Christia's World

The Pain of Losing My Best Friend (An Open Letter: Week 52 of 522)

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Wed, 07 Jun 2017 13:51:00 +0000

Dearest Aika,

You and I know that I am not known as a caring person.

I tend to be robotic in my ways, and even though my mom has the hugest of hearts and tends to give way too much love than people deserve, this particular egg that she produced 30-some years ago captured none of that in her DNA.

Distant and cold

That is why I never really had a best friend, that is, before you.
And what little group of friends that I have, only see a portion of me because I am too scared to be vulnerable with anyone. Even my husband, who I love dearly and is only one of three things that can truly discombobulate my world can attest to the fact that I am, more often than not, so unsympathetic and distant that he tends to turn to his friends when he needs a human being to talk to.

He also thinks that if I get super powers I will become the next <insert name of your super villain of choice here> but I think that is more due to the fact that I am also a cutthroat b!tch.

But I digress.

And then, 8 years ago, you came into my life.

Aika

You have always been there for me and I'd like to think I've been there for you in as much as my limited, detached self can possibly be. You have loved me unconditionally amidst everything, even in my worst of times -- when I was deeply depressed for two months straight and could barely pass as a being with a soul.

And now that you've left, I don't think I will ever get over how painful it is that my best friend is no longer by my side.

My bestie

It has been more than a month since you've gone. I've been acting like a human being on the outside because adulthood had to take over but the pain remains and sometimes bubbles up so hard that I have to stop for a few minutes before I can function again.

Know that I will miss you forever and:

Your innocent trust that all human beings are good, thereby being the worst guard dog of all time.

Those big doe eyes which you utilize to your advantage every time you want to eat whatever anyone in front of you is about to eat.

How you always know when I am not in a good place and you try to comfort me by licking my arm because you know I don't like it when you lick my face.

The way you sit on my head when you try to weasel your way in for a snuggle.

All the times that you wiggle out of my husband's hug when I called you.

Your conversations with thunder -- the only time you ever bark.

And, how lovingly you maintained eye contact with us, even as we shared your last few hours.

Potpot, I know you are now in dog heaven now, and you are in a better place, but d@mn, every day is still a struggle. Every single day still hurts. Maybe not as much, maybe not as evident, but it still does.

P.S. I love you, boo, forever and ever and ever and ever.

Airbnb Finds: On Anniversaries, Breakfast Wines, and Pink Vests

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Sat, 22 Apr 2017 05:39:00 +0000

I've never liked the beach.

Inside human

Maybe because 2 days after coming from the beach there is still sand every freaking where.

Or maybe because I did not like swimming in fish pee.

Either way, when I was young, I was terrified of boat rides and would not even join my sisters for snorkeling. No amount of sibling pressure can make me don a life vest and get my hair wet with salt and water.

And then I married a merman.

Blub blub bubbala

Since I promised to love him through hell or high waters (literally), I thought of giving the beach another shot. Thus began the long story of how I fell in love with the sea that started around 5 years ago.

No, I am not going to Ted Mosby it and start from the beginning. This is the part where a home we found in Mabini, Batangas via Airbnb truly made me feel at peace with the water.
_____________

The Place: Place was listed as "Best Beach & Scuba Diving Manila"

For our first year as husband and wife, we wanted to celebrate our anniversary with our baby dog Aika in a secluded place near the sea. Since most hotels do not allow pets (boo!), we resorted to Airbnb and found this lovely home with 3 rooms right smack in front of the Balayan Bay in Mabini, Batangas.

DTM boy and his #wokeuplikethis look at our Airbnb find

And boy was this secluded! The only down side was that you had to trek a gazillion steps (I exaggerate because I am dramatic that way and also because I did theater in college) before you get to the actual place but the staff will assist you with your stuff so you only had to worry about your body weight as you climb down the supermegabajillion steps.

The Rooms

When you book this via Airbnb, you get the entire place (minimum of 2 nights) all to yourself. It has 3 rooms, good for 2 pax each, allowing 6 people to enjoy this slice of heaven.

