ATC, Sky Ranch Tagaytay, Glorietta 4: a Busy but Relaxing Long Weekend with Baboo Peter

I booked a flight to Cagayan de Oro earlier this year for Oct. 26-31. I was thinking that since baboo is always busy with work, I might as well spend time with some of my friends I rarely see. The thing is they live so far away. But what's an hour of plane ride and a few hours of commute to the City of Golden Friendship if only to see them, right? 

Well, a lot of things happened in between. For one, I didn't expect to be attending training for NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) plus the heavy workload that fell onto my lap. To cut the story short, I had to cancel my intended CDO vacation and just make the most of the holiday. Honestly, with everything going on in my life, I totally forgot that it was a long holiday (Oct. 28 being the day for Barangay elections). So I guess that's where the silver lining was in all of this. At least I got to spend three happy whole days with my baboo. He was available to me, for my pleasure, at my beck and call (hehe) for 72 hours and I wasn't going to let those precious hours just pass me by.  But the thing was, WE DIDN'T MAKE ANY PLANS AT ALL. Oh bugger!

Fortunately, my baboo was very easy to please. If I am the O.C. type who prefer scheduling every last minute detail of whatever plans we have, baboo Peter is the opposite when it comes to domestic/marital/personal matters. He loves to chill and just relax and just let everything flow. So having had my Breaking Through Barriers (BTB) training with Train Station a month ago (while baboo Peter had his a few weeks ago), we learned to adjust to each other's preferences. That's what you call second positioning. It's when you take on the position of the other person, immerse yourself in the way he/she thinks and feels and from there, get an insight as to how he/she is thinking, feeling and seeing things. So in short, we came at a compromise and it all came out naturally and subconsciously, meaning, without even trying so hard like how we used to do it before we had the BTB training. 

So, what happened was, we both let everything flow while still maintaining some sort of schedule for the long weekend. 

Oct. 26

Seafood Ilsand, ATC

We stayed in bed most of the day. It wasn't until late afternoon that we showered and dressed up, hoping to catch a movie. 

But then what do you know, it's been a while since I last prettified myself and I was just being so slow. So we got out of bed, prepared for our date and got out of the house early evening, decided to just splurge on dinner and just do the movie date another day. 

We went to Alabang Town Center instead of Makati (where we intended to watch a movie) and after strolling around the mall, decided to eat at Seafood Island. 

We chose this place because not only do we prefer Filipino dishes over any other kind, but the ambiance felt like we were on a beach in Boracay. Perhaps, it was the breezy air outside that made it feel like we were on a beach, but most importantly, the way they serve their food on a huge banana leaf really helped set the mood right.

We stayed there a while and enjoyed the fresh air, the view from the second floor and of course each other's company. It's been a while since we had each other all to ourselves. You could say that romance was brewing in the air. Teehee. 

Vanilla Cupcake Bakery

It was 9 in the evening when we finished dinner and figured that we didn't want to go home just yet. So we walked around so as to burn all those calories we ingested and that was when we saw this cute little cupcake place - Vanilla Cupcake Bakery. The lighting and furnishing were so inviting that we felt like we just had to go in and see what they offer. 

I guess it was a mistake going there coz they sell all these fabulous and colorful cupcakes! More calories! Arrghh! We couldn't control ourselves that we just had to try them. Baboo Peter got the nutella cupcake with matching nutella shake while I got the  seasalt caramel cupcake and guava iced tea. 

OH MY LORD! They were all delicious! If only my high blood pressure wasn't starting to act up that night, we would have ordered more. Well, it's a good thing that I was starting to get headaches from all the cholesterol I was ingesting, otherwise, we would have gone bankrupt with the prices of their cupcakes (they're selling for at least almost a hundred bucks a piece). We paid Php410.00 for two cupcakes and two drinks. But it was worth it! 

Fully Booked

Just when we were about to go home, we noticed that Fully Booked was still open. OMG! OMG! OMG! Books are my Achilles' heel, well, one of them. I actually feel like I need one large floor-to-ceiling bookshelf to house all my book collections, half of which I still haven't found the time to read but I still keep buying. Call it my addiction. Maybe someday, when I get to live on an island for one whole year, I get to bring and read all my unread books. I can dream, can't I?  

So upon seeing that Archie Comics have new offerings, I went ga-ga and bought them all! I also got this interesting little book by Gretchen Rubin, PROJECT HAPPINESS. The nice surprise was, I didn't even know they were on sale at 20% off until I went to the cashier to pay for my purchase! It was really meant! Instead of paying Php2300, I only spent Php1700! Hurrah! 

Home

We then went home satiated and oh so happy with how we spent the first day of our long weekend. We weren't tired yet so baboo Peter invited me to watch KickAss 2 with him until we dozed off. 

Oct. 27

Bag of Beans, Tagaytay

Originally, baboo Peter and I thought of staying overnight in Tagaytay. Unfortunately, by the time I tried to book reservations online, all the good ones were fully booked. So we opted to just spend a day there and see what's new. 

Bag of Beans is nothing new. But in all the years we've been together traveling all over (since 2002), we've always skipped this place located in 115 Aguinaldo Highway, Mendez Crossing West, 4120 Tagaytay City. It's coz from the outside, the place didn't look anything special. It looked small and crowded. But last Sunday, there was a major traffic in that area and a lot of cars were parking in its vicinity so we decided to check the place out. 

Well, well, well... what do you know! The place is huge inside! It offers lunch buffet until 3 pm and there were a lot of nooks and crannies people can dine in. You can do so al fresco under the trees, or inside the big dining hall or in one of the gazebos and pavilions inside the property. 

