New Year, New Me! My Resolution for 2015 and Beyond!

Happy New Year, everyone! Even after the Three Kings and the celebration of the Black Nazarene have gone by, it still feels like the first day of the new year for me. Hehehe.

So, how did the first 12 days of the new year treat you so far? I hope this year of the sheep is turning out the way you wanted it to be, or if not, I hope you're all coping very well and getting yourself ready for all the blessings and challenges that lie ahead.

As for me, it really didn't happen the way I planned it to be. Well, come to think of it, my entire life, though a blessing with everything I have achieved and accomplished, didn't really happen as planned. But I won't bore you with all the details. (If you're an old reader / follower of mine, you'd know what I'm talking about). Let's just focus on the past two weeks. Teehee. ;)

My Hong Kong Disneyland 2013 Adventure

Like I said in my previous Hong Kong Disney Hollywood post, the last time I was here at Hong Kong Disneyland was in November 2007… almost 6 years ago. I’ve always wanted to go back and now that I finally did, this time with my mom, I couldn’t contain my excitement, especially since they have two (2) new attractions ---  ToyStory Land and Grizzly Gulch which I will discuss in detail here. But before that, I want to share with you my experience in chronological order. We’ll get to the exciting parts later.

So it was around 2:30 pm when we finished our scrumptious lunch at Crystal Lotus in Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. We took the complimentary shuttle bus service from Disneyland Hotel to the Disneyland Theme Park and before 3:00 pm, my mom and I were already taking pictures at the entrance and at the Main Street USA (which we also did the next day).

Main Street USA

Our Hong Kong Disney Hollywood Hotel Stay

It’s been six years since the first time I’ve been to Hong Kong to explore Disneyland and its hotels. I was with my husband, Peter, then. We had plans of going back but it never pushed through because of his very hectic work schedule. My mom, on the other hand, has been bugging me to go back and to take her with me since she’s never been to Hong Kong Disneyland. So this time around, with my cameras and a few pieces of clothing in tow, I brought her with me. And it’s been one of the best times of her life. Okay, mine too I must admit.

The Day that was Christmas

Christmas has now become my least favorite holiday...

My Visit to Cagayan de Oro, City of Golden Friendship

My First Night in Cagayan de Oro

The moment my parents and I touched down CDO airport, I wanted to see my best friend. It's just that I dunno how I was going to excuse myself since the main reason why we visited CDO was to be with my grandpa. We arrived at 4pm not knowing if someone from my granny's household would pick us up. The oldies are not that good at communicating important things like this so we were prepared to take a cab and just check-in at some hotel in the city.

Luckily, my mom recognized one of my step grandma's teachers who came with their driver (my grandparents are educators and as much as possible they take in servants while helping them get an education degree. In fact, our former tutors/yayas/maids now have PhDs and I find that amazing.)

So anyway, we headed straight to Apovel Subdivision where my grannies live. Going back there is like a trip back to memory lane. How many times have I told myself before that I will never go back yet there I was eating (again) every word of my promise.

Valentine's and Birthday Week Highlights

I feel like I just came from a 2-week Valentine/Birthday celebration and thinking about it, I actually did. It felt like Christmas with the tons of love shared, tons of alcohol that went through my system, tons of food eaten, and tons of money spent on shopping (40 pieces of clothes, 8 pairs of shoes, 3 new bags, 2 belts, a pair of earring, new microwave, new hot and cold water dispenser, new electric fans, new bolts for the house). I am grateful to my sponsors, (you know who you are... *wink*) my special angel, and my hubby. THANK YOU, God! I feel so blessed! I absolutely had no intention of celebrating either but I guess the universe had a different plan for me. Sometimes, it really is important to celebrate occasions like your date of birth. It shows how much you value yourself and that you're worth every penny, every ounce of energy, every little thing that goes with the magic of your creation.

If there's one thing I've realized in this 2-week Valentine's/Birthday hullabaloo, it's about being happy, acknowledging the good inside of me and everything around me. I've also realized that I ought to be more focused with the things I want for myself this year.

I am 33 years old. I've accepted the fact that I only have 24 hours in a day, some of which I actually have to use for sleeping. I'm not like an energizer bunny anymore. I now easily get tired unlike before when I can practically go on, and on, and on. My liver also can't tolerate as much alcohol as before, and I need some down time to recuperate. So I have to streamline my activities and prioritize. This means less time blogging, less time on social networks, less time watching mindless DVDs and more time for the following: my projects, my rakets, my freelance work, my books, water sports activities, friends, family, and yes, rest. Health is still a top priority so I can enjoy life longer and be able to do more of the things I want. Oh, and traveling (I actually booked a number of trips this year --- Boracay, Bohol, Siargao, Bacolod, Bangkok and I'm still looking forward to a trip to Brazil which Koryn and the girls planned to do this year).

