Holy Week Last Minute Plans

 The Plan

We had plans of spending the Holy Week at the beach with my parents and nephews. My mom suggested Calaguas and since we haven't been there yet, I got excited at the thought of it. Since I couldn't anymore find the time to handle the planning for that trip, I delegated it to Bebeko Hanz. He was doing a great job researching for everything, from hotels we can stay at, to places to see in the area, things to do, what we need to buy, etc. when the boatman he was texting said that the coast guard won't be allowing any infants in the boat trip. The kid has to be 2 years old and up before they could board and go island hopping. Oh no!!! To make this long story short and to my dismay, we decided not to go anymore. Baby Tuz is just 4 months old and we don't want to go anywhere without him. We'll just wait for him until he turns two and that's when we'll revisit our Calaguas plans. 

Now what? 

So it's already the Holy Week and we don't have any other contingencies. Everywhere else is booked, if not, rooms are available at twice the price or more since it's peak season. It's gonna be one heck of a traffic ride going to and fro, and we'll just be stuck in a stressful situation if we decide to book a last minute beach vacation. 

What to do? 

Hmmm... There are actually many alternatives to doing another beach holiday at this time of the year. Looking at the brighter side of things, I'm happy because I've already enjoyed to the fullest my more than a decade of previous Holy Week breaks, most of which I've spent in Boracay... the ultimate was when I lived there for a month! (And that experience of mine was even featured in Adventour magazine!)

And perhaps now that we have a baby on board, it's about time that I do what I haven't done yet but I've been wanting to do for the longest time --- finally do a staycation. 

Like our baby Tuz, I'm such a hyper person. I can't stay still for one moment and I love  to multitask every chance I get. And because I'm a full-time mom, a full-time homemaker and  a full-time virtual assistant, I never run out of things to do. In fact, there are so many on my list that I'd end up not getting enough rest. Like the last few weeks, my back has been hurting so bad from too much work and not enough sleep. Maybe this is finally the time to have that much needed rest. My parents will be spending their Holy Week here so maybe they can spend time with Tuz so I can snooze, even for just a wee bit more. 

But just in case my hyper self gets the better of me, I'm preparing a list of stuff to do this Holy Week break. And if you're like me or in the same situation of wanting to do last minute plans for the holiday, you might find here something that will suit you whether you decide to just stay at home or head out: 

1. Read a book you've been putting off reading for so long. 

I have a ton of books! I like buying them even if I lack the time to read them and finish them in the same year I bought them. For instance, I bought the whole set of Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate events in 2007. Until now, they're still unopened and covered in plastic. And that's only one kind of book. I have more waiting in my shelves. 

Hopefully, this holiday break will give me a chance to finish at least one of them. 

2. Meditate. 

It was in Taiwan in 2012 that I was really taught how to do mindful meditation. I practice it as much as I can but since I've been busy with work and with the baby this year, I just manage to do it once a week which is a bad practice. Meditation, like praying, ought to be done regularly every morning and every night. It helps rejuvenate and focus the body, mind and spirit which results to better efficiency and more productivity. This is why I've been feeling over-fatigued lately. I know I need to catch up on my meditation practice. 

3. Do tarot card reading and palm reading. 

I have the books and 2 decks of tarot cards. Like meditation, I should practice this regularly to get more in tuned with my spirit guides and my higher self. The holiday break can give me that opportunity to develop this habit again. 

4. Do a general cleaning of the house. 

Since I clean the house everyday (it's already part of my habits) I cannot NOT clean the house. It's like I'm programmed to do it everyday. And whenever I try not to, I get distracted, sad and uneasy. Cleaning the house is the most natural thing in the world for me. I feel happier and more relaxed when the house is spotless, organized and clean. But if you're not like me, then this holiday break would be a good time to do it. Cleaning out the cobwebs in your closet so to speak, will allow more positive energy to come into your home. More positive energy, more blessings. Who wouldn't want that, right?

5. Be a couch potato. 

For workaholic people like myself, it takes a lot of energy to make us stop, relax and watch a movie. When I was pregnant and I have nothing else to do, bebeko Hanz and I bonded over DVD movie marathons day in and day out. But now that there's so much to do around the house, it takes some form of paradigm shift for me to not think about work or Tuz, or to stop for a while, cuddle with bebeko and watch a nice movie. This holiday break hopefully will give us that much needed chance to just enjoy one of our favorite pastimes in each other's arms. 