Room 1

Room 2 (which also pretty much also looks like room 3)

Room 1 from the veranda

Stairs leading to rooms 1 and 3

That kick-ass view of Balayan bay from the cabana right in front of room 1

My favorite person and my favorite dog

The Staff

...were all levels of awesome! For our food, all we had to do was bring the ingredients and the katiwala (caretaker) of the beach house cooked everything for us. Her cooking was amazing and her stories about the place and her life were also interesting. You can also tell that she was proud of her work as she also recounted stories of other families that spent their holidays in their wonderful piece of Batangas paradise.

We only need 5 minutes to eat because we don't chew

They also love furbabies and understand that they are (not like, but are) family. When we were about to kayak with Aika, the helper who was assisting us prepared a life vest for our baby dog too! I was about to hug kuya when he presented us with Aika's life vest but stopped myself because (1) I did not want to violate his personal space, and (2) that would've been hella awkward.

Aika with the helpful and accommodating kuya of the place

Getting ready for her kayak ride!

Too bad I did not get a photo of the ate and her daughter who made our meals daily. Maybe next time.

The Amenities and Things To Do

They offer free use of their kayak, sail boat (just replace the gas), and snorkeling gear. And if Rudy is there (the owner of the home whose life story is as vibrant as his personality), he can also give wind surfing and wake boarding lessons!

We will definitely try this the next time!

I have no idea what we were looking at here

And if you want down time (which we were in dire need of), you can just laze around the veranda and have breakfast wine without judgment.

Breakfast wine. It's a thing.

I also hung out one morning in the bahay kubo with hammock in front of the shore just to listen to the waves.

I told DTM boy that I wanted this at home. We live in a condominium.

The beach is full of corals and rocks but the water is crystal clear and you can snorkel every morning in your lonesome, the whole bay is yours! #LittleMermaid

Speaking of snorkeling, we also rented a boat (all arranged by the wonderful staff of the place) and went to Sombrero Island to get up close and personal with the fishies albeit the strong current.

Can you guess why it is called Sombrero Island?

Holding on so tight to the katig (outrigger - yes I had to Google that ish) lest I be dragged by the current

Photo does not do justice to the majesty and beauty of the corals, sorry we forgot our red filter.

There was also a nearby white beach that rents out cottages so you can eat there after a day of beach fun.

Yes my snorkeling goggles had prescription lenses #LegallyBlindLife

Aika's Lion King pose

She kept on coming back to the water! DTM boy and I were amazed that she loved the water because she hates taking a bath.

Aika exploring her island

The Price

For approximately PHP 8000 a night (good for 6 pax), this was a steal.

To get to their Airbnb listing, go here.

The Bottom line

Obviously, DTM and I will return to this place. Maybe expect an update when we finally try wind surfing and wakeboarding. Or maybe not if I get lazy and forget to follow through with this blog post as evident by my really sporadic posting schedule.

P.S. DTM boy forgot his knife (he gets attached to his kitchen utensils) and Marian (the other owner, wife of Rudy), graciously found a way to return the knife to him at no cost. :-) Thanks, Marian!
_____________

Another one for the books as my merman slowly turns me into a mermaid.

At least now, whenever I sing Part of Your World during karaoke nights, I feel a tad more legitimate and Ariel-like. *wink*

Have you tried Airbnb? Do you want more Airbnb reviews? Want to get a PHP 1,100 discount on your first Airbnb booking? Then click here, use my link and sign up: CRAMOS

Week 21 of 522: On My Health Scare and Breast Cancer Awareness

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 13:18:00 +0000

Back in July 2016, they found 2 lumps on my left breast.

All is well now and after several trips to the doctor's, we found out that they are benign. But it was a harrowing 2 - 3 weeks of not knowing and trying not to think about it.

So why am I sharing this?

Well, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and I hope my story will at the very least push one person to get herself checked. According to the Breast Cancer Network, 1 in 13 women in the Philippines have breast cancer. And Dr. Maria Kalserin Santos-Liapana said that the best protection against this monster of a disease is early detection.

