Happy Trip!

Check out the new site that Nikki and I came up with - Happy Tripper!

He approached me with the idea, after reading all my posts and seeing all my travel photos. I love travel, and some might say that it’s “unfortunate” that I only ‘discovered’ it 3 years ago. I see it differently - I’m thankful that I got into this because it’s really wonderful! Travelling allows me to see beautiful places, experience new things, take photos of interesting subjects, and learn about new cultures. And it doesn’t matter if it’s a roadtrip, or a long-haul flight to another country, or a short flight within the country - all of these places offer different things, new experiences, great finds, and of course fantastic photos!

We hope that the blog will inspire others to travel and go on trips too. Come and be a happy tripper like us!

Link up okay? :)

My New Baby

Ladies and gentlemen... presenting... GEORGIE!



I admit, the iPhone is beauuuutiful, but I just couldn't get over the fact that you can't forward texts and send messages to multiple recipients. Those were dealbreakers because I do those things often. So, even if I'm a bit of a gadget freak, I shied away from the iPhone. However, Apple had the brilliant idea of taking away the phone features and just offering the iPod portion of the gadget, with some reeeeeally great features. The iPod Touch was introduced, together with the iPod Classic and new iPod Nano with video. So I patiently waited.

Yesterday, Dom, Louie and I headed to Powerplant to have lunch and well, to avoid the scheduled fire drill. MBG was empty anyway, with people heading to the different destinations - Shang mall, Greenhills, etc, so why stay? After lunch at the ever-reliable Banana Leaf, we walked around, checked out some shops. I asked them to go with me to the Apple store so we can check if the iPod Touch was already available. And IT WAS!

I checked out the demo unit. It was awesome! The 12-month 0% interest promo sealed the deal. So now I have a spankin' new iPod Touch, which I named Georgie, after one of my favorite cyclists George Hincapie and one of my favorite doctors Dr. George O' Malley.

It's a beautiful piece of gadget. It's very thin, light, and really sleek. The screen is big, which is perfect for watching videos. And the touchscreen is just way cool. What are the awesome features? It has Wifi, so I can go online and browse the net if there's Wifi within the area. It has a button which directly connects me to Youtube, so I can view the latest uploaded videos and my subscriptions.

The only drawbacks are the capacity and keyboard. It's only 16Gb, so I'm not treating it as my main iPod (which means I'm not giving up my 80Gb - sidenote: it sucks so much that the new 80Gb is only P14k). I'm treating it as my Nano, although it's much bigger. It's what I will be carrying around in my bag, which means I'll have to update the songs, photos and videos often. It's REALLY HARD to type on the keyboard - that I really don't know how to address. But it's still a pretty awesome gadget, so that's okay.

Gadget freaks, go get one! It's WORTH IT! Remember, 12 months to pay, 0%! Go, go, GOOOOO!

I will go play with Georgie now.

Nerd?

I'm currently downloading podcasts and updating my iPod. Today, I realized again that what my friends say about me is true - I'm a nerd! I have several space stuff subscriptions! The first time I realized my friends were correct was when I was talking to them about what I search for in YouTube. NASA Videos! Hey, can't blame me if I find that interesting. :)

Here's a list of the podcasts that I'm subscribed to:

ENTERTAINMENT
Access Hollywood Podcast - For a doze of Hollywood gossip.
Best of YouTube - Need I say more? These are the most hilarious and interesting videos from YouTube.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show in a minute - I love Ellen!
Ratatouille Video Podcast
Sesame Street Podcast

CYCLING
Bicycling Magazine Podcasts - Mainly for the Tour de France 2007.
VERSUS Podcast

TRAVEL
PodTravels.TV - Tuscany
Rick Steves' Europe Video
Video travel guides from Italy

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
The Buzz Report from CNET - I like my technology news.
Discovery Channel Video Podcasts - Only the interesting shows like Mythbusters.
Hidden Universe HD: NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope - I really find this interesting.
Hubblecast - This too.
NASACast Video
NASACast: Solar system Video
National Geographic Video Shorts

COOKING
Start Cooking Videoblog
Cuisinart Stand Mixer Recipe Podcast - For quick recipes. I'd like to bake soon.