6. Revisit your life list. 

Many people call it their bucket list. Well, whatever it is, it's a good time to reflect on your life, what you have accomplished so far and what else you want to achieve. Then, update your bucket list. I already did mine in my previous blog post. Doing so will give you  a renewed sense of direction and will propel you to reach your goals much faster. 

7. Start a diet. 

Since it's the Holy Week and for Catholics, this is the time to do penitence, it's probably a good time to kick start a good diet plan. You can do the cardiac diet (also called military diet). It only takes 3 days and if you do it to the letter, you can lose up to ten pounds. And of course, more if you also couple it with proper exercise. 

I did it last week. It was nauseating and I got so hungry that I cheated a couple of times. I lost a few pounds but I needed to lose more. So maybe I'll try it again this holiday break. And this time, no cheating! In fairness, I noticed that I had more energy when I was on military diet as compared to this week that I'm eating regular food again. 

8. Finish a personal project you've been wanting to do. 

Like me, I'm into crafts and DIY stuff. I have several unfinished work that I'd like to delve into: turn recycled bottles into home decor, make beaded accessories, create home spa products including organic soap, sew simple bags/purses and organizers, landscape our air well, and add more cacti at home placed in strategic locations just to name a few. 

9. Organize all your photos. 

This is the selfie and groupie generation. I'm sure like me, you've all amassed a ton of photos using your camera phones which you haven't yet organized. I truly believe that this is one of the best times if you have nothing else planned to do. I really wish I can organize mine. I have thousands already and I can't even remember where I stored all of them!  

WOW! That's a lot!

Yes, those are some of the top things we can do for a Holy Week staycation. 

And there's more...

In the event that we'd suddenly want to head out, travel and have some outdoor fun, below are some top places near Manila we can head to last minute. Just keep in mind that these places are probably already booked for overnight stays so you're left with the day trip option: 

1. Swim, Surf, Ride at Club Manila East 

They have the most number of pools both children and adults can frolic at. They also offer surfing lessons at their wave pool. I was here in 2012 when I got interviewed by Rated K of ABS-CBN. I even got to ride their zipline. I would be happy to do it again this time with my family. 

2. Explore Splash Island 

We live near this place but I've never been here! I've always wanted to try their slides. I heard it's really awesome. If you're going with kids, just make sure you keep an eye on them ALL THE TIME. 

3. Wakeboard at Lago de Oro in Calatagan, Batangas. 

If you're a beginner, an hour session at P280 would be enough. If you think your muscles can handle it, then you can book for a half day session at P675. But I'm telling you, if you haven't been working out and you only like to try, 1 hour is already more than enough because a few minutes with the wakeboard and your arms would start to sore. I know coz I've already done this here a couple of times.

4. Windsurf at Caliraya Lake. 

I used to frequent this place before. Research first about the wind condition if you're going there to windsurf and not just to picnic because if there's no wind, then you won't be able to windsurf.  

5. Enjoy a day at Nuvali. 

There are so many things to do here! You can shop, dine, ride boats, feed coi, wakeboard, visit their eco area, etc. It's a fun day trip place for the whole family. 

6. Pitch a tent at Munting Buhangin beach in Batangas. 

Since everything is already booked,  you can still head here but make sure you have your tent  and picnic set with you. If you live in Manila, this is the nearest okay beach you can go to. 

7. Visit one of the hot springs in Calamba or Pansol, Laguna. 

I have a friend who has a rest house in Calamba and they have a swimming pool with hot water coming from a natural hot spring. I visited her there years ago. If you want to have some hot spring action, you can visit one of the public hot spring resorts either in Calamba or Pansol. The private ones are probably already booked. 

8. Do a Visita Iglesia. 

Visit all the churches you can find in the metro.  Most people are already in their provinces around this time and the city is usually silent, traffic-free, and even people-free you'd think you're walking in a ghost town. So this is the best time to visit the churches we have in the city, pray and give thanks to God for the blessings we've been receiving. 

So there you go. Those are the best options I can think of whether you're doing a staycation at home or doing a mini holiday travel within Manila or to nearby towns. 

Have a meaningful Lenten season and God bless you! Don't forget to wear proper summer attire and shield your skin from the heat of the sun. Enjoy! (^_^)