Tambuli Resort, Cebu

Cebu is known for its beaches and diving spots. While I had my vacation in Cebu for the summer, we went to Tambuli Resort, in Mactan Island. It has one of the nicest beaches I know. Its waters are flourishing with all the wonders of nature: schools of fish and sea weeds. It is also great for kids as it's very shallow. And there is little risk of stepping on those sharp shells because the waters are carpeted with the sea weeds. The crystal blue waters combined with the fresh sea breeze will definitely make your summer escapade worth it all.


Entrance is Php200 plus Php 150 for an eat-all-you-can buffet.

Phil. Taoist Temple, Cebu

If you're in Cebu, you have got to visit their Beverly Hills, home of the Philippine Taoist Temple. Upon reaching the temple, you will be mesmerized with the amazing view of Cebu City and be captivated by the windy, fresh atmosphere. The place is so peaceful and serene that you can't help but feel so holy every time you face the altar.

The Philippine Taoist temple has been one of the many tourist attractions in Cebu. They have a small version of what seems to be the Great Wall of China, and they also have this gigantic dragon structure where lots of visitors take their pictures.

Also don't miss the MA-CHO Temple... a temple for the macho-wannabes in the world, just like Marc hehe:

Krua Thai, Cebu

One of the highlights of our trip to Cebu was the last dinner before leaving for Manila at Krua Thai. We got to experience Thailand food in the middle of Pinas, who'd have thought of that? I haven't seen the restaurant here in Manila yet, so I don't have any basis of comparison. But all in all, here are the things that amazed me about the Krua Thai:

1. Food = Yummy. You have got to try their Tom Yam soup for a spicy, tingly start
2. Restaurant ornaments: from the draperies, to the "big faces" hanging by the wall, to the jewel-studded classic images of Thailand.
3. Inverted umbrellas = one of a kind. The umbrellas hanging upside-down on the ceiling is a marvel to watch.
4. Eccentric Jars & glasses (goblets): The kind usually found in King Arthur movies or during the height of the Knights' reign. Very cool!

If you plan to go to Cebu, don't miss this. Krua Thai is at:
Unit K Crossroad Mall, Banilad, Cebu.
Tel No. : +63(32) 231-8338
Fax : +63(32) 231-8338

Kagura: Japanese Style Restaurant

If you're looking for a good Japanese restaurant in Cebu, then you can't miss Kagura at A.S.Fortuna St. Banilad, Mandaue City. The place itself is very nice, with bamboo floors and bamboo walls with kimonos hanging on the walls and traditional Japanese umbrellas adding a homey feel. You get to experience the Japanese way of eating while kneeling (seiza), but for people who aren't used to this, you can just sit in whatever manner you want to. So take off your shoes, slip on those sandals (provided by the restaurant) and find a comfy place to sit and enjoy your meal.

Expect to be served with great authentic Japanese food served in bento boxes with matching chop-sticks. Best of all, they serve a WIDE variety of Japanese meals, not just the usual maki/sushi/tempura/rice toppings that *some* Japanese restaurants offer. They also serve Sake (Japanese rice wine) for those who are curious as to how it tastes. All in all, you'll really feel as if you were in Japan.

Unfortunately, when we went there, there was a rodent patrolling the place hahaha. But we were already in bliss after having finished our meal when we found that out so we didn't really mind. Hopefully, the restaurant team does something about it or else their sales will greatly be affected.

So if you're looking for a taste of Japan in Cebu, don't ever miss Kagura.

Ilongga Goes to Cebu

We went to Cebu to visit Lorrie last April 18, 2008. We're very grateful for her and her family's hospitality. Despite our short stay, we were able to enjoy, relax, and pig out! We had a taste of Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, and Thai food in a span of 4 days. And of course, the ever masarap Lechon. Salamat salamat kay Lorrie for the very very warm welcome. :)

Just a few things we did while we were in Cebu:

Coffee and liquor nights; Tambuli Beach; Crash course on Chocolate molding; Food Trip (especially the rat at Kagure resto hehe); Beverly Hills hike (O di ba, meron din BH sa Cebu!) sa Taoist Temple; Pa-importante sa Airport wahaha (we were informed that the flight was delayed so we waited at the Waterfront Casino. Luckily we went back 30 minutes ahead of time, only to find out we were being called by the Airlines because we were the only remaining passengers who haven't boarded yet hehe. Natupad ang pangarap naming magpa-importante sa eroplano!!)

I'll probably blog about them some time in the next few days.

Vacation is finally over

My summer vacation to Singapore last week is finally over. I've been feeling the "after-effects" of it for the past few days -- pretending I'm working but really my head is floating somewhere -- but now, I kind of realized my happy summer days are gone. Oh well. Snap back to reality: tons of work has come my way. But nevertheless, I DO need work. Precisely because of the fact that my funds have terribly depleted in that vacation week I got. I need to fatten up my financial account so that I can go on another vacation again! Weee.

Anyway, it was my goal this year that I get as much vacation as possible - travel and see different places at experience a lot of things from different cultures. The reason for this is that I might not get another chance again... I've decided that this year will be my last year of not caring about my future. Next year, the real deal begins: I need to actualize my plans for my future. Scary, huh? But at some point, there has got to be some line between just thinking about your life, and thinking about your life in the next few years. Tsk. Side effects of getting old.

I thought about moving to Singapore during my vacation there, and I really really like it a lot in there. Good public transportation, safe environment, great workplace, great place to save a lot of money. But what happens after that? Do I really want to settle down and become a citizen of Singapore? Do I want to raise my kids surrounded by a multitude of cultures and diverse races? I have some standards on how I will raise my kids and how my family will be, and I don't see Singapore as the ideal place for that. *sigh* I'm really getting old.

Another Good Samaritan in Singapore

This afternoon, it was raining heavily here in Singapore, and since I'm a tourist here, I didn't come prepared for this weather. I didn't bring any umbrella, nor did I bring my jacket. So after having lunch, I couldn't go back to the office because it would mean crossing the roof-less over pass and me getting soaked in the rain. To kill time while waiting for the rain to stop, I decided to wait near the elevator of the apartment across the office.

Maybe I looked pathetic while sitting at the stairs and waiting for the rain to stop, or maybe I just looked stupid. But either way, I was surprised when this little girl (probably a third grade student) came up to me and offered her umbrella. It totally caught me off-guard, and I was so touched that I just looked at her with my jaws dropped open with a question mark on my face. Wow.

I didn't accept the offer out of impulse, probably too taken aback by what happened. But the generous act from a little kid gave me such a wonderful feeling that I'll definitely remember for the rest of my life.

Ilongga Goes to Singapore

My first day in Singapore was... a disaster! From getting to work, to meeting up with my friends, things just kept on going from bad to worse! But if there's one thing I'm really grateful for, it's the wonderful Good Samaritans of Singapore. :)

Being new in Singapore, I didn't have a clue as to how public transportation worked. I didn't know that if you have an EZ-Link Card, you just tap upon climbing the bus, and tap again upon exit. If you don't have a card, then you can drop your coins and get a receipt. So when I climbed the bus, I just sat on the nearest chair I could find... under the impression that I can pay later. When I reached my destination (Yo Chu Kang station), I asked the driver how much I needed to pay, and he told me to just tap the card. And I was like, "huh?" I didn't have cash, nor did I have coins so I gave him a $2 Singapore bill. Apparently, they don't have change for bills because their mode of payment has always been card or coins. So I told him I didn't have coins and I was almost freaking out because I haven't paid yet. Well, the driver was pretty generous and let me off the hook without paying! He told me to buy a card and pay the next time I ride a bus. What a relief!

Later that day, I had to go home to fetch my sister first then proceed to Marina Square to meet with my friends. I was SOOO confident I wouldn't make a mistake, after all, the way back should be the same with the way I went to work. Little did I know that it doesn't really work like that in Singapore. After getting off at Yo Chu Kang station, I went to ride the bus that I thought would pass our place, on the same station I got off that morning. I read the bus line guide, and I was also confident with what I was doing because the guide listed our place as one of the stops of the bus. But NO, it didn't happen that way. I was taken to the Southern part of Singapore -- much farther than where I was supposed to go! When I asked the driver, he told me that I had taken the wrong bus and I needed to take another bus to go back! Waaah... I was hysterical! What's worse, I ran out of Cellphone load and I wasn't able to send a message to my friend on what I should do!

