Our Trip to Sirao, Cebu

Our trip to Sirao was in 2018 about two years before the pandemic. Since travel is expensive, even to local places we had to maximize our trip to Cebu. Especially since it was our first time to be there.

                            

Here my daughter looks as if she just woked up 😀. We just arrived at that time. And the place was still closed for viewing.

We woke up early and started our tour of Cebu high up in Sirao! We were all excited because the places we were about to go to were really some of the best-visited places at that time.

Sirao is located up in the mountains that skirt the city of Cebu. Up there, are gardens tilled by locals with lots of pretty and some exotic flowers that entice visitors to travel up to Sirao to check the view.

Here are some of our photos in Sirao's Little Amsterdam. There were also big posters of the location shooting of a local TV drama (GMA7)  there where well-known young stars were the lead.

Other visitors were there ahead of us so we let them get in first to avoid jostling, we just want to enjoy the trip

Father and daughter

Aunt Pilar and Joy trying one of the permanent structures that visitors may use for selfies

Picture taking session ongoing

Picture taking 2

Picture taking 3

Picture taking 3

Picture taking 4

Bunso, kuya, and Dad 😅

Sirao selfie 1

Sirao selfie 2

Sirao selfie 3

Mom and daughter

take 2!

Dad and bunso

Dad and bunso 2

Dad and bunso 3

Dad an bunso again!

Where are the flowers?

I took this shot of my daughter, I tried to climb the front facade to see if I can get a better view of the place. Visitors are allowed to climb up there.

Joy's souvenir shot at Sirao's Little Amsterdam

Hope to travel with the family again!

Air Asia to Cebu! and to Rico's! Yuummm!

First ✈!

We woke up early so as not to miss our Air Asia flight! It was still around 3AM, but I had to wake my teens 'coz I don't know why it takes them almost half an hour just to take a bath! 

Even the eldest takes more than an hour sometimes! Cavite to Manila traffic is infamous so I had to allot more travel time.

We went out early so I was not able to give the kids some breakfast, thinking that we will just buy some to go meal at the airport. 

Grabe! Ang mahal ng mga pagkain sa Domestic! The food was much pricier at the domestic airport!. My teens, especially my daughter, are used to having rice for breakfast so I bought an adobo meal with rice for her. Kung pustiso ang ngipin mo tiyak bunot ang ngipin mo sa tigas nong karne! At naalatan si bunso so we just threw away most of her meal. There is a Delifrance outlet but the coffee I make at home is much better. But the son likes cafes so I bought one cup for him and some pastry.

Our bags! Dami naman!

We will be staying for 10 days in Cebu to spend Christmas with the husband and of course it's been months since he was assigned there so we missed the old man! It's our first time to travel so we haven't invested in new luggages yet. The old luggages have broken wheels or were damaged in storage so we just used whatever bags we have.

I booked the seat near the door so the kids will travel more comfortably. This is our view while we waited while the other passengers boarded. The steward was waiting for the last passengers to board.

I blocked the premium seats for the kids. It is our first time to ride on a plane and I want them to have a good experience on their first time to ride a plane. The window seat is a very favored seat so to keep them on a good mood, I told them that  on the ride home they will each have a window seat. Solved!😅

The premium seats will allow the two teens to witness the stewardesses do their demonstrations with no visual obstructions 😂 daughter was all eyes whenever the stewardesses do their demos or announce something! Yep she likes them!

The pics here were intentionally blurred 'coz irritable son doesn't want any pictures (celeb kid ba?!) Son sat by the window while daughter sulked and hugged her We Bare Bear Grizz ( she wanted the window seat too! 😓)

Me comforting my favorite dooter! told her she will also have the window seat on our flight back home. The mabait na bata just kept silent and hugged her Grizz! 😔

Touched down! Husband was there to meet us and of course he missed bunso most! Bunso is really cute in this pic!

Hindi halatang peborit! Father and daughter while waiting for our ride.

Da best nga! We had lunch at Rico's first because we did not have our breakfast. 

Husband decided for us to go to Rico's to have an early lunch first because we did not have a proper breakfast. Rico's is a lechon restaurant with a branch just outside the Mactan Cebu International Airport.

While our orders are being served, a stolen shot!😅 peace son!😂😘

Crispy and yummy lechon! Husband ordered more 'coz we all liked it 😋

One of the best lunch we had in Cebu!

Cebu City, Philippines

Unang Biyahe (First trip) ✈

Para naman maiba, at dahil malalaki na ang aming mga anak, we decided to visit my husband in Cebu (Cebu is the second biggest city of the Philippines.) His job assignment at that time was in Mactan Cebu International Airport. We were about  to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. Yes, ganun na kami katagal nag-aaway, LOL! Fortunately we were blessed with two kids. 

The first touristy place we went to was the Cebu Taoist Temple which is located in Beverly Hills Subdivision and was built in 1972.

That place is actually where visitors to the temple may park their vehicles. 

Still the arch is awesome. That's my son in white shirt and I think the kalbo in maroon with his back to the camera is my husband 😅

I took this photo of my aunt on her way to the temple's main entrance, we just got off our rented SUV here

Aunty entering the temple's gate and up the many stairs around the temple

A little bit breathy here, and we just got past the first flight of stairs from the gate!

And that's me photobombing my daughter

Yup, you have to wear sensible shoes if you're going to visit the Taoist temple. A lot of the sightseeing there entails walking up a lot of stairs. It was hot and humid when we were there (December). So bring an umbrella, hat, a fan, and of course water. I was glad I brought water and a fan, they saved my parched throat and exhausted sweaty self, yakzz!😝😎 At! pati pala sunglass. Bring a nice pair of sunglasses! Super glaring ang dating ng araw noon para sa akin. Kaso I prefer to use my glasses, sunglasses will not work for me I have a hard time reading fine fontsizez soooo no pampormang salamin for me!

Me (hirap nemeng itago ang tiyeen!) and Joy
Laki na mga pata kowh!😜

I think this part of the temple is the level before the toss coin area

This part of the temple grounds is at a higher level than the temple. That gazebo shelters a Taoist deity(ies?) and there's a shallow fish pond and big vases below the statues. Visitors toss coins to the vases and if the tosser's coin/s gets in the vase/s his or her wish may come true (daw).

Elmer is going down from the level where the toss coin gazebo is

The gazebo down there was the first gazebo after about three flights of stairs from the main entrance. The stairs that lead up bring visitors to the main temple which is on the same level as where this shot was taken.

I took this photo in front of the temple. There were a lot of visitors at that time.

Another shot of the temple's front facade 

Going down to the first gazebo (it serves as a station where you can catch your breath 😂)

Happy to see I was able to get a nice shot of my son 

The Taoist Temple is one of Cebu City's well-known and most visited places. It is a good start of your Cebu City tour. My husband rented an SUV which was driven by the same driver of the taxi that we took from Rico's that lechon restaurant near the MCIA where we had our first lunch after arrival.

Makati City, Philippines street videos

it's been a long time since i last posted...and of course a lot has happened...

the pandemic has made life more real and harder to some.
being a wife and mom in an average Filipino family has made me realize some things and face life's hurdles in ways i thought will not be my "true-to-life like TV drama."

before the pandemic, i rode on different modes of transpo on my way to work each morning. here is a video taken after i got off the van near Pasong Tamo Ext. formerly Chino Roces Ave. near Makati Medical Center.

i am sharing the following videos, wala lang, just to give you a glimpse of the morning in Makati, Philippines. a lot of people are rushing to their work. I tried not to focus on their faces.

intersection along Amorsolo St. near MMC 

taken on my way to work along dela Rosa St., Makati

Video 2

Makati Medical Center (MMC) is the building on the left, that walkway is for doctors and patients of MMC doctors clinics at the opposite building

taken on my way to work along dela Rosa St., Makati

Video 3

de la Rosa St. in Makati is one of the busiest in the city. a lot of workers walk and run to their respective companies along this street. The Makati Medical Center's back entrance is along thst street, Restaurants, cafes, fastfoods, and jollyjeeps can be seen along the way.

on my way to work along dela Rosa St., Makati

Video 4

the street at the end of this video is where CEU has one of its Makati campus

on my way to work along dela Rosa St., Makati

Video 5

i made this video to document how i go to work and what i pass on my way. the Centro Escolar University (CEU) also has a campus there, I can't recall the street now but I will go back and edit when i see it.

i will post more videos of this walk in the next post. when the quarantine is lifted and we are allowed to work at the office i will surely post other videos of walks around Makati or where I may go in Cavite, or you may suggest by giving me a note.

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Philippines during the Pandemic

The pandemic experience is different from one person to another. I know its weird but I have been feeling that something is about to happen whenever I was in Makati. The company I work for is in Makati, the business capital of the Philippines. I am just a regular employee who works the 8-6 grind.

I pass this place on my way to work, this is far from my workplace though

I can't explain it but I have shared this "weird feeling"  with some officemates during lunch outs. That Makati have this"apocalypse vibe" for months from 2019 to the week before the lockdown that closed majority of business in Metro Manila. I laughed with my officemates while we talked about the "apocalypse vibe" I've been having then. But that feeling did not go away. So when the news about the Wuhan virus infection broke out, I was thinking that some tourist may bring it here. Which happened.

I took this picture inside the P2P bus that I usually take to go home before the quarantine period. The fare was increased so it took them longer to fill the bus, and only a few did not wear a mask.

And now people are suffering from the economic hardships brought on by the pandemic. 

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hello!

i know it's been so long since i last posted here...
i've been really busy...

but i'm trying to compose new posts for the blog. new posts that you'll like to know and see here in the Philippines...:)

happy halloween! :)

No Documentation Loans!

I was spending my free time (Sundays) with some of our neighbors on our backyard when the talk centered into mortagages and loans. It seems that my husband and I were'nt the only ones thinking of how to pay our home's mortgage every payday.

Anna is even thinking of swapping their home for a condo unit (much more affordable to his and her husband's combined monthly salary. But Lisa the more positive thinker in our group suggests we try to apply for loans. A loan can really be a problem the moment you're late for your payment. So most of us eschewed the idea. Lisa though is persistent so she immediately scanned in her mini notebook for a lending company that she thinks will suit each of our needs and individual financial range.

One of the websites that we dissected was Five Star. Five Star, to our surprise, offers 10 -15-20-25-30-40 year loan programs! And 0% -1% -2% -3%-5% -10% - 20% down payment/ltv options are also being offered.

Five Star even offers NO VERIFICATION or NO DOCUMENTATION LOANS for those who are employed and with good credit! Now that's some kind of icing!

You can get more details at its website at http://www.fivestarhomemortgages.com/ 

jade bracelet

Happy Easter Everyone!

Hope you've had a meaningful holy week with your family and friends.

I tried not to mind the hot weather by doing things I've been meaning to do, like my wire jewelry hobby.

An officemate ordered a jade bracelet so I made one last weekend. I used star shaped jade, 10k 5mm gold wire, some 10k gold balls, and a 10k classic clasp.

Here's another picture of the bracelet I did. My officemates really liked it. They say it's cute!

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