MEDITATION
Person Growth Podcast
Law of Attraction - ThinkBanc AntonioThornton
Meditation-Silence: Video Poodcast
Meditation - Overcoming Stress and Illness
The Meditation Podcast
My Thought Coach

PODRUNNER: Exercise music for running, spinning or any fast-paced workout --> For the time when I can actually bring myself to work out, haha!

How about you? Which podcasts are you subscribed to?

Vigan
Originally uploaded by Carambs!.

Jovan and I went on (yet another) roadtrip for the long weekend of August 25-27. We were supposed to go there last year but I got sick, and we passed it on our way to Pagudpud. So we've been talking about it, and decided to just go during the long weekend. It was perfect timing - I believe that you need at least 3 days to enjoy the place.

We left August 25, a saturday, at around 4AM, and got there at around 11:30AM. We only had 2 major stops - 1 in the North Expressway to have breakfast, and 1 in the Shell station before the right to Baguio. The trip was okay, except for the really bad traffic in Candon, because only 1 lane was functional.

For our accomodations, we chose the Vigan Heritage Mansion because it wasn't "creepy", based on the online reviews I encountered. Plus, it was right beside Calle Crisologo, which is a must-visit in Vigan. We checked in, dropped off our bags, and headed to Cafe Leona, which was supposed to be a popular restaurant there according to our (very worn out) Lonely Planet Guide.

There were a lot of people in Cafe Leona, which I thought was a good sign. Our guidebook did not fail us! First we had to go to the 'display' area where almost all of the available food was displayed, and we picked what we wanted. Be warned - orders were good for 1-3 people - I made a mistake of ordering embutido thinking that I could order 2-3 pieces, and was surprised when they served the whole thing! The food was good - they actually tasted like "home-cooked" food, and not commercialized food. We ordered embutido, chicken in pineapple sauce, fish fillet (which Jovan didn't enjoy as much), and other viands which I forgot already. Obviously, we didn't finish, so we had the food wrapped.

These were the Vigan destinations/activities that we were able to visit/do:

Calle Crisologo - A cobbled street where cars are banned, this street has small stores left and right where you can buy products of Vigan such as woven napkins, handtowels, blankets and bags

Padre Burgos Museum - The birthplace of Padre Burgos which showcases antique furniture, old photos of famous people from the Ilocos Province, paintings of the story of GomBurZa

Kalesa Ride - Not a lot of places offer kalesa rides anymore. But in Vigan, it's one of the major modes of transportation.

The empanada from the plaza is *supposed to be* a specialty, but Jovan got a very upset stomach on the second day. We suspect it was because of the empanada. I heard that Jovan's friend suffered the same fate. I took a bite and nothing happened to me, so we're not a hundred percent sure. Just be warned.

Before we headed to Manila on the third day, we passed by the palengke (wet market) to buy the famous Vigan longganisa and bagnet. It was a different experience for me, but I truly enjoyed it!

We left Vigan at around 9:30AM. We visited the Church in Sta. Maria, the town after Vigan, because it was a Unesco World Heritage site. It was beautiful!

More pictures of our roadtrip here:

For the complete Vigan album, click here.

Pollen
Originally uploaded by Carambs!.

I have recently joined again Photoworks, a 6-session photography class given by Leo Castillo. I was inspired to take it again because Cookie, a friend from work, wanted to take classes. Plus, this was supposed to be our therapy together, to deal with stress and other stuff. (Notice I'm trying to be vague?)

I took Photoworks for the first time in March 2003, but I was still using film at that time. I really wasn't able to follow through because it was too expensive. But now I have a digital SLR, so I can practice what I'm learning.

I submitted the photo above for my first homework - we call these Photo Projects. The homework was to take a photo with a clear theme.

Today is our last day, and I'm not even sure if I can attend. Been at home the past 2 days trying to recover.

Strawberry Cupcakes with Pink Cream Cheese Frosting
Originally uploaded by Miss Bexxie.

Look at that. It looks so yummy! I've been looking at cupcake photos in Flickr for the past 3 days. I think this is a result of my diet. If I can't eat and savor the food, then I'll just look at them and admire them. And because of this, I was inspired to take up baking lessons. I just wanna learn how to bake again - we did a lot of baking in high school, and that was it. After high school I would bake one in a blue moon - maybe a total of 5 times from then til now.

