit for the simple reason that since we both did not enjoy the night safari because we do not like animals, we might not enjoy these animals even if they were underwater. Hehe. We justified our decision by saying that we'd just go to Hong Kong next time to see Ocean Park, which is, we think, better than Singapore's Underwater World. So off we were to Siloso Beach where we rented a bike for an hour and toured the area up to Palawan beach and on to the jungle trek. Cycling was so tiring that we ended up eating Ben & Jerry's ice cream before going on to our last stop. Yum!

Luge and Skyride
The one that we said we did not want to do without was the Luge and Skyride. The fee only cost us S$8 per person and then S$10 for the picture taken of us while on the skyride. We bought the picture for souvenir. And proof that while up there, we were still arguing. Haha! Riding the luge is like riding on a go-cart except that it is not run with a motor engine and the skyride is like well, a cable car ride or a ferris wheel ride. Basta. Di ko alam i-describe pero enjoy. Hehe.

Chinatown
Zev wanted so much to see the food street in Chinatown so straight from Sentosa, we went there and scanned the stalls of nice food to eat. He said he could eat anything and true enough, he found something he said he wanted just after seeing a few shops. Unfortunately, I did not, so we continued on our search. Finally, at the last stall, I found fried rice and garlic/chilli mussels that I thought I could eat. When they served the mussels, I felt they were raw so I just contented myself with the fried rice while Zev enjoyed all the mussels and the tom yum soup. We were back at the hotel after dinner. We should rest, as we had an early morning flight.

In summary, our trip was so much fun (though expensive). Zev said, while we parted, "So next year ulet ha." Sure!




Philtranco
email: reservation@philtranco.com.ph

Holiday Inn Atrium Singapore
317 OUTRAM ROAD
SINGAPORE, 169075 SINGAPORE
Hotel Front Desk: 65-67330188
Hotel Fax: 65-67330989

02 August
Makati / Pasay / Ortigas
PHILIPPINES

That's why I scheduled my trip to cover Darwin's birthday. Before I left last year, I promised him that we would be celebrating our birthdays together. And though he changed his mind later on, saying that he wanted a peaceful day, we still arranged a simple celebration with SAS people only this time. Thanks to Joy for handling almost everything, we had a fun night of pancit, pichi-pichi, bbq, coke and of course, videoke!

Before I went to SAS though, I met with Iva at RCBC and as she had requested, we ate at Tapa King, where I reminisced our Katipunan dormitoryana days. She gave me earrings from her trip to Cambodia (I think) and I, in return, gave her keychains from my trip to HK Disneyland. Ayos! Exchange gift ito! We went together to Smart in Ayala after lunch where she paid her monthly bill and I requested for the disconnection of my Addict Mobile line. Letting go of that line took me 2 months to decide because it was Tatay's line. Much as I would like to keep it, I did not because I wanted to start letting go. Ganun eh.

Later, I went to Cebu Pacific to give the copies of our CGY adventure to Chris, then to Powerbooks at Megamall while waiting for Joy to call me for Darwin's birthday celebration.

01 August
Clarkfield, Pampanga / Cabanatuan City
PHILIPPINES

At 8am, the students were sent back home because the division DepEd has announced the suspension of classes due to the storm Henry. This was to be my last day at home as I planned on going back to Manila to do some errands the following day. Lucky, I was, for Nanay could go home early and we could spend more time together. Yey!

Instead of spending one whole day in the most convenient way (sleeping while raining), we went to Clarkfield with MommyA and Uncle to have the water from the farm checked by the DENR accredited agency that took us almost an hour to locate in the vast territory of the former US Base. Fortunately before that, we had lunch at SM Clark, which I didn't know existed. Hehe. Well, it was newly opened and there was not much to see yet. However, I was all too happy to find a stall that sells buko halo-halo (the one that I only get to eat in Cagayan de Oro, the one reason I always ask to eat at Dear Manok!) but my love for buko pandan was much more than that so it was buko pandan that I ordered (tasted like Ice Monster buko pandan, yum!).

After the testing, we then proceeded to PureGold and bought whatever we fancied. Konti na lang naman kasi ang choices so kahit ano na lang. It's sad to see the current situation in Clark when it used to be the most-visited place some years back. I remember when we were younger, we used to go to Clark just to buy shawarma! Andaming tao nun! Now it's so pitiful that the place looks like a ghost-inhabited place. Haay.

