Sardine Run @ Pescador Island in Moalboal, Cebu

It was supposed to be the last day that our team, Motivating Minds, will train the staff of Club Serena. However, when Carelle and RR decided to stay late the previous night to finish the training, we had the whole morning to ourselves. It was a perfect set up which means my friends get to dive while I get to snorkel at no other than the most famous marine park in Moalboal, Cebu --- Pescador island.

Carelle, RR and Ian were all raving about it. I just hoped it wasn't like my experience at Gato island where I couldn't see anything underwater because of the illegal fishing going on causing the water to be murky with dead fishes floating. On the other hand, I was still excited. They were hoping to catch the sardine run on video and I was hoping to catch it too from the surface where I'll just be snorkeling.

The boat ride from Club Serena to Pescador island was about 30 - 40 minutes. The boat docked near the shallow part of the coast where I can already see the beautiful and colorful corals from where I was sitting. I thought I'd snorkel there too. Unfortunately, as soon as all the divers went underwater, the boat moved to the deeper part of the coast where the water was so choppy. I was scared to snorkel at first. But thinking that we'll be going back to Manila later that afternoon, I gathered enough courage and just went into the water.


I was dumbfounded with what I saw. There were like a billion sardines swimming all around me! I snorkeled right into the middle of the sardine run! I couldn't explain how I felt. I was just too happy that I didn't have to dive just to see this! I was one with the multitude of sardines swimming all around me.

Talk, Listen and Bond

Spending time with our friends rarely happens these days. Blame it on marriage, kids, work, conflicts in schedules, moods and what-nots. But on those occasions when our friends do take the time out of their busy lives to bond with either me or Peter, we really do appreciate it. After all, the effort and sacrifice go both ways and what can we do is to make the most of the time spent together.


Koryn is one of those people in our lives who really make it a point to bond with us. We've been friends since 2005 but I never really told her about my past, my deep dark thoughts and my secrets. Come to think of it, I don't think many of my friends know a lot about me. Most of the time, I just keep it all inside, write it on my diary or blogs, and whatever personal dilemma I have, I just solve them all in my head. This is why I have tons of self-help books, why I took up Psychology in the first place, and why I have always been mature for my age. As a consequence, I tend to be the go-to person of my friends and rarely do I go to them for advice. Even my guidance counselor before applauded me for being self-sufficient, independent and for basically doing her job coz when it's my time to get counseled, I just sit there, talk to her and give her the solutions to my problems which I've come up with all on my own.


However, on those rare moments that I did try to bring up my issues to my friends, they unknowingly just brushed me aside and made the conversation all about them again. No wonder I like writing about me on my blogs because truth be told, I feel like I never really got the chance to talk about ME. They always do all the talking while I do all the listening and advising. Don't get me wrong though. I love my friends and I always give them what I can. But there are just moments, like lately, when I wish they'd listen to me for a change. Sometimes I think it's already too late.

Club Serena @ Moalboal

enjoying the view of the sea...

If at Malapascua, I never woke up on time causing my roommate, Ian, to suffer the loud noise coming from my alarm clock, here in Club Serena, I made sure I was awake at the break of dawn. I wanted to see for myself every nook and cranny there is at Club Serena before we finally head back to Manila the next day.

Club Serena has 8 rooms – Beach Front Suite, Raja Room, Treehouse 1 and 2 (where Ian and I stayed) , Cottages 1 and 2, and Casita 1 and Casita 2 each with its own character. The Honeymooner’s Suite has its own sala and dining area; while Treehouses 1 and 2, bearing aqualife motif, boast of their own azotea or balcony overlooking Tañon Strait. Cottages 1 and 2 are fusion of Oriental and Western inspirations; while the Raja Room speak of indigenous Oriental motif.

This is me enjoying the balcony of our treehouse.

The place is very private, away from the city’s maddening crowd; appropriate for family bonding as well as corporate team building if you exclusively booked the whole place. Or for one used to solitude, one can spend time by one’s self while enjoying the ringing of the wind chimes in Treehouse 1 or 2.

enjoying my swing...

It can accommodate up to 30 guests. Club Serena also has swimming pools. The resort offers Spa Services, Scuba Diving Certification, Kawasan Waterfalls Picnic, Dolphin Watching, Island Hopping, Canyoning and is also ideal for Wedding Venues.

Ocean’s Surf at Marriott Cafe : A Weekend Treat

I was having second thoughts when Friday finally arrived and I had this invitation from Marriott to try their Ocean's Surf located at Marriott Cafe. As usual, I had a lot of work to do and going to food blog events like this usually takes time since I'll be coming from the south and I would have to commute all the way to Newport City. I'm also afraid of riding cabs on my own and it was getting dark so I thought of just waiting for Peter to finish work so we can go together. Anyway, it's a buffet, meaning there'll be a ton of food to taste even if we get there late. Marriott has never failed me so far when it comes to their yummy food offerings which was why I was really looking forward to enjoying all the seafood, pasta and desserts my diet will allow me.