Can you suggest a course/workshop/class that I can take? Baking only, and I'm really only interested in cakes. :)

Philippines Photobook in Lonely Planet's Flickr Account


The moderators of one of the Lonely Planet Publications Flickr accounts asked for suggestions on Photobook topics. They already have several Photobook threads - on Egypt, London, Norway, etc. Of course I suggested the Philippines! I wrote that it's sad that people think this is a dreadful country when there are in fact many many beautiful places here! The moderator loved the idea of helping destroy the stereotype and he started a thread on the Philippines!

If you're a Flickr member, post your best photos of the Philippines here:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/lonelyplaneteurope/discuss/72157601895429747/

Game!!!

Was able to update my blog but still behind! I have yet to post about our Singapore Trip, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the movies I've watched, my vertigo, Sebastien's Ice Cream, and Shopwise going green...

Baguio Once Again

Jovan and I went to Baguio last July 28-29 for Tour de Baguio, this time. It was my first trip to Baguio for the year and Jovan's second. It was a nice trip because Mom and Dad joined us. We didn't stay at our usual hotel, Hotel Veniz, mainly because they didn't have broadband wifi in the rooms. We stayed at El Cielito Inn instead. We left Manila at 4AM, made 2 stops - 1 for gas and the other for a bathroom break - and arrived in Baguio at around 10AM. El Cielito is a pretty decent hotel, but not as good as Hotel Veniz. There were no elevators, the carpet in the hallway was old, and the doors to the rooms were old as well. The bathroom was really nice though.

After a short nap we headed to Camp John Hay, for our usual strawberry juice from Strawberries and Ice Cream at the Filling Station. We had lunch at Little John's - can't seem to let go of that place, even if their food is getting greasier and greasier. Maybe it's the ambience? We decided to do all the touristy stuff (mainly for my parents) on Saturday so Sunday can be a relaxing day. After lunch we shopped at Mines View Park and Good Shepherd, then went to mass at St. Joseph's. By that time we were so tired so we decided to have an early dinner at Oh My Khan. The food was okay, they offered an above-average mongolian buffet and lots of desserts to choose from.

Of course at night we watched the Tour. We couldn't afford to miss it because it was the final time trial. The wifi didn't work at first, because the connection was down. But we were able to make it work after a while, just in time to watch the favorites.

The next day, Mom and Dad went around Baguio once more without us, as we decided to sleep in (which is what we usually do when we go out of town). We had breakfast, lunch at The Filling Station, excuse for another round of strawberry juice. Then we went home.

Here are some photos:


Best. Strawberry. Juice. Ever.







Click here for my complete Baguio photo album.

Tour de Iba (Iba, Zambales)



Determined to get higher marks in Lakbayan, Jovan and I headed to Iba, Zambales last July 21-22. It was the height of the Tour de France, but we went anyway, and were very lucky that our chosen resort, Palmera Garden, had wifi broadband. Coolness!

Aside from getting a higher mark at Lakbayan, I also wanted to take photos, so I brought my camera (which I have yet to learn, by the way). Here are some photos:









Click here for the complete album.

Jovan and I left Manila at around 8AM. I was thinking of passing by Powerplant to get the Harry Potter book but decided against it. We arrived at Iba, Zambales at around 1PM. We had 2 stops - 1 at Total NLEX to have breakfast at Andok's, and 1 at Luisita for a bathroom break. Palmera Garden is a nice, decent resort to stay at if you just want to get away from Manila. The rooms and the bathrooms are okay, and the food is better than average, though a bit expensive. The resort has a nice pool, and the beach at the back is good enough for sunbathing and swimming.

In the afternoon we slept, and went to the beach to take pictures of the sunset. We overestimated the time - sunset came way after 6PM. We couldn't wait for the actual sunset because of hunger so we left. We went to the town proper to buy water and chips, and bought dinner from Jollibee, to save a bit. The whole night we watched the first time trial of the Tour de France, which Vino won.

We left at 11:30AM after having breakfast. Tour de Iba was officially over. We arrived in Manila after only 3 hours and went straight to Powerplant to get the Harry Potter book.