While on our way home, I received several text messages from my high school friends. They'd be picking me up for dinner daw in Clark! Nye! I suggested we go somewhere else, nearer preferrably, as I intend to leave early the next morning. First suggestion was to eat at Luz Kitchenette, our Friday afternoon tambayan during HS. Nyek. Sarado na ang Luz at 8pm! So we had no choice but to go to Cabanatuan City to have dinner at Max's. We browsed through the wedding pictures of my bride-friend and talked about their honeymoon and future plans. :)) Then had a picture with Papa Piolo. Yay.

Later that night, I bonded with Nanay by talking about...a lot of things...until 3am.

31 July
Jaen, Nueva Ecija
PHILIPPINES

Of course, my trip home won't be complete if I didn't visit my lola (Tatay's mom). So even though the rain was falling hard that day and the road to Jaen was so rough, we still went to see my Nanay Guding. I am glad that she's better now than the last time I saw her. I think she is slowly moving on, accepting the fact that Tatay has gone home. She said she's trying not to think much of what happened but when she could not avoid it, she tries to think about us (her grandchildren) and becomes happy with the fact that we are--in her words--doing well in our lives. Hehe.

Nanay Guding gave us kalamansi that were harvested from our backyard. Quite a lot, she gave. Panglaban daw sa sipon dahil nga rainy season. Korek.

It was also nice to see our house (the one where I grew up) again. It still looks the same, though a little 'old' now because no one's using it. Someday, we'll probably go back and live there again...

30 July
San Isidro, Nueva Ecija
PHILIPPINES

Nothing fancy for my birthday this time. I didn't invite anyone anyway. It was just a simple lunch of baked tahong, beef sinigang, kare-kare, chicharon, and shrimp shared with my family--Nanay, Mommy Lynn, Uncle and Vidson.

My birthday wish? Hmm..Secret! ;)

29 July
Cavite / Alabang
PHILIPPINES

And they were late again. As expected.

I waited for about an hour and a half at the Cebu Pacific Air Office for Darwin, Mafe and Cape. Sabi ni Mafe kaya daw nila dumating ng 10am. Drawing! We planned on going to Ninet's place to see the pictures during Emann's birthday and Esha's binyag. Donald could not join because he has a training in Singapore. (Owss! Me training bang nag-start ng Saturday?! Me dadalawin yata. Haha!) At about 1130am, we were in Cavite munching the tacos that Erwin prepared especially for us. Super sarrrrraaaap!

It only took us 30 minutes to look at the pictures so Mafe and Capella played with Emann while we were waiting for Ninet's mom-in-law to arrive. Dayoff ni Madam so walang yaya ang mga kids. Buti na lang game si lola. We were off to Alabang Town Center by 1230pm.

Initially, we wanted to eat at Red Crab. Kaya lang, when we looked at their buffet, halos wala na and super konti ng choices. I suggested to just eat at Dad's na lang because I know Darwin and Erwin might enjoy Saisaki. All agreed and once again, super busog ko na naman.

Medyo umuulan non and while we wanted to stay longer, Ninet and Erwin had to go home to San Mateo and I was also in a hurry to go to Darwin's condo in Mandaluyong. Ganda ng place ni Darwin! Kakainggit! It's a two-bedroom condo that he is so excited to furnish. (He has already assigned one piece of furniture to me. Sana makapagipon ako for that.) He has chosen yellow and orange so it would look modern/urban. My condo pales in comparison to his. Kasi naman mine is 'conservative.' Haha! To think ako pa yung girl. Hmmm..

So pagkatapos ng tour of Darwin's condo, uwi na naman ako ng Nueva Ecija. Ay kapoy.

28-29 July
Cagayan de Oro
PHILIPPINES

Chris texted me: Uy, baka di kami makasakay. Fully booked yung flight. 4 na lang ang di ticketed. Ano plan B?

I replied: Wala. Refundable ba yung ticket?

Hehe. E kasi naman I paid P5600 for the ticket, sayang naman kung di tutuloy! Then I texted again, "If di talaga pwede sa Cagayan, ire-route na lang natin to Cebu. But let's try Cagayan first."

We agreed to meet at the old domestic airport by 330am. I was late. I arrived at 4am and as I was rushing to the check-in counter, I saw the 4 of them. They told me to check-in and if they could not get on the flight, di na lang din ako tutuloy. Fortunately, there were a lot of no-shows, so we were able to fly altogether! Wheee!

