A Good Year
I was hesitant to watch this movie because I heard it got a lot of bad reviews. But hey, any movie about France, I'd like to see. So after a long day walking around Mall of Asia, Mike, Jovan and I trooped back to Powerplant to watch A Good Year. Surprisingly, we all liked it! I guess it helped that there were some references to Lance Armstrong, whom we really admire.
The movie was good - I liked the cinematography, the choice of music, the story - but I felt that there was something wrong. After the movie, I concluded that it was Rusell Crowe. The whole movie, I saw Rusell Crowe the actor, not Max (the lead character). He was trying hard to be funny. It wasn't natural.
Nevertheless, it's a movie I would recommend to you guys. Not a waste of money (unlike Borat!!!) If you have time, I suggest that you see this movie. Very light, perfect for the holidays.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Bolinao, Pangasinan
The usual suspects went to Bolinao, Pangasinan last October 27-29. The original intent was to go to Hundred Islands, but when we got there, it didn't appeal to us, so we skipped the island hopping. We just took some pictures, watched the sun rise, and then headed for Bolinao, which was an hour away. How did we find out about Bolinao? Of course, through the ever-reliable Lonely Planet.
We arrived in Bolinao at around 7:30AM. After referring to our favorite book, we chose El Pescador, which thankfully accepted our early check in. Took a nap, had breakfast, then took a longer nap and woke up at around 2PM. We went around and looked for a resort to stay in to watch the sunset, and had halo-halo. After sunset, we went back to our room and rested. For dinner, we went to "Short Time", a small canteen-type restaurant recommended by Lonely Planet, which served really good and affordable home-cooked food.
Here are some pictures from that trip:
Watching the sunrise.
Beautiful Sunset
The usual suspects went to Bolinao, Pangasinan last October 27-29. The original intent was to go to Hundred Islands, but when we got there, it didn't appeal to us, so we skipped the island hopping. We just took some pictures, watched the sun rise, and then headed for Bolinao, which was an hour away. How did we find out about Bolinao? Of course, through the ever-reliable Lonely Planet.
We arrived in Bolinao at around 7:30AM. After referring to our favorite book, we chose El Pescador, which thankfully accepted our early check in. Took a nap, had breakfast, then took a longer nap and woke up at around 2PM. We went around and looked for a resort to stay in to watch the sunset, and had halo-halo. After sunset, we went back to our room and rested. For dinner, we went to "Short Time", a small canteen-type restaurant recommended by Lonely Planet, which served really good and affordable home-cooked food.
Here are some pictures from that trip:
Watching the sunrise.
Beautiful Sunset
La Union
Went to La Union for the 3 day weekend. We were supposed to go to Pagudpud, but we were only sure about the weather on Friday, we chose La Union instead. We went to Bauang, which is the town right before San Fernando. Of course we referred to our ever reliable Lonely Planet, which, I'm sad to say, failed us this time. For accomodations, we checked out Bali Hai and Coconut Grove Beach Resorts, two of the listed resorts. Since the resorts were beside each other, we checked out another one, Cabana. Since we were divided (the boys were okay with Cabana but I wasn't), we checked out the next place, which was Villa Estrella! And it was 'perfect'! The room was okay, the bathroom was big (old yes, but clean), and we got a corporate discount! We ended up paying P1,500+ per night and for 3 people, that's P500 per night. Not bad at all. It was not listed in our beloved Lonely Planet book, but I've accepted the fact that it won't be able to list down ALL options.
The weekend was about exploring a new place, and watching Tour de France. Jovan ordered the 1999 - 2005 set (Yes Vic! 28 hours of Tour de France glory!). In between gimmicks, we would watch the videos - we ended up watching until 1999-2002. We explored the places mentioned in Lonely Planet - the most notable of which was Freedom Park. To see the whole city, we had to climb more than 100 steps (I can still feel the pain in my legs until now, hehe). It was beautiful! We had lunch at Mandarin, and merienda in Cafe Esperanza, both suggested also by Lonely Planet. I'm telling you, P1,400, that book is a steal!
Here are some photos:
Went to La Union for the 3 day weekend. We were supposed to go to Pagudpud, but we were only sure about the weather on Friday, we chose La Union instead. We went to Bauang, which is the town right before San Fernando. Of course we referred to our ever reliable Lonely Planet, which, I'm sad to say, failed us this time. For accomodations, we checked out Bali Hai and Coconut Grove Beach Resorts, two of the listed resorts. Since the resorts were beside each other, we checked out another one, Cabana. Since we were divided (the boys were okay with Cabana but I wasn't), we checked out the next place, which was Villa Estrella! And it was 'perfect'! The room was okay, the bathroom was big (old yes, but clean), and we got a corporate discount! We ended up paying P1,500+ per night and for 3 people, that's P500 per night. Not bad at all. It was not listed in our beloved Lonely Planet book, but I've accepted the fact that it won't be able to list down ALL options.