Here are the 7 things I learned from this whole experience.

1. The company's annual physical exam should be taken seriously. I was about to skip out on it... for the nth time might I add, but am thanking my lucky stars something in the universe forced me to take a day off to go through my exam.

I was not feeling anything bad so I initially thought about skipping.

2. Bringing a book while waiting for all the tests and lines and numbers you hafta go thru in the hospital was a good idea. Phone batteries die but books are forever.

Lower left bag shows my book peeking out. My book then was Sam Palmisano's Who Says Elephants Can't Dance?

3. Initially though I was hard headed enough to rely on my phone so I had with me a charger and a power bank. #AGirlScoutIsAlwaysPrepared

4. This was not my first hospital rodeo and I knew how huge the hospital was so in order to cut on time spent and map out the best route possible, I went to the information centre of the hospital where I had my tests.

5. Brought with me a jacket and a shawl. It may be so #TitasOfManila but I embraced the Auntie-hood over getting colds.

6. It was a shock when I was asked to go thru extra tests because of unknown lumps in my lovely lady lumps (Fergie reference!). It was also crazy tough when I was going thru all the tests alone and was in limbo of not knowing the results. It interfered with my focus both at work and my personal life. I was lucky I had a person I could talk to about it all.

If you are going thru the same thing, my humble suggestion is you find your person. Or if you feel it being so debilitating, seek professional help. There is no shame in asking for help.

Sad Christia is sad.

7. I shared my experience to a friend and urged her to get tested even though she was not feeling anything particularly wrong.
And I hope if you are going through the same thing that you also support breast cancer awareness by sharing your story with a girl friend. Even getting one person thru the door and getting herself checked is enough.

That's it for my lessons learned! Are YOU going through the same thing now? Or have YOU gone through the same experience? Share via the comments down below.

Week 11 of 522: Mendokoro Ramenba and My Pokemon Go-To Spot

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 14:38:00 +0000

This week was way shitt!er than DTM and I expected.

And yes, we might just be overly dramatic, after all death is not in the equation but we both needed a serious break in life. So we cancelled our adulting schedule. He slept in and I finally broke into level 20 in Pokemon Go.

Then we had an early dinner at the only place I thought befitting enough to take a shower and put some decent pants on for, in this weather.

Mendokoro Ramenba.

Because that baby deserves a close up.

They serve the meanest bowl of ramen in Salcedo. Here's how to order.

Approach the nice lady at the cashier's and order your ramen of choice.

DTM and I got 2 ramen bowls and a plate of gyoza. The nice lady will then give you your number after paying.

If the place is not packed (rarely unless you go there after lunch or dinner time) or if you are eating alone, you will then be seated.

Everyone eats a communal ramen bar.

For us, we had to wait for approximately 10 minutes for 2 seats to get vacated before we could get seated.

The guy that came in after us got seated first because there was a slot opened for a lone diner.

Then the lady calls you and the feast of the taste buds begin!

Full disclosure: DTM and I were hungry AF when we got here so we were not able to take photos of our food even before we started digging in. So these are salvaged shots on what were otherwise lovely plates/bowls of goodness.

Mmmm gyoza...

Super chashu

Because that baby deserves a close up. AGAIN.

Shoyu

Every single thing we ordered was delicious.

The ramen broth was thick and coats your mouth with an explosion of umami and comfort. The pork in the super chashu was tender. The noodles balanced saltiness with some much needed carbs. And the gyoza? The right amount of sear on the outside.

Recap
Price point: pricey but worth it, servings are huge you can actually just get one bowl for 2 pax. See price list below.

Click on the photo for a clearer view.

Taste: your taste buds will thank you.
Needs improvement: my tummy for not being flexible enough to fit all that ramen in!
Tips:
1. Ask about the secret menu. *wink*
2. If you are a messy eater and a notorious slurper of ramen, ask for a bib.
3. There is usually a lure party in Salcedo (near the Picasso residences area) around 6 to 7:30 pm for you Pokemon Go fans. That's right around the corner from Mendokoro.