While boarding the flight, I noticed one passenger who was wearing sunglasses at 5 in the morning! Sheesh! Ano yun? But looking back again, I realized it was Rainier Castillo. Yung sa Starstruck! Kaya naman pala. So upon arrival at the Cagayan de Oro Airport, we gathered around him and asked if it's alright to take a picture with him. Jologs! E di naman nya kme kilala no!

Our taxi driver charged P250 from the airport to the inn where we were to stay. Medyo mahal daw sabi ni Chris kasi di naman yon lagpas ng P200 kung metered. Pumayag na rin kami kasi we were in a hurry to check-in. Meeting time at McDonalds sa may Divisoria was at 8am. From the inn to McDo, we took a tricycle na hinuli pa ng pulis dahil bawal pala ang mga tricycles dun sa lugar. Haha. Manong charged P50 for the ride. At 830am, dumating na si Manong Arlan na super mukhang seryoso.


Macahambus Adventure Park (P300)
We thought we'd be riding an aircon van to the Macahambus Adventure Park. E jeep pala na bukas! Aircon nga! All the equipment were with us pati yung food so konti lang kami sa sasakyan--the 5 of us and 2 Koreans we picked up at some Korean hotel downtown. From Divisoria to the Park, parang 30 minutes lang din. So by 930am, we were already gearing up for the adventure of our lives!

Since there were a lot of people lined up at the hanging bridge which was in the middle of gigantic trees, nagpunta muna kami dun sa ibaba. Umpisa pa lang, natatakot na si Chris dahil medyo mataas yung hagdan tapos meron pang missing steps! Kakapagod and it would have been better if before we went there, we did some stretching. Kasi right after nung pagbaba and pag-akyat, nanginginig na yung legs namin sa pagod.

After resting for a while, we prepared to cross the sky bridge which was 120 meters long and 120 feet high. Kakatuwa naman yung mga guides because they really know that pictures matter to the 'tourists' kaya naman game silang mag-take. And what's impressive is that they know how to take good shots! Winner!

Crossing the bridge was not much of a challenge although medyo nakakatakot din minsan kasi nga ginagalaw nila. What we feared more was going through the 120-meter zip line kasi naman yung mga taong nauna samen were shouting their lungs out! So we thought it would be a really heart-pounding experience. Nung time na namin, we realized, di naman nakakatakot kung hindi ang sarap pala! Everyone of us shouted, "Manong, isa pa!" pero the manongs wouldn't allow us to do it one more time. Syempre me bayad yon no! Haha.

Unfortunately, di available yung equipment for rappeling kasi raw ginamit sa rescue operations. Sad. Pero ok na rin.


White Water Rafting (P1400)
At almost 11am, we were at the white water rafting site. Kaka-excite when you see the paddles and the rafts already being prepared. Each of us were given a helmet, a life vest and a paddle. Then Manong Jun gave us instructions on how to 'faddle' and advised us not to 'fanic' when the raft flips. Hehe. The rafting would take about 3 hours and a lunch break of 1 hour. Lunch was part of the package that we got. They served porkchop, chicken, shrimp, crab, embutido and coke. Me mineral water pa!

There were 14 rapids that we had to go through. Some were easy pero yung iba, super strong that I was almost thrown out of the raft twice! Lampa eh! Medyo masakit din sa katawan at sa kamay ang magsagwan kasi medyo mabigat ang 'faddle' at saka di pala ganon kadali ang position.

Of all the rafters, kami yung group na pinaka-masaya. Kaya naman si Manong namin, game din sya sa pag-high five at me gimmick pa kami na nag-flip ng raft! For almost 2 hours, sagwan lang kami. Then sa wakas, we had the much-awaited lunch break. An hour more, tapos na yung rafting. Pero after the rafting, the manongs allowed us to swim papunta sa shore. Meron pang dive kaya lang nakakatakot kasi merong rock sa tabi so baka unsafe. Some people did dive pero sa group namin, no one dared.

Our day ended at about 4pm. Idinaan na kami sa hotel ng sasakyan and we washed up and prepared for the "conceptualized" dinner at Dear Manok.

Kinabukasan sa Manila Domestic Airport, picture ulet with Rainier! Kasabay ulet namin eh. Hehehe.