Char Sui of Salmon with Crab Gribiche

Finally, after braving the 1-hour traffic from Ayala to Edsa, after getting caught by policemen because we turned at a seemingly u-turn slot fronting Resorts World (the sign says in big bold letters "U-Turn SLOT", then under that, there's another word in tiny fonts saying "ahead". Heck, if the policemen were really doing their jobs, they'd station themselves near the sign to prevent cars from turning there rather than waiting at the other side of the road to catch victims of this stressful MMDA ploy. Better yet, they should've just taken out that stupid sign in the first place. It's very confusing especially at night. In fact, that evening, there were three cars inlcuding ours who got caught by the MMDA coz of that stupid road sign. On the other hand, I think it was because of the negative emotions caused by the traffic we were feeling earlier which caused us to attract this incident. I believe in the law of attraction and I should've known better. Right then and there, Peter and I shrugged the negativity off so we can start enjoying our evening together.

Hibachi river prawns with Thai herbs and red chili sauce

When we finally got to Marriott and started tasting many of the dishes on the Ocean Surf menu, I offered a silent prayer of thanks to the universe because Marriott did serve a variety of scrumptious , delectable and tasty seafood dishes that night. It made the hassle we went through earlier that evening so much more worth it.

Virtual Assistants Featured on ABS-CBN's Bandila

I'm still waiting for the original copy of the segment Bandila did on me and other VAs last Monday night. But then one of my bosses was able to find a copy on youtube and I'd like to share it with you here, especially for those who missed it and who are thinking of pursuing some freelance work online.

Bandila didn't anymore include the part where you can look for these kinds of freelance work so I'll just post it here.

• Register and post your resume at http://va4u.com and wait for interested clients to get in touch with you.
• To browse available freelance jobs online, go to http://getafreelancer.com and http://craigslist.org.

These are the usual sites I visit whenever I need to look for online work.

If you want to know more how it all happened for me, please visit this link below:
Virtual assistant

I hope this helps. ^_^

Loving the Minute Maid Real Pulpy Deal

I just drank a bottle of Minute Maid Pulpy. They say it’s got ‘no preservatives added’. Aw, c’mon…It’s bottled juice. Is that even possible? So I thought maybe... I'd do some more research about it. You know me, I like my 2011 to be healthier and better. No more bad stuff for my body please. I've had it with preservatives, chemicals and other hidden toxic food substances! It's time to be healthy, fit and sexy once again!

I didn’t believe it the first time I heard it’s got no preservatives added. So I read the ingredients (even the fine print) and everything checked out! It really has NO PRESERVATIVES ADDED! That means it doesn’t have ingredients that may turn out to be allergens, or worse...carcinogens! Whew! Now that’s healthy goodness that tastes so good, I...

Bandila's 2nd Visit & My New Hair

that's me and Mau with ABS-CBN's Bandila Cameraman behind us

I had my Saturday scheduled perfectly. But then Mau, the segment producer of ABS-CBN's Bandila, texted me and asked if they could shoot more videos of me while working. At first, I declined coz I had a lot of work to do, Peter and I had tons of errands to run, the house was looking like a mess, and basically, I was just not in the mood. I was looking like a piece of trash, for crying out loud! I was doing some general cleaning around the house and Peter was doing a mountain of laundry. But since it will just take about 20 minutes, I finally obliged. I just made sure I can have a quick shower first before they even get here. Hehe, nagpakipot pa. ^_^

Below is one of the videos Peter took while Bandila was doing its thing...

I got my cake and there's a surprise in it!

I was checking my Plurk timeline last night and I was wondering what all the cake updates were about. Bloggers from all over Metro Manila were raving about a yellow cake they've been getting in the mail. I dunno what it was about but all the cake talk surely whet my craving for it! So I wanted one too! I figured, since I've been feeling really good lately, I think the universe would agree with me when I say that I deserve one too. Teehee. Or I can just order one from Cake2Go. Hehehe. So I updated my Plurk and my FB and just shouted I WANT CAKE!!! Who knows, I might just get one, you know!

True enough, I eventually got my beautiful, tasty yellow cake... and more!


This photo and business card weren't the only surprise inside my cake...

Find out what else I got. I was in for a real treat! Check my videos out:

ABS CBN's Bandila Came for a Visit

I dunno if some of you read my Wiccan blog. But I mentioned in my daily tarot post there yesterday, how things are great again in my side of the universe. I'm a simple girl and simple things make me happy despite the fact that I do get depressed sometimes (which I believe I have now overcome). Take for instance when Mau (ABS-CBN's Bandila's segment producer) texted me if she could interview me about my freelance VA (virtual assistant) job. That made me happy! Since more and more people are asking me about this thing that I do online, I decided that it's probably time to share what I know based on my own experiences.

this was quick shot Mau took of me with her two cameramen

Bye Malapascua, Hello Moalboal

goodbye Malapascua...