Throwback... 1 week ago

4. That rich broth will linger even after drinking glass after glass of water. To cut the lingering umami with something sweet or tart, try La Creperie's mango peach Nutella crepe which is right beside the ramen bar or on the other side of the building, get an oatmeal raisin cookie from Toby's Estate.
What we loved: aside from the food, the service and the overall vibe of the place was on fleek.

Wait staff is attentive and friendly.

Chili oil and chili powder right at my fingertips!

Wall accent

How to get here:
Google maps link - Mendokoro Ramenba
Facebook page - Mendokoro Ramenba FB
Phone number - +6324789625
They are open from 11am to 11pm.
Will we ever go back?

Big flipping yes. (Didja see what I did there?!)

How about you, do YOU have a go to ramen place?

Tales of a Clingy Wife: Week 8 of 522

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 12:24:00 +0000

Part of #Dream2026 is making sure DTM and I keep a healthy relationship by having a life outside of each other.

But that does not stop me from ~~inappropriately~~ proudly sharing to the whole world how ~~much of a mess~~ independent I was with DTM away.

So I was live FB-ing the entire time he and I were apart under the label #TalesOfAClingyWife. Here was my post, hour one into my weekend without the husband. I am sure this made my parents real proud of me.

1. On waking up

Does this also apply to you?

2. On preparing my own breakfast

3. On choosing other sources of nourishment

4. On finally realising that I am not the source of our chronic lateness as a couple

5. On my mom showing how much she trusted my ability to take care of myself

6. On how spamming affects friendships

Especially after realising that DTM is only away for 2 days.

7. On answering back

True to his competitive nature, DTM contributes to #TalesOfAClingyWife by sharing how I lovingly welcomed him back home.

Translated: You returned to me but I couldn't make use of you/order you around because you are sick. What a waste.

That's it for the first ever segment of #TalesOfAClingyWife!

Are you also a clingy wife/ girlfriend/ hubby/ boyfriend/ partner/ it's-complicated-we-don't-label? SHARE your clingy moments in the comments down below!

Of Foreclosed Properties and #Dream2026: Week 5 of 522

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Fri, 08 Jul 2016 14:43:00 +0000

So.

2 things:

Friend A pointed out that I should try living in a beachfront house for a month and test if I really, REALLY, like the beach or just the novelty it brings during vacations.
Friend B pointed out that I should buy the property now through the bank because the price is lower now (under the assumption that land typically appreciates over the years) than it will be in 10 years. And I am setting aside monies now to buy it so might as well drop it directly on the property.

Crystallizing moment. Buy the property now to address both points.

I am now in the PS Bank website looking at foreclosed properties.

Why not, choc nut?

And then there's also this by Pag-ibig.

It's a sign.

Sometimes, I am too action oriented for my own good.

Taking the Plunge for #Dream2026: Week 4 of 522

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Wed, 29 Jun 2016 12:56:00 +0000

My husband and I will kill each other.

That was my biggest fear when we first started talking about starting our own business as an additional income stream to help us hit our #Dream2026 goal (if you don't know what that is, see here).

Imaginary third party reader asks: But why? You seem like the couple who agrees about everything and have a relatively steady, drama-free relationship.

First of all, couples who agree about everything do not exist or are reanimated meat-suits in a crazy episode of Supernatural. Second of all, we have drama. Not earth shattering, MMK-worthy drama but it's there at healthy increments.

The reason why I feared a Game of Thrones-esque scenario is because DTM and I are opposites in so many levels, we can rival Dharma and Greg.

Lady Lyanna Mormont. Random photo with no bearing to my story, just wanted to add her here because #feels and also see that dude on the right looking downright scared of her.

Setting aside my fear of violence, DTM and I took the plunge after some considerable research, and invested some monies into becoming franchisees of O'Noodles, one of the food cart concepts of The Filipino Dream, also known as TFD. If you want to know more about it, click on this link.