Green Roof Inn (P500 / room / night)
#35 Seriña St., Carmen
Cagayan de Oro City
tel: +63 88 8584759

White Water Rafting & Macahambus Adventure (P1700 / person)
contact person: Ruperto Domingo
tel: +63 917 7073583

27 July
Makati
PHILIPPINES

Puyat. That's how I was. But still, I had to go to Manila because we planned to go to Cagayan de Oro the following day. Hmm. I was to meet Iva for lunch but I cancelled at the last hour because Nanay wanted me to leave after lunch. Ok.

I arrived in Manila at almost half past 6 in the evening. Kitty made all the necessary arrangements for our dinner. The last time we planned to go out, di natuloy because my flight was delayed. Nagkatampuhan pa noon. This time, I made sure that I'd be able to meet them, my UP friends. Kulang lang kami because my twin sister Steffania could not make it dahil meron daw syang convention to attend to in Davao. Our favorite friend, the casper Teta, is also there kaya happy ang lahat. Minsan lang sumama yan si Teta kaya naman sya ang pinagkakaguluhan. Haha. Sayang lang that her husband was also out with friends, di tuloy namin kasama.

Kitty surveyed everyone where they wanted to eat. There were actually a lot of suggestions but we ended up eating at Dad's so everyone could just choose whatever he wanted to eat. When we arrived, Casper, Kitty and her Sesame Street bf Bert were already there. Later on, dumating na rin si LoveliNess and her bf. Tapos, yung hubby ni Cosetti. Cosetti came last kasi it was traffic daw in SLEX.

It was a sinful dinner with me eating everything my heart desires. Feeling ko tuloy, antagal kong di kumain! Hehehe. Kunsabagay, I think everyone ate more than they usually do. Sarap eh! They each gave me gifts! Saya! At syempre, di kumpleto ang reunion kung walang picture-taking.




Meeting with friends was a simple joy but it was pure happiness. I wish we could meet more often.

26 July
Nueva Ecija
PHILIPPINES

Tired and sleepy, I still headed home to the little town of San Isidro. I was excited to sleep on my bed again and of course, see Nanay and tell her all the stories that I've already told her through YM, as well as the events that happened while on my way home. I wanted to see how she looks when I tell her how I managed to go even though my boss didn't allow me at first. Or how she'd react when I tell her about my left baggage. Or that I was crazy over a new Korean telenovela that Zev's sister introduced to me. Hehe.

At 9am, I was already at home. I called her earlier to tell her that I was coming and that I did not have a key to our door! Nye! (I also don't have a key to my condo! Waaah!) We chatted over the longsilog breakfast that she prepared while waiting for me and after that, we went to Western Union to get LittleBigBrother's remittance/gift to me! Yehey! There, we met Uncle Boogle who was on his way home. We went with him so we can pay MommyA a visit. We bought nilagang mais sa gilid ng daan and di naman obvious na favorite ko yun kasi lima lang ang kinain ko diba? Hahaha!

Nanay and I went home during lunch time because she still has to go to school. I was left at home and while I wanted to finish the Koreanovela, I discovered that our dvd player was broken. Malas. So I had nothing else to do but sleep. I was awoken by the phone ringing--it was Uncle Boogle asking me if I wanted to go with them to Cabanatuan. He wanted to have a haircut so I went with them and in NE Pacific Mall, we met MommyL. I bought some books at National Bookstore and then we had merienda at Greenwich. Later, we met Nanay at Waltermart Gapan. I bought a dvd player there so I could finish My Girl. Love ko si Julian! Hay.

My telenovela marathon started at 8pm. I was the only one left watching at 11pm but Nanay woke up at 2am. She watched with me til the end of the story. She was, in fact, addicted to the same Koreanovela like me! Like mother, like daughter! Hehe. At 530am, I slept. ZZZZzzzzz.

25 July
The Coconut Palace Manila
PHILIPPINES

It was raining hard when I arrived and I was probably the only one smiling and feeling happy because of it. Early morning, I called Kitty to know if she was already in the office so I could meet her and have our usual breakfast at the food court of the building where she works. We had a lot to talk about... err...actually, I had a lot to tell her. So the confession started at 830am and ended at around 1130am, I think. Now Kitty is the only person who knows about my dark side! Haha!

