Random Thursday

32 TANWA

I used to think that it's ridiculous to watch a film when on holiday. My mum on the other hand is always on the lookout for cinemas where ever in the world we are. So when all plan fails, she always have to movie to back her up. Recently, I got interested on watching subtitled Thai films (on Cinema while on Holiday). I got lucky cause 32 Tanwa is out. It is one of the most fun Thai film I've seen so far. I was laughing hard throughout the whole film. The jokes are so me. Hahaha! If you have time and you enjoy subtitle films, don't give this film a miss. You wouldn't regret it.

MOON RIVER PUB

Everyone, Meet Tito Charlie.

Whenever I visit Thailand, I always think of Tito Charlie. After all, he took care of us when me and my siblings went on holiday in Thailand in 2005. He drove us everywhere and convinced mum that it was safe to Tower Jump. Thanks Tito! Last night, dear boyfriend and I met up with him. It was on the same pub that he took us in 2005. He liked it in there cause they have Filo performers every night. Although boy P told me that it's okay to speak in Tagalog we still spoke in English. It was the polite thing to do.

I said something stupid last night. I jokingly asked Tito Charlie if he goes to Walking Street regularly. Of course he doesn't. I doubt if he has been. He is one of the most conservative guys that I know. I jokingly said Luke favourite's place is X zone. I think I might have crossed the line cause dear boyfriend pinched me under the table. He said, he's gonna get me for it. BRING IT ON!

Tito Charlie didn't change. He's still the warm and nice person that I knew. The only difference is physical - lost his hair, aged a bit and gain a bit of weight. You can tell by the photo dear sister. :)

Tito Charlie and I

Dear Boyfriend and I with the Filo Singers.

VODKA NIGHT

Dear boyfriend's Friday off + Ailema's alcoholic Tendency = Perfect Time for Vodka Night.

Tequilla and Vodka is my favourite alcoholic drink.

Pre-Vodka Photo.

Bingo Nights

The family that gambles together, stays together. This is very true with my family. When we were 6 or 7, Lola Aida(dear mummy's mum) taught us how to play mahjong so she can have people to play with. Years later, I mastered mahjong and most of the card games. My dear brother can even card count. I didn't have the patience to do that so almost always, I lost to him. Bingo on the other hand is a different story. I used to play with my whole relatives when we were younger. Most of the time I lose. Being a sore loser that I was, my granny would always comfort me by giving the money that I lost. Good thing I overcame that. :P

After our photo session, I asked my mum to buy us a bingo set. It was a blockbuster! All my cousins joined and played til 1AM. Hahaha! My dear brother and I reminisced about our childhood bingo games - how Nana Omeng would always call bingo when she's not, how the host would call the wrong number just to make fun of the disillusioned winner and how people would cheat when playing. Good times. Hahaha! The gods must be on my side cause I won for two consecutive nights thus making me the reigning BINGO QUEEN. It was tiring staying awake the whole night but I'd rather stay awake and spend time with family than sleep. I must organise a gambling night soon.

My cousin John John.
Filo Trivia: Most filo nicknames are either the month that they were born, double their first names or their names' initial.

My dear brother's gf, dear brother, Ivan and Izareene.

Gambling Night Day Two at my granny's living room. Good thing her living room is big to accomodate 9 people.

School Friends

Do you have friends that you haven't seen for years? Do you have friends who you lost contact with but located them in networking sites? Do you have friends who you can always depend on? I DO and we are lucky to have found each other.

The day after Christmas, I met up with my school friends. With everyone's busy schedule, it is rare for us to get together. Bernadette is in Law School and working in Regional Trial Court, Xavier wants to be a priest and still have 3 years to finish his "calling" and Leo is a clinical instructor. Benjamin was missing. Noone can locate him but Berna told us that he was in Bohol during that time. Divine and I regulary sees each other since we are both from Quezon City.

It was fun catching up with friends. It was very easy to talk to them - No holds barred. Xavier once again told everyone about his experience with me when he saw me in University. He also told us about his experience when he went to the fiesta in my granny's which noone remembered. Now that we are older(and hopefully wiser), we talk about grown up stuff - why I came back after years of living in the UK, why I chose to spend all my hard earned money to travelling instead of saving for rainy days(Good thing Leo understood the importance of self fulfillment), who is dating who, their last reunion and how an old classmate hooked up, Bernadette finally liking someone and everything that we can think of. We promised to see each other. Xavier's bday is coming in a month's time. I am hoping to see everyone again. I miss them already.

Left - Ailema(Moi), Divine and Bernadette
Right - Leo and Xavier

We had our lunch at Razon's. I wasn't hungry then but I wouldn't say no to good food. :P

I learn the value of friendship this year. I know who my true friends are now. You should too. :)

Day 5: Last Minute Trips

Our flight was not until 5:55PM so when Kuya Louie suggested a trip, we said Yes without hesitations. He promised cold springs, cave and falls. Believe or not, it was my first time to all. Living in the Philippines most of my life, I tend to take for granted what my country has to offer. That's why I plan to travel around my country and promote it as much as possible to my foreign readers(that is if I have one apart from my stalker. :P).

We paid, 250 pesos to get in the Basang Cave and Cold Springs Resort. It was very cheap considering that it paid for 3 people. Check out the photos below.

That's me scaring my sister. She is scared of drowning. When we saw Oprah's story about dry drowning, it made her even more paranoid. My God!

My dear mummy and I inside the cave.

Photo inside the cave. Sorry my camera isn't powerful enough. It was actually beautiful inside. My dear sister didn't come with us. She is scared. As expected.

At Jawili Falls. I was trying to scare my sister. It's an easy job. :P

The falls was dry when we get there. It wasn't raining enough.

This was taken on top of the falls. Could look higher with better angle.

I was gutted that I wasn't able to enjoy the cold spring nor the falls. My period was on its heaviest on that day. :(

At 3PM, we arrive at the airport. We opt for an early check-in. When we get there, we were told that they moved the flight to 4:50PM. The thing with budget flights is that, they move flights without informing the passengers through text. My mum informed me later that night Zestair emailed her. Who checks her email constantly while on trips? We don't. Kalibo airport is very small so it was very congested in the departure gate. They don't have enough seats for all. To make things worse, we rode a single engine airplane which seats 60 people back to Manila. My sister was scared! She was praying the whole time. Upon touch down, people started clapping. They were scared for their lives. Because of the heavy traffic, we got home at 9PM. I was so tired that last night.

Day 4: Must Try - Must Do

Photo Vomit Entry. Sue Me!

I am someone who isn't afraid to try anything. Remember when I wrote about *dying while still alive. I like to experience everything life has to offer no matter how simple it is. I find joy in cycling, in cooking, in baking, in everything. That's my secret to happiness and I intend to stay that way. I might as well do everything now that I am able, strong and with no financial responsibility to anyone but myself. I will live in the NOW. :)

*Dying while Still Alive(my definition)

People who are able and yet, manage to make their lives miserable and boring.
People who lives by what other people expects them to be.
People whose actions are dictated by the society.
People who are fun haters, who says no to opportunities. Young yet old and boring.

First stop: ZORBING. Before I left the UK, this was on my checklist but I couldn't find anyone who wanted to Zorb with me. I didn't even know that Dear Boyfriend aka My Blog Stalker wants to try this. Well, there's always next time.

Before the Zorbing Experience.

I did it with my dear mummy. I am glad she allowed me to do this. She actually zorbed with me despite her headache. Thanks Mum!

Once we were finished, they commented about someone sounding like a guy. It was me. I kept on saying, Woah! They heard otherwise. My dear sister, the paranoid one, was scared that something happened to us.

Someone has to stop the ball.

That's dear mummy gracefully getting off the Zorb. LOL!

Second Stop: ATV. I've always wanted to try this. Well, I wanted to try everything so this is no surprise. The only problem is, I can't drive. So I ask the guide if it's possible to drive an ATV when I can't actually drive. He said that it's no problem so I went ahead.

Gearing Up.

That day, I called myself Masked Rider Black from the childhood series that I used to watch. My sister gave me a pocket size prayer booklet before I started to drive. She is that scared. I bet she can't relax while I am driving.

In action.

My family is very supportive. They took loads and loads of photo of me driving without me asking. :P

As part of the ATV service, they took us to the Mt. Luho View Point. It's one of the highest points in Boracay.

Monkey! Thanks Mum for taking photo. We each have our own camera. That's how important taking photos for us. Haha! In Mt. Luho View Point, you can find a mini zoo with exotic animals(at least for my standards). Has anyone heard of a Bear Cat? They were very cute creatures!

That's the view. And yes, that's an elevated platform. It was very windy that day.

See, this windy!!

Third Stop: Spa. I told you, Boracay offers everything. Mum went to a detox treatment while me and my dear sister went for a foot spa.

It hasn't started but my mum is relaxing already.

My camera, my blog so my control which photo I will post.

Curious how the Detox Treatment works? Not for the weak heart.

5 minutes through the treatment.

And after 30 minutes. Yikes! That's toxins out of my mummy's body. We were told that 60-80% of toxins was removed from first treatment.

Final Stop: Seafood dinner. Since mum wanted seafood for dinner, Kuya Louie suggested that we should buy our own and ask the Inn staffs to cook for us. This is what they made. We nearly finish everything. I had tummy ache the same night. :P

Total Cost for the day:

Zorbing - 300 for 1 person but 380 for 2 people
ATV - 750 per hour including the tour guide
Bug Car(not in the photos) - 1500 per hour including the tour guide
Foot Spa - 500 each
Detox Treatment - 850
Seafood dinner - 700 for the crabs and prawns and 220 for cooking

Day 3: Island Hopping

How far would your 1,500 Pesos go in Boracay?

The weather was at its best when we decided to go Island Hopping. We were lucky, it was showering the previous day and maybe stronger current.

All geared up. In Boracay, even if you know how to swim, lifevest is a must. Your trip maybe cancelled if you don't follow the rules. We were also asked to fill up wavers by the coast guard in case something bad happened. Everything is documented. Applaud!

Remember when I wrote about loving glistening water? This is it. My dear sister actually asked me why the water is glistening. My goodness!

Crocodile Island. It looks like a crocodile from afar. Another stupid question care of my sister, "did they actually make it look like a crocodile?". Oh boy.

We snorkled twice, once near Crocodile Island and once near the Boracay Island. It was all our first time. Yes, we grew up in the Archipelago but not everyone can swim and not everyone is interested to do water activities. I am proud of my dear sister for actually going to the water and doing it. She is someone who is scared and who wouldn't try anything outside her comfort zone. My dear mummy and I had to push her, EVERYTIME! She must experience life!

That's me(take note of the fringe) with a starfish in hand. Starfishes are supposed to have 5 arms but I found one with 6. I was in Marinduque once with my cousins and their friends when we decided to go to Coral Island. In there, we found lots and lots of starfishes. We took few home. The thing with starfish is, it stinks once its dead and the colour turns light gray.

After snorkling, we went to Magic Island where we had our lunch. The Island is actually owned by Kuya Louie's family. I asked why it's called Magic, he said the sand disappears during high tide.

That's me having my quiet moment before lunch. I love how the wave sounds. I also like watching at swimming fishes. I am still a kid at heart. Wait til I grow up boring. I won't! I love life so much I can't imagine dying while I am still alive.

That's me pretending to cook. I am still bad at that department.

Seafood Explosion. That was our lunch. We were able to eat more than half of it. We also asked our guides to eat with us but they were shy. We were told by Kuya Louie that they were trained not to eat with the guests. In my family, we treat everyone equal. We like to share our blessings to people.

My mum looks so young in this photo and that's why I am posting this. She is turning 52 in 2 days! Yay! Dear Brother is arriving on the same date to join us for Christmas. He's only staying for 3 days. :(

After lunch, we went Fishing. I didn't know I have bad motion sickness 'til this. I threw up, BIG TIME, during fishing. I was able to catch 1 fish, mum caught 4 and so is my sister with the help of her guide. She excitedly look into the water and said, "are those colourful things fishes?", the guide answered with "no, that's your sister's sick". Yikes! It was that bad.

Look how big the squid is. I didn't know that squids can mutate to this size. He use his hands to caught this squid. Kuya Louie is an licensed life guard. He told us that you are not allowed to fish if you have diving equipments with you. I learnt so much about life guards and water during this trip.

After fishing, we went to another snorkling trip but on a different spot of course! Who would like to snorkle in my sick? :P Initially, I didn't want to go cause I was feeling sick still but they told me that I would feel better in the water. They were right.

So, how far would your 1,5oo pesos would go in Boracay?

It can rent you a boat with 4 life guards on(in our case), 2 snorkling experience, big seafood lunch in an island, a fishing experience and trip throughout the surrounding Island of Boracay. The experience is priceless, I tell you. It was because of me that the trip was cut short. I threw up once more on our way to the Inn. I quickly showered when I got to the room, slept for 3 hours and woke up hungry. We wanted to go to the clubs later that night but it rained so we decided to stay home.

Day 2: Relaxing day at the Beach

We intend to have a relaxing holiday in Boracay. Just like the previous trip(HK/Macao) we didn't plan for anything. We are not prepared for what the Island has to offer. They have endless water sports(wake boarding, kite sailing, parasailing, surfing, scuba diving, helmet diving etc), massages, bars, island hopping trips. The possibility is endless and 5 days isn't enough to do everything! Boracay is definitely a beach person's paradise. It is everybody's paradise. :)

First off: My dear sister's glittered tattoo. It only cost 150 pesos. She's right, everyone seems to be doing it. Everyone had henna or glittered tattoo done. I jokingly told my mum that I started with Henna before I had myself permanently inked. It wasn't something that I would regret. It marked the best days of my life. It is turning 7 soon. BTW, her glittered tatto didn't survive the night. It was chipped the next day. Good thing she got the photo to be remembered by.

We went to a massage parlour after she got her tattoo done. It was the best massage I had so far. I have only tried 3 massage styles, Thai, Shiatsu and the Hot stone massage and I like shiatsu the best! I tell you, people at Renato's massage and touch therapy are fantastic with their hands. Their massage skills are to die for. If you happen to pass by their parlour, please try their shiatsu.

We went for a Halo Halo afterwards. Halo-halo(literally means, all mixed up) is one of filo's famous cold desserts. It is a mix of all sweet preserves with ice cream and leche flan on top. It is a must eat on hot days. We serve halo-halo all year long.

Taken at Station 3. Just like I told dear boyfriend, Boracay is probably the most famous beach in the Philippines. It may also be the most expensive as all the room rates are dollarised. Yes, you are reading it right. Food are reasonably priced though. 90 pesos per meal is enough and buffet cost from 250 pesos.

Boracay doesn't disappoint. It is line with coconut trees. It got clear water and white sand. This is taken in Station 1. I notice that Station 1 got finer and whiter sand. The seashore is much larger than the other stations as well.

Mum wants to take photo with the boats. They offer sunset sailing. Maybe romantic but I haven't tried it yet.

It's a shame that dear brother can't come with us. He has missed so much since going on assignment. :( My dear brother or my brod as I call him, is a male version of me. Mum told me that I had to take my brod to Boracay and HK this year when we both have time.

Of course the day wouldn't be complete without my dear sister's drama. She was taking photo when my mum told her off. She got upset and was pouty the whole night.