So far, I am still alive. DTM is still alive. No killing, snipping at each other has occurred but full disclosure, we have yet to actually open the food cart. So stay tuned. ;-)

Imaginary third party reader asks: When are you opening your food cart?

Soon. Wait for the invite. And bring money so you can buy a bowl (or 5) of teriyaki noodles with dumplings.

What does it taste like? Think Hong Kong style noodles, without the risk of mucking it up because the sauce is pre-made.

Do you have your own business? Any tips? If not, are you also planning on starting your own biz? Comment down below!

The Search for Additional Income Streams #Dream2026: Week 3 of 522

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Thu, 23 Jun 2016 14:30:00 +0000

Man the internet place can be confusing.

Type in "additional income streams" in Google and you will get more than 3 million results! And for a person who is so risk-averse that gambling causes physical pain, I need to find a better way of filtering information.

So I did what any lazy person (the type whose as$h0le friends would say to her to Google things up) would do -- I asked a couple of friends who I know have sources of income other than their day job and what their advise is for someone who wants to start.

They all said 3 things in common.

WARNING: I am by no means endorsing what they said I should do from a financial POV nor am I qualified to do so. I am merely sharing because daswhattahdo.

If only wedding coins have real value.

1. Be liquid

Things happen. More specifically, unexpected expenses pop up every once in a while. If this does not resonate with you, remember a certain part of the Up movie where Ellie and the old dude protagonist start saving up but one of their tires pop so they had to spend their jar of travel money? That's what I'm talking about. Except in real life there is no fast forward montage about it.

Invisible ninjas chopping onions

So according to them, always have enough money that you can easily access should emergencies occur. Some said you should at least have 12 months worth of your monthly expenses,while others said 6 months, in your savings account before you look into investing your money in other sources of income.

And no, a Beyonce VIP concert ticket is not an emergency expense.

2. Stop using a piggy bank

If you are all set with item number 1, their next common advise is to invest in other financial instruments that will require little to no effort on your part for them to grow if you can spare leaving your monies untouched for a long time.

Stocks.
Bonds.
UITFs or mutual funds.
Insurance that invests your money in some magical money-making vortex (I am pretty sure that that is the actual financial term for it) so it also grows.
Add another Pag-ibig fund of sorts where you can put your money in and hide it from the man (of course I kid I meant tax free).
Time deposit.
Treasury bills.

Yourself.
Naks!

Seriously though, you can also invest in yourself to increase your worth in your day job. Learning a foreign languagr can land you a language premium should your business requirements in the office need it.

Invest in me.

Which is the perfect segue to the final suggestion from my friends with other income streams...

3. Capitalise in yourself

They said to look for that sweet spot that intersects these 3 -- something that you are good at, something you enjoy doing, and something that people find of value enough to pay you actual non-Monopoly money. Then use that to start a side business that you can run over the weekends or during your leisure hours.

Me draw good. You amaze. Big eyes.

Thank you to all my friends who patiently answered my stupid questions about moolah and making mooolah. You will all have free overnigth stays in Casa Aika soon.

How about you? Any words of financial wisdom you'd like to share to help me with #Dream2026? Do you also have income streams you'd like to share?

Fans, Naysayers, and Deadlines for #Dream2026: Week 2 of 522

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 14:30:00 +0000

To everyone who showed support to #Dream2026, you just earned additional 5 social life points.

Do the points have real world value? No, but if you need a friend to "heart" your Instagram photo or immediately report if you are tagged in a very unflattering candid shot in FB, just say the word and I can make it happen.

Don't know what #Dream2026 is? Catch up by clicking on this link. No shame in being a late adapter. You are just fashionably late. My husband has also made me perpetually late so, again, no shame.

Trying to wake these two up always get responded with "Five more minutes" that turn to an hour.