The weekend was about exploring a new place, and watching Tour de France. Jovan ordered the 1999 - 2005 set (Yes Vic! 28 hours of Tour de France glory!). In between gimmicks, we would watch the videos - we ended up watching until 1999-2002. We explored the places mentioned in Lonely Planet - the most notable of which was Freedom Park. To see the whole city, we had to climb more than 100 steps (I can still feel the pain in my legs until now, hehe). It was beautiful! We had lunch at Mandarin, and merienda in Cafe Esperanza, both suggested also by Lonely Planet. I'm telling you, P1,400, that book is a steal!
Here are some photos:
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Baguio Part 2
Second time to go up to Baguio for the year. This time I was with my VAS family and Jovan. That's me, Jovan, Mike O, Clar, Mike T, Cathy, Cookie, Angie, Shawi, Rina, Jil and family, Binky and kids, and JT. It wasn't a major tourist-in-Baguio trip. We just lounged around, learned poker, watched scary movies (I refused to though hehe), and ate. Great way to relax after a week of non-stop work.
I'm trying to get back into photography, so I took a lot of photos. I really want to take up photography again. I hope it's something I can sustain. 2 or 3 more trips like this, and I might just buy that Canon EOS 400. :)
View from the window...
Majestic Cathedral
Behind Little John's
Flower Power
Flower Power 2
View from SM
Some random photos...
Second time to go up to Baguio for the year. This time I was with my VAS family and Jovan. That's me, Jovan, Mike O, Clar, Mike T, Cathy, Cookie, Angie, Shawi, Rina, Jil and family, Binky and kids, and JT. It wasn't a major tourist-in-Baguio trip. We just lounged around, learned poker, watched scary movies (I refused to though hehe), and ate. Great way to relax after a week of non-stop work.
I'm trying to get back into photography, so I took a lot of photos. I really want to take up photography again. I hope it's something I can sustain. 2 or 3 more trips like this, and I might just buy that Canon EOS 400. :)
View from the window...
Majestic Cathedral
Behind Little John's
Flower Power
Flower Power 2
View from SM
Some random photos...
Friday, November 24, 2006
Baby Joaquin!
One of my closest friends gave birth to bouncing baby boy! 'Bouncing' isn't an exaggeration - the baby's weight is 8 pounds! Another inaanak for me! I'm really excited! Welcome to the world Joaquin!
I am sure that friends who will read this will have one thing in mind - how about us?
All our friends and relatives have been asking us when we'll start a family. It's just not in our plans yet. Society really dictates so many things on us, and apparently not having children by choice within the first few years of marriage is something that's 'different'. Well, it's a choice, and I hope that the people around us will respect that.
One of my closest friends gave birth to bouncing baby boy! 'Bouncing' isn't an exaggeration - the baby's weight is 8 pounds! Another inaanak for me! I'm really excited! Welcome to the world Joaquin!
I am sure that friends who will read this will have one thing in mind - how about us?
All our friends and relatives have been asking us when we'll start a family. It's just not in our plans yet. Society really dictates so many things on us, and apparently not having children by choice within the first few years of marriage is something that's 'different'. Well, it's a choice, and I hope that the people around us will respect that.
Not So Amazing Race
There were two filipino teams in the first ever Amazing Race Asia. Both teams have been eliminated. First two eliminations. I'm so sad! I'm not a fan of Aubrey Miles but of course I was cheering for the filipinos. Sigh.
I have to figure out who my favorites are now.
There were two filipino teams in the first ever Amazing Race Asia. Both teams have been eliminated. First two eliminations. I'm so sad! I'm not a fan of Aubrey Miles but of course I was cheering for the filipinos. Sigh.
I have to figure out who my favorites are now.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Life is Good.
This is Mike O's mantra. And mind you, it's not just a line, he tries to live it too. We hear it so much from him that some of us in the office say it a lot already.
And then I stumbled upon the Life is Good website. Thanks to Shirley, who gave us a Life is Good cap for pasalubong when she visited last time. I visited the website right away.
They have really cute items. My recent acquisitions - a t-shirt and a backpack. I can't wait to use them!!!