Anyway, this is going to be a long post but I'll try to just show you the highlights of the past two weeks.

Valentine's Eve - Dinner Buffet at Sofitel

A Weekend of FAB and Fashion

A week ago, I had the pleasure of witnessing a FAB Fashion Show held at World Trade Center so I can see what latest designs young fashion entrepreneurs are coming up with these days. Most designs, in my opinion, are really nothing new. They're fabulous styles that have been recycled and rehashed for many, many years, yet they still look gorgeous and trendy. I guess, it's really how one wears an outfit. Whether the style is new, old, or recycled and revamped, as long as the wearer is comfortable and confident in it, most often than not, the outfit will always look fab.Unfortunately, I didn't get any information about the prices but I'm sure they stand competitive in today's market.

Divine Mercy Hills - Cagayan de Oro

For those who want to check my first two days in CDO, please click the link below:

Cagayan de Oro Day 1

Cagayan de Oro Day 2

~~~oOo~~~

Had Mer not been preggy and had Peter been with me, I would have had a different plan for my third day. Altho, I could’ve done my plan by myself  if only I was that brave. You see, for many years now, I’ve contemplated doingwhite water rafting  in Cagayan de Oro. Before, my grandparents wouldn’t let me. But now that I’m old and they know I can take care of myself, they were even the ones pushing me to go! Tsk, tsk, tsk.  And just recently,  my sister Abba recommended that I do the longest zip line in Asia which is located inBukidnon, just a one hour drive from Cagayan de Oro. Argh. Since circumstances were rather not favorable for me to do these things at that time, Mer and I sort of planned to do them  maybe in a year or two, when her baby, Heaven, is a bit old. ^_^ Like they say, there’s always next time. At least I’d have another reason to come visit. 

So, on my third day,  together with Mer’s relatives, we visited the Divine Mercy Hills located in Ulaliman, El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental. It was less than an hour’s drive from Cagayan de Oro City.

Bukidnon - Little Baguio of the South

Pineapple…the ultimate symbol of Bukidnon

If you’re already somewhere in Northern Mindanao, like Cagayan de Oro for instance, perhaps you might want to go up the mountains and visit Bukidnon. It is a mere  25-minute ride from the city, a bit longer if you are commuting and depending  on city traffic, of course. Just like Baguio, the air is  refreshing and the view of the sea below is just simply breathtaking, similar to the view ofPuerto Galera as we went up Tamaraw Falls before.

My grandparents’ old farm house is still there and it’s been refurbished!

   Another farm house was built right across the old one in 2005.

Green Nature Resort, San Mateo Rizal

Manila Ocean Park on Mother's Day

This is the first time (I think) that we ever really celebrated Mother’s Day. Usually, I would dread this day because I was just that type of person who hated family days. Talk about severe angst and hang-ups, huh? But like I said in my previous posts, I am feeling so much better about my life right now and something inside of me wanted to be more open and forgiving. And so, without hesitation, a week before last, I texted my mom and asked her "Gusto mo pumunta Manila Ocean Park for Mother’s Day?" To which she replied, "Shempre gusto ko." Oo nga naman… it’s been ages since we last saw each other. I can’t even remember when that was. And so, there we were last Sunday, enjoying the little creatures of the ocean (some were not so little) and having a blast!

  L-R: My brother Mac, his preggy girlfriend Smeerf, Mommy, Me & Peter

Mabua Beach Surigao del Norte (Vis-Min Tour)

The next series of travelogues that  I will be sharing with you consist of three weeks worth of vacation,  touring parts of Visayas and Mindanao two summers ago.  This was the time when both of us were able to scrimp the P40,000 we saved up for this adventure and learned the art of backpacking by experience. I’ve already posted the first, second, and third legs of our trip (Cebu ,Dumaguete, and Bohol). Now, let’s check out Surigao Part I. Come, join us on our journey and explore the beauty of our country. Maybe next time, we can do a backpack tour of Asia and Europe as well. *crossing our fingers now*

~~~oOo~~~

 
We met up with my Dad while waiting for our boat ride.