So I tried to look for the nearest bus stop, but I couldn't find one. I was really scared! I didn't want to ride a cab because that time, I was afraid the cab would just take advantage of my getting lost. So I asked the security personnel at the nearest residential building near Sim Lim Square for directions and where I could possible find a payphone. I told him "I'm Lost, I'm Lost!" and it was a trigger for him to also ask his companions for directions. Unfortunately, he didn't know of a payphone nearby, and my friends place was too far and too complicated to reach by bus. So he told me to just take a cab going there.

I was on the verge of tears, and my voice was shaking when I told him I didn't want to take a cab because I was afraid. But he was so generous that he offered to talk to the cab driver to bring me to my place. Upon hailing the cab, he gave me SGD$20 for my fare! Wow! How generous can that be? Giving 20 bucks to someone he doesn't even know, and to someone who foolishly wailed "I'm lost, I'm lost!" just a few minutes ago? Wow.

The cab driver was a blessing as well. He offered his mobile phone for me to contact my friend! I was really on the verge of tears when I told him the story of how I ended up at the wrong place. And when I told him I couldn't contact my friend, he gave me his phone and told me to call my friend! Wow! Are people in Singapore really this helpful? He brought me back home to fetch my sister, and also brought me to our meeting place. And he wouldn't accept any tip! Again, wow. I'm just so thankful to have met them when I needed them most.

My Singapore adventures are just starting. But I'm sure by the end of the week, I'll have more stories to tell.

Vacation....

*Sigh*

I've been wanting a vacation ever since that La Union trip... Lately it has just been so stressful. Not exactly from the work I do, but from the pretending-I'm-working situations at work. Ano daw? What I'm trying to say is that my work isn't challenging anymore. Everyday, it's all just the same routine, the same stuff to do, the same files to work on, the same people to contact... It's just so monotonous. Who would have thought that no-brainer jobs can be stressful for someone who's used to fast-paced, critical situations? I thought these jobs would be my personal paradise because I won't have to overwork my brain anymore. But I guessed wrong. My job is boring... too boring that one of my biggest problems everyday is on how to make myself busy the entire day.

Should I go on another vacation again? I'm going to Singapore with my sister in two weeks -- partial vacation. My officemate also offered another possible vacation spot that I am most tempted to join. *Sigh* Should I go for it? Despite being broke? Hahaha. Here are the details anyway, you guys might be interested:

Event Date: Mar 29-30 (Ride 1)

Package:
* overnight accommodation
* roundtrip aircon transpo (tourist bus)
* half-day wakeboarding rental with gears
* breakfast meal on DAY 2
* side trips: Eco Village (Bird's Aviary, Gazebo, Chicken Farm), Market, Deer Farm at Ocampo
* with WI-FI internet at Eco-lodge & Coffeeshoppe area
* amenities: game room, swimming pool, skate park
* paid entrance fees
* night swimming

First Come, First Serve! Payment is required. Complete payment procedure will be given upon receiving your reg form.

2900 - those who are staying at an AIRCON studio type rooms with own bathroom, dining area/terrace (21 pax)
2700 - those who are staying at an AIRCON cabin w/ common bath & restroom with hot & cold shower (20 pax) -- reserve for Leia's group
2500 - those who are staying at a FAN cabin w/ common bath & restroom with hot & cold shower (7 pax)

Draft Itinerary:
Mar 28, Friday
9-930PM Meeting Time at Mcdo QAve (giving of IDs)
10:00PM ETD Manila

Mar 29, Saturday
8:30AM ETA Naga City
9-1030AM Naga Public Market/ Pasalubong Buy
10:30AM Brunch at Bigby's Cafe
11:30AM ETD Naga
12:00NN ETD Resort
12:30PM Prepare to leave to wakeboard facility
01:00-05:00PM Wakeboard Lesson
06:00PM Dinner at the resort

Mar 30, Sunday
08:00AM Breakfast at the resort
09:00AM Eco Village Tour/Free Time/Swimming
11:00AM Check-out
11:30AM Lunch at the Resort
12:30PM ETD CamSur Resort
01:30PM ETA Deer Farm
02:30PM ETD Cam Sur

Mar 31, Monday
01:30AM ETA Manila

Pls send all your inquiries and registration form to travel.factor@gmail.com. Pls edit your subject to: Camsur '08: Mar 29-30 and indicate what package price are you reserving for.

Their website is: www.thetravelfactor.org