The place is perfect for families lunching together as well as for romantic dates! We can't believe we've always passed by this place and never have dropped by til then. 

Since we got there at around 1 pm, we had more than enough time to enjoy their lunch buffet offering. They had fish, pork, chicken, vegetables, pasta, fruits, beef and a wide selection of scrumptious desserts! It was fabulous! Since I try to eat slow most of the time, baboo Peter and I got to spend time just talking, taking pictures and reading the books I bought the previous day. 

We knew it said that lunch buffet was only until 3 pm but we stayed until around 5 pm because there was just so much food and the ambiance was just very relaxing we felt so right at home. 

We could've stayed there forever for all we care. And for almost a thousand pesos for us both, it was very much worth it!

Sky Ranch

A little past 5 pm, we decided to transfer to another location. We passed by this huge ferris wheel on the way to Bag of Beans and thought we could see what the fuss was about. Apparently, the Sky Eye is the biggest ferris wheel in the country! 

The line to get inside was quite long on the right side of the property. It was a good thing that we found parking at the left-most side where the line was short. We even got a glimpse of our old friend Racquel, her hubby Paul and their son who were leaving the place. So after paying Php50.00 each for entrance fee, we were inside the Sky Ranch amusement park. It was like the amusement park located at the back of Mall of Asia, only bigger and better. There were a lot of rides available but we only wanted to try the Sky Eye. I didn't know then that baboo Peter had a nice, little, kinky idea in mind. 

We paid Php150.00 each for the ride. The line was moving quite fast and the ferris wheel ride took only ten minutes. The view would have been more fantastic if the sun hadn't yet set as we might be able to see Taal lake. But it was good enough. The sun had just gone down, it was getting dark and baboo wanted me to take my top off... Teehee. All in all, it was an exciting experience. Leave it to baboo to spice things up a little. Hehehe. 

After the short but kinky ride, we walked around the property some more. It was getting really windy and chilly. I should've worn something warm aside from my bra. I felt like I was getting frost bitten by the cool air! Perhaps, next time we go back here, I'll wear my fur coat (hahaha). Come to think of it, it would be nice to do it all again in broad daylight. 

Ukay-Ukay

Visiting Tagaytay won't be complete without getting some shopping done. But because the long weekend was not yet over, we have to mind our budget. So off we went to the used clothing shops (ukay-ukay shops) located in Olivarez Plaza. I got some really nice tops, all branded. I should bring some more cash next time so I can buy some pair of branded pants too. After all, someone else's trash, could be another person's treasure. Hihihi.

Carlo's Pizza

Every time we'd go to this area, we'd always gone for Mile-Hi and the other food places in the vicinity. This was the first time we're trying Carlo's Pizza and to our delight, the pizza we ordered really tasted yummy! We should try their other offerings the next time we visit this place. 

Oct. 28

We got home past 1 and slept til 10 the following morning. We wanted to make the most of the what's left of our long weekend so that's when we decided to do the movie marathon thing in Glorietta 4 in Makati. We wanted to watch four movies!

By the time we parked our car, we thought of dropping by Rustan's to buy myself my much needed perfumes! The ones I got left at home were getting to be too strong for me (Christian Dior, Chanel No. 5 to name a few) that I needed something fruity and light. So this means we had to cut our movies into just three which was perfect! Not only did we have time to shop, but we ended up not rushing from one movie to the next which baboo Peter liked. So off we went shopping!

Perfume Shopping at Rustan's

I had the classic perfumes in mind... the ones that I've always loved since we got married --- Ralph Lauren Ralph Eau De Toilette Spray, Davidoff Cool Water, BVLGARI Eau de Parfum and Tommy Girl. But when we got there, there were so many selections to choose from. Even Ralph Lauren has the Big Pony Fragrance Collection that I was so tempted to buy coz for Php7,000, I get to have 4 different scents. But I wanted to see what else was available so I had another guy (Dave Balbin, we're now friends on Facebook) lead me to another stall and he showed me all the wonderful bestsellers on his list. That was when I fell in love with the scent of Issey Miyake Pleats Please and BVLGARI Jasmin Noir L'eau Exquise. I was hooked!

Issey Miyake Pleats Please has a strong scent at first spray but as time went on, it got sweeter but lighter. As for BVLGARI Jasmin Noir L'eau Exquise, the jasmin scent was just so titillating to the senses I had to get it. 

Movie Marathon

The rest of the day was spent watching three movies at Glorietta 4 with a quick lunch at World Chicken. 

The first one was The Family starring Robert Deniro. It could've been good if only the story wasn't dragging. Afterwards, we had to get coffee at Starbucks or otherwise, we might fall asleep. 

The second one was Don Jon starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. We give it two thumbs up! It was funny, realistic, interesting and titillating! I'd recommend this to anyone who's curious about porn addiction and relationships. 

The third one was Gravity starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. Oh my goodness! It was so stressful I nursed a headache all throughout the movie! It's like that movie Open Water, only in space! Nice acting and effects though. I was really immersed in the movie. 

Family Mart

It was almost midnight when we were done. The only thing still open in the area was Family Mart where I bought California Maki for midnight snacks. 

All in all, baboo Peter and I had a really long, satisfying, happy weekend. I wish to have that again and again and again...

Well, what do you know, tomorrow's the start of another long weekend. And again, we haven't made any plans yet. All I know is, with baboo Peter, it'll always be exciting!

Til then! ^_^