So from Alona, we took the same tricycle that brought us to Danao on our first day in Bohol and was then taking us back to the pier where we boarded the Supercat going to Cebu to first meet with my parents before boarding Superferry that will bring us to Surigao. Upon arrival, we were met by my uncle who brought us to the rest house my Lola Acion (who came all the way from London) built for her family. Obviously, she’s (and my aunts from UK) the one with the money in the family. We stayed with them for five days and boy… what a little (mis)adventure we had!

 

 I was feeling a bit excited when we first arrived on the land of my forefathers…

Could I pass for a haciendera or just a simple farm girl? What do you think???

Verde Island, Batangas

Our real estate broker, Rolly, offered us a free overnight stay for 6 people at Isla Verde in Batangas in the hopes that we’d also be interested in buying a property there.We got interested coz we are also scouting for nice beach lots that we can eventually purchase. So we gave this one a look. Hmm… not bad.

 

After more three hours on the road, we eventually reached this private pier in Batangas for Isla Verde boats. We waited for almost an hour  for our ride. Finally, we boarded and headed to the green island. It took us another 45 minutes by sea. Half the time, I was watching Grey’s Anatomy on my portable DVD player until I decided to turn it off amidst the growing srprinkle of the sea then I dozed off with the gentle sea breeze hitting my face.

ISLA VERDE, Batangas: MY 29th Birthday Celeb Part II

Our real estate broker, Rolly, offered us a free overnight stay for 6 people at Isla Verde in Batangas in the hopes that we'd also be interested in buying a property there.We got interested coz we are also scouting for nice beach lots that we can eventually purchase. So we gave this one a look. Hmm... not bad.

 

After more three hours on the road, we eventually reached this private pier in Batangas for Isla Verde boats. We waited for almost an hour  for our ride. Finally, we boarded and headed to the green island. It took us another 45 minutes by sea. Half the time, I was watching Grey's Anatomy on my portable DVD player until I decided to turn it off amidst the growing srprinkle of the sea then I dozed off with the gentle sea breeze hitting my face.

Me & Papa                                         Me & Peachie 

La Union Surfing with Pops

 

Pa has some friends in Narvacan he wanted to visit during his stay here. Peter and I wanted to go surfing. So together with Peachie, Vina and Francis, we headed to La Union three weekends ago (Feb 10&11) and had the time of our life catching waves, soaking up the sun, eating good food and just plainly hanging out with each other.

As the sun was rising on our way up north, we stopped over at one of the gas stations in the town of Rosario.  It has a nice ambience and it made our breakfast alive and fun. After about 20-30 mins of eating and talking about anything and everything (including some weird stuff c/o me, Peachie and Vina), we continued our journey to the land of surf and sea…

 

Me, Peachie and Pa having hotdogs for breakfast.

Surfing in La Union

   

Pa has some friends in Narvacan he wanted to visit during his stay here. Peter and I wanted to go surfing. So together with Peachie, Vina and Francis, we headed to La Union three weekends ago (Feb 10&11) and had the time of our life catching waves, soaking up the sun, eating good food and just plainly hanging out with each other.

Francis, Vina, Peachie, Pa and Peter

As the sun was rising on our way up north, we stopped over at one of the gas stations in the town of Rosario.  It has a nice ambience and it made our breakfast alive and fun. After about 20-30 mins of eating and talking about anything and everything (including some weird stuff c/o me, Peachie and Vina), we continued our journey to the land of surf and sea…

 

Me, Peachie and Pa having hotdogs for breakfast.

When we arrived at San Juan Surf Resort, our rooms were not yet ready. So, we hung out by the shed first and checked if the surf’s already up. Unfortunately, the sea was flat and we didn’t think we’d be catching waves any time soon…

 Hanging out at the surf shack fronting the beach…

True enough, we didn’t catch any waves that Saturday. But because we didn’t wanna waste any opportunity, we still brought Didi to the sea and practiced paddling. Pa tried to ride our surfboard and he was great! Now, if only he can catch a wave too. Hehehe.

  

 

Hundred Islands in Pangasinan

sunrise over the hundred islands

I miss the beach — my sun, my sand, my water. It’s been really hot lately as if it’s summer once again. If only it never rained, you wouldn’t really know that we’re  still in the middle of September. So where can one go  even for just a weekend? I think I may just have the answer to that. How about a trip to the Hundred Islands in Pangasinan?

            

exploring General Luna island

            

view from the top of General Luna island