But of course I had a few folks who were not a fan of it, saying that I will lose sight of this "dream" (yes, they used air bunnies, as if my 10-year goal was so unfathomable that it was not a valid dream) after 6 months, some tried to put me to my place saying I should be preparing for a family, while a bully of a friend pointed out that the average life expectancy of dogs makes my sweeping declaration of Aika being with me in 10 years is deeply unrealistic.

I will outlive you, non-believer!

To the negative Nellies, thank you. Proving you wrong or just annoying the bejeezus out of you with my weekly dose of #Dream2026 will be fun.

Speaking of fun, I need to put some deadlines on #Dream2026 milestones.

For those who know what I do for a living (a.k.a. what I do from 7am to 4pm to put dog food in Aika's pink bowl) stop groaning. I do not enjoy putting my life on a schedule. I enjoy putting structure for other people but not keeping myself to a timeline. I suck at preparing in life for the same reason I rarely cook. Because all the prep work is tiresome.

I am a *gasp* closet procrastinator.

Hence I need a schedule to awaken the panic monster and push me to MOVE and take the plunge on things I need to just move forward with head first.

Charge towards #Dream2026!

Here.

We.

Go!

Year 1: Start 3 new income streams
Year 2: Babies need to be babied (the new income streams, not actual human offsprings)
Year 3: Toddlers need to be fed
Year 4: Children need to roam free!
Year 5: Reach 50% target budget
Year 6: Commence learning all about #Dream2026
Year 7: Occular, continue learning
Year 8: Buy the property
Year 9: Learn, learn, learn, acclimate, learn, and learn
Year 10: Complete the property build. Start drinking mai-tais on the daily.

Soon.

How about you? What do you do to fight crippling procrastination or maybe, even long-term bouts of laziness?

P.S. If the panic monster reference above did not make sense and you are also someone who puts things on the last minute, watch this video.

The Birth of #Dream2026: Week 1 of 522

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Mon, 06 Jun 2016 16:11:00 +0000

Shameless sweeping declaration.

10 years from now I will be lounging on the beach with a mai-tai on one hand and stroking Aika with the other, feeling happy, full of love in my heart, and free, while waiting for the husband as he finishes a leisure dive with a group of tourists.

DTM boy ready to blub-blub.

Was that too long of a run-on sentence that I confused and overwhelmed you? Longhairdontcare, I am feeling that passionate and uninhibited with what I want the universe to know.

Oh. And did I mention that I own and operate this beach front property as a self-sustainable B&B, that will provide good jobs for the locals and a relaxing Instagram-worthy getaway for the visitors? With our parents enjoying their retirement growing plants native to the area, still pressuring us to spawn offsprings, and our siblings staying with us as much as their own lives will allow.

This crazy bunch will be there.

Let me address a few points before I end this post.

No, I can't afford this dream. Yet.
Yes, it is a dream that I will make into a reality in 10 years.
No, I have not lost my marbles and this is not powered by a late night moscato.
Yes, I am insanely scared especially now that I've made this commitment terribly real by publishing a blog post about it. But my objective in making this public knowledge is to (1) force my lazy as$ to do something about it and (2) light a fire in the same bottom so I will not bring shame in both House Ramos and House Casiño.
No, I will not fail.
Yes, I still have no frickin' idea how I will make this happen.

Immediate next steps? Complete weekly blog updates and create milestones for the next post.

Let me end the birth of my 10-year plan with Shia LaBeouf because I've used this gif both to get me through work on particularly busy days and also when I need an extra cheer to poo:

Thank you Giphy.com

7 Ways To Enjoy Your Prenup (a.k.a How Not To Get All Cranky-Pants During Your Prenup)

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 16:24:00 +0000

I do not have an artistic side. When the wedding coordinator asked me what I wanted for our prenup all I said was I wanted it to be simple-- maybe we'll both wear white shirts and comfy jeans and just pelt each other with holi powder for color.

Yes, that was me trying to be creative.

It was actually DTM who had the idea to make it a surfing prenup vid. We both like to surf and it'll give us an excuse to head out to Baler for another weekend. Sounds like a plan right?

Most of the photo creds go to Bryan Laurente.

And boy was it a huