(Non) Summer in Boracay 3: Crystal Cove

Next to April-March, August-September is the second-busiest couple of months for me because it’s that time of the year when I’ve to draw up the Budget Proposal of our Department for the next Budget Year. It’s exhausting work and, piled on top of my regular (and irregular) functions, it spells out “Hell Weeks” for me.

I cannot wait until August 20 comes (so I can get a reprieve by catching Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno in the cinema) and September 19 finally rolls around so I can watch CNBLUE in concert. Simple joys, really.

On a day tour or island-hopping gig in Boracay, one of the major pit stops is Crystal Cove.
Continue reading “(Non) Summer in Boracay 3: Crystal Cove” →

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(Non) Summer in Boracay 1: "Morning-scape"

You say “Philippines”, and “beaches” won’t be far behind. And when you lump the two words together, what’s the most common name that comes to mind? Yes. Boracay.

This is another one of those “major throwback” posts which I am blogging about because (1) I had three of the awesomest fangirlfriends for company; (2) I wish it’ll happen again (post-Yale, Jane?); (3) Hey, it IS Boracay; and (4) this is where I discovered that humans and lobsters are separated by merely a few hours in the sun (sans sunblock); and (5) it was HELLA. FUN.

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Fitness Mornings at Burnham Park

Mention Baguio City’s “Burnham Park” and the activities that will immediately come to mind include taking a ride on one of the boats on the Lake, having a picnic, riding bikes at the Biking Area, having a go at the Skating Rink, letting the kids loose at the Children’s playground, walk around the Rose Garden or the Orchidarium, catch a game or an outdoor show at the Melvin Jones Grandstand, and, lately, watching the fountains light up in the evening. It comes even more alive when the annual Panagbenga (Flower Festival) comes around (see more tourist accounts here, here, and especially good ones here and here), since it’s the site of the Market Encounter and other trade fairs. And, of course, the fluvial parades on the Lake, also during the Panagbenga.

In the early mornings, however, you get to see a different side of Burnham Park. The fit side. Continue reading “Fitness Mornings at Burnham Park” →

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Cebu: Three Staples

From the many blogs that I’ve read by Cebu-based bloggers, it is clear that Cebu has a lot to offer, many of them still pretty much obscure and relatively unexploited-slash-undiscovered. But for us Cebu non-experts, there are certain things that we instantly associate with the place. “Queen City of the South”. Spanish-era churches. Excellent singers. Dried mangoes.

Magellan’s Cross. Shamrock. Danggit. These three are what this post is all about.  Continue reading “Cebu: Three Staples” →

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Cebu: The Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod

I suck at remembering dates, so don’t think I memorized when Pedro Calungsod, the 2nd Filipino saint (after St. Lorenzo Ruiz) was born. It was 360 years ago to this day, on July 21, 1654, when his story began. I thought it fitting, then, to post about this small place, the Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod, dedicated to him in Cebu. (Check out his official website here, and read about his life here.)

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Bohol: The Chocolate Hills

Typhoon Glenda (International Name: Rammasun) has come and gone, at least in my part of the country. But the rains and strong winds are still here. And another storm is set to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility. ‘Tis the way of things in my country during this time of the year. The only thing we can do is be prepared, pray, and have faith. And go on as before. Or try to.

Back when we were in elementary school and first learned of the Chocolate Hills in Bohol, I bet we all imagined giant Hershey’s Kisses that we can lick and gobble up. “Giant chocolates! What fun!”

And then we grow older, and we know better.  Continue reading “Bohol: The Chocolate Hills” →

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Bohol: The ShipHaus

You may have seen heard of it already, or seen it featured on Rated K or some other similar magazine show. I haven’t. I rarely get to watch those shows, you see. So I was just going with the flow when, while driving through the roads in Tagbilaran late in the afternoon, our guide Cris suggested we stop by one of the newest tourist attractions in Bohol, the ShipHaus. What I saw afterwards amazed me. Continue reading “Bohol: The ShipHaus” →

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Bohol: Loboc River Cruise

Bohol was one of the places in the Philippines I’ve always wanted to visit, but never got around to, primarily because of budget reasons. It’s not one of the cheaper places to visit, you see. So when we found ourselves in Cebu May of last year and discovered we had a couple of days free, we decided to sail to Bohol and check out what we could in the limited time we have. This was pre-Bohol earthquake and pre-Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), by the way.  Continue reading “Bohol: Loboc River Cruise” →

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Bakun, The Last Frontier

If I had a bucket list of local peaks or mountains I wanted to scale, Mt. Kabunian in Bakun would be one of them. I hope to be able to do that soon, hopefully next year. But I was able to catch a glimpse of “him” October last year, when I tagged along on a weekend immersion trip with my Ma-dear. It was only supposed to pay a visit to a couple of hydro plants, but there is a surprise at the end, so read on. Continue reading “Bakun, The Last Frontier” →

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South Korea Pt 16: Jeju Loveland

I was debating on whether I should blog about this place, or even upload photos. Then I realized, why not? It’s one of the many highlights of my whole Jeju adventure, and it’s an… interesting place. I guess I should just choose which photos I post, huh. *dumps 90% of the Loveland pics on my WP media folder*

Besides, the month is about to end, and the second part of the year is beginning, and I bet it’s going to be really trying (I can almost feel it now) so, as a preemptive strike, why not shake things up a bit? If you are uber-conservative and have strict rules about sexuality and how it is expressed, you might wanna skip scrolling after the jump. Just sayin’.

Continue reading “South Korea Pt 16: Jeju Loveland” →

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