At 12nn, Rhea called to tell me that I had to buy her lunch. Demanding, she really is. Vidson was kind enough to do that favor and he bought my favorite Chowking chopsuey, siomai, and beef noodle soup for lunch. Yum! We had to hurry up as the wedding was supposed to start at 3pm and we still had to find a saloon to fix our hair! Good thing there was a beauty parlor at the ground floor of our condo so we just had our hair done there. This time, we took advantage of Rhea's demanding personality so our make-up was done for free!

Unfortunately, the water was already knee-deep in dela Rosa so we had to ask someone to get the car from the parking lot (which was about 50 meters from the condo) and just pick us up at the lobby. We were already late for the wedding but since there was nothing we could do about the weather, there was again no point in being grouchy.

The wedding was held at the church (forgot the name!) near the newly-opened SM Mall of Asia. My friend looked so happy and at peace that it almost made me wish I'd get married someday. Almost. Sadly, the thought just lasted for a second and the same old question haunted me: WHY MARRY?

Reception was held at the Coconut Palace. While the place was ideal for sunset weddings, the rainy weather did not permit it to be so. Or so I thought. The pictures that my bride-friend showed me after the wedding were so nice that you'd never think there was storm during the wedding! The couple were very thankful to all the guests (who flew in from the US, Canada, Australia and Qatar, hehe) who attended despite the bad weather condition.

I was also thankful myself to find my luggage waiting at the condo when I came back. :)

23-24 July
Doha-Bangkok-Manila

I had two tickets to Manila--one via Hong Kong and another via Bangkok. I asked the Mouse to pick me up at 6pm as I was keen on going via Bangkok which departs at 8pm. It arrives earlier in Manila and I also wanted to try Thai Airways' service. Hehe.

Flight from Doha, as usual, was full. But the good news was, only me and another staff were listed so I was sure we'd both get on the flight (jumpseat, of course). Wrong! There was only one jumpseat inflight. Luckily, I had a higher priority over the other crew even though he was my senior because I was using an annual pass. Woohoo!

While seated on my favorite seat which is the jumpseat, my mind was so busy thinking about a lot of things.

Siguro iniisip ng mga pasahero kawawa naman ako dahil jumpseat lang ang upuan na ibinigay saken. I agree with the majority who say that the jumpseat is uncomfortable to use because mahirap naman talaga. But being seated on it has some perks, as well, like the cabin crew asking you every now and then if you need anything, serving you the meals first at chichickahin ka pa.

Crew 1: Are you from Bangkok?
Crew 2: No, she's from China.
Me: Actually, I'm from Korea.

Sana naman yung bag ko di maiwan. All my things were there and based on my ex-roommate's experience, it would take about 3 days to retrieve left behind luggage. I had a wedding to attend to the following day and it would be very inconvenient if I didn't have my things with me.

How much kaya ang excess baggage sa Bangkok? Sana TG would allow me to carry everything kahit over 20kgs. My luggage weighed 29kgs and though I had a 50-kg allowance on the DOH-BKK sector, I was only allowed to carry 20kgs on the BKK-MNL sector. Haay.

Pag kaya nag-take off na hindi mahuhulog saken yung mga trays ng food? Medyo parang hindi secured kasi yung pagkakaayos nung crew kaya parang malalaglag lahat saken pag nag-tilt na yung plane. Hehe.

Because I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep if I continued thinking about those things, I focused on trying to sleep. The 2 blankets that the gay crew gave me helped a lot since it was really cold inside the cabin. One chow mien meal and 7 hours later, we arrived in Bangkok.

First thing I did was to look for the TG transfer desk. The lady at the counter was helpful although we had difficulty conversing in English. She checked me in and advised me that my luggage would be retrieved by their ground handlers and that I just had to proceed to the departure area which I did. Inflight, I realized TG had pretty flight attendants and a very colorful aircraft interior (compared to our dull burgundy and gray colors). I was hungry because I did not eat the breakfast served on QR so even if I don't eat shrimp or duck, I did.

On arrival at the NAIA, I waited in vain for my baggage. As I have feared, naiwan nga and although I was very disappointed, I knew there was no point in getting angry because my bag would still be in Bangkok even if I shouted and complained. So I filled up the form as soon as possible and asked my friend Rhea who was there to pick me up, to accompany me to the mall so I could buy my clothes and toiletries. From the airport, we went to the Podium and then later to Glorietta where we ended the night with a dinner at Gerry's Grill.