Teriyaki Boy = Bad Service
I forgot where I got the news, but I heard that the Lorenzo Group (Pancake House, Dencio's...) has acquired Teriyaki Boy. It made a lot of sense - don't you just feel that there are so many Teriyaki Boy branches sprouting left and right? That's what happened to Dencio's after it was acquired by the same group. Anyway, this fast expansion seems like something they can't handle because of the poor service. I had dinner at Teriyaki Boy Galleria a while ago with Lawrence (welcome back to the Philippine Lawrence!), Lester, Margaret, and another friend of Lester. I had my mind set on Gyoza, and was very disappointed when the waiter told me that it wasn't available anymore. I ordered Pork Ribs Teriyaki instead, and was also told that it was still frozen. Lester and company also ordered 2 viands that were not available. Did they run out of food right away? It was only 8:30PM, and it was a Saturday night - shouldn't they make sure that there was enough food? The same thing happened to us at Teriyaki Boy Eastwood - it was around 9PM and there was no more Salmon. Granted, they want to make sure they have fresh food daily. They should still plan better - they should order more on fridays, especially during payday fridays.
Since I was really hungry, I ordered Miso Soup - something I could take while waiting for the food. The food arrived, with no Miso Soup in sight. We actually forgot about it, until we heard the lady beside our table complaining and bitching about how late their food arrived. She refused the viand that was being served, because they already finished eating. I think it was a tofu side dish. We remembered our Miso Soup, which we cancelled - no use for soup anymore. We continued eating, then later on, the lady started bitching and complaining again. Apparently, they were about to pay, and the bill still included the viand that they refused to accept. She mentioned that this was the second time this happened to her.
Is it too much to ask that if there are a lot of viands not available, the waiters should already 'warn' the customers before they order? I hope this is just temporary - I hope they can do something about it soon. Their food is really good but a great restaurant isn't just about the food, it's also about the service.
I forgot where I got the news, but I heard that the Lorenzo Group (Pancake House, Dencio's...) has acquired Teriyaki Boy. It made a lot of sense - don't you just feel that there are so many Teriyaki Boy branches sprouting left and right? That's what happened to Dencio's after it was acquired by the same group. Anyway, this fast expansion seems like something they can't handle because of the poor service. I had dinner at Teriyaki Boy Galleria a while ago with Lawrence (welcome back to the Philippine Lawrence!), Lester, Margaret, and another friend of Lester. I had my mind set on Gyoza, and was very disappointed when the waiter told me that it wasn't available anymore. I ordered Pork Ribs Teriyaki instead, and was also told that it was still frozen. Lester and company also ordered 2 viands that were not available. Did they run out of food right away? It was only 8:30PM, and it was a Saturday night - shouldn't they make sure that there was enough food? The same thing happened to us at Teriyaki Boy Eastwood - it was around 9PM and there was no more Salmon. Granted, they want to make sure they have fresh food daily. They should still plan better - they should order more on fridays, especially during payday fridays.
Since I was really hungry, I ordered Miso Soup - something I could take while waiting for the food. The food arrived, with no Miso Soup in sight. We actually forgot about it, until we heard the lady beside our table complaining and bitching about how late their food arrived. She refused the viand that was being served, because they already finished eating. I think it was a tofu side dish. We remembered our Miso Soup, which we cancelled - no use for soup anymore. We continued eating, then later on, the lady started bitching and complaining again. Apparently, they were about to pay, and the bill still included the viand that they refused to accept. She mentioned that this was the second time this happened to her.
Is it too much to ask that if there are a lot of viands not available, the waiters should already 'warn' the customers before they order? I hope this is just temporary - I hope they can do something about it soon. Their food is really good but a great restaurant isn't just about the food, it's also about the service.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Kuala Lumpur, here we come!!!
Lester, one of my favorite friends, texted me about the Air Asia sale last October 31. It was perfect, because the options were Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu, and our Davao 5 group was really interested in Kuala Lumpur. So we booked flights for February 16-21. Guess how much?! P3,290 per person! What a steal! We just have to look for accomodations and tours and we're all set! We will be joined by Mike T, so we'll be called the KL 6 - haha!
Lester, one of my favorite friends, texted me about the Air Asia sale last October 31. It was perfect, because the options were Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu, and our Davao 5 group was really interested in Kuala Lumpur. So we booked flights for February 16-21. Guess how much?! P3,290 per person! What a steal! We just have to look for accomodations and tours and we're all set! We will be joined by Mike T, so we'll be called the KL 6 - haha!
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