When we left Malapascua, we passed by Cebu City for late lunch and went all the way to the southwestern part of the region which is Moalboal. Because our driver drove so slow, we reached Moalboal after sunset. Too bad, the only sunset shot I have of Moalboal was this photo below, which I took while we were still on the road.

hello Moalboal...

Our team was scheduled to train the staff of this beautiful resort, Club Serena, the following day. This means that Carelle, RR and Ian can do a night dive, while I can just simply enjoy the rest of the facilities by myself.

Illegal Fishermen at Gato Island in Malapascua

I'm back to my regular programming now. Teehee. My goal is to finish blogging about all those travels I did in 2010 so by the time I live in Boracay come summer, I can finally do a near real time travel blogging. I've never done that before. I always wanted to enjoy my travels first then just blog about them much, much later.While this method of blogging has been very enjoyable, it's also been time-consuming for me. Since it's a brand new year, I figured, I can try doing a more real time type of travel blogging starting this summer.

Anyway, moving on, here are snippets of my visit to this not-so-wonderful marine sanctuary that is Gato Island. I'll tell you why...

Seeing Gato island from afar...

Gato Island is supposed to be a marine reserve which is about 1 hour boat ride from Malapascua Island. I went there together with our team of divers (Carelle, RR and Ian) for their Monad shoal dive. They were excited to see white tip sharks! Gato island boasts of a cavern that runs through the island, about 25 meters in length. Since I'm no diver, I thought of just snorkeling instead.

RR ready to dive...

Unfortunately, by the time I hit the water, I couldn't see a single thing. The water was so murky and dark. When I did see a pair of huge lapu-lapu, I thought they were sharks so I panicked and went back up the boat and just sunbathed instead.

That's me catching some sun...

I thought the murky water was the worst of it. By the time my friends came back to the boat, Carelle was cryings coz she saw some dead nemos and dead swordfish (photos below).

New Year's Eve Video Blog

You must forgive me. My new video recording toy, GE DV1 HD Recorder, is still new and I am recording just about anything and everything I can think of, given my free time at the moment. So here are a couple more mundane videos I took minutes before 2011 struck. Never mind that I can't enunciate my "e" and "i" properly; or the fact that I speak very slow like I dunno what to say next (this is what happens when I rarely talk these days); that I caught myself with a big tummy (burp!) while my legs were wrapped around Peter; or the fact that I was falling asleep on New Year's Eve. Anyway, just enjoy it, if you have nothing better to do on this beautiful Sunday morning, that is. ^_^

So how's your new year so far? ^_^

No More Resolutions for 2011

Another year has just passed. In fact, another decade has just flown by so quickly that it amazes me I'm no longer that 21 year old gal I know, who's fresh out of college, full of hopes and dreams for her future. In reality though, I still feel like that 21 year old girl. I am still filled with hopes and dreams waiting to be conquered and fulfilled, only this time, I am living in my first dream house, I am about to learn to drive my first dream car, I have money in the bank, I have traveled to so many places and I'd like to think that I have already accomplished a lot. Heck, I have even retired from corporate world at the age of 30!

I won't go into much detail about these things now. And like I said before, no more New Year's resolutions for me. So many resolutions have passed me in my lifetime and not one of them darn lists has ever entirely been resolved. So I just simply stopped making them. My new mantra for this year would be to JUST DO IT! Whatever it is that I want, I will just do it. No more intricate planning, procrastination, over analysis and rationalization. I am given 24 hours a day, hence I must make them count.


To help remind me of some of the things I want to get into this year, I made a simple colored reminder which I posted on that part of the bookshelf in my office that I always look at.


It's the same wall where I posted my 12 year old mantra. This way, when I get too focused and concentrated at work, I'll be reminded that there are other fun stuff to do for me, just waiting around the corner. ^_^


And no, they're not resolutions... just stuff which I am looking forward to doing. They may sound mundane to most people, but for someone like me who tends to work 15 hours a day, to be able to accomplish them would feel like a feat.

Happy 2011! May the new year bring you closer to your dreams!

No More Resolutions for 2011

Another year has just passed. In fact, another decade has just flown by so quickly. It amazes me how I'm no longer that 21 year old gal I used to know, fresh out of college, full of hopes and dreams for her future. In reality though, I do still feel like that 21 year old girl. I am still filled with hopes and dreams waiting to be conquered and fulfilled, only this time, I am living in my first dream house, I am about to learn to drive my first dream car, I have money in the bank, I have traveled to so many places and I'd like to think that I have already accomplished a lot. Heck, I have even retired from the corporate world at the age of 30!


I won't go into much detail about these things now. And like I said before, no more New Year's resolutions for me. So many resolutions have passed me in my lifetime and not one of them darn lists has ever entirely been resolved. So I just simply stopped making them. My new mantra for this year would be to JUST DO IT! Whatever it is that I want, I will just do it. No more intricate planning, procrastination, over analysis and rationalization. I am given 24 hours a day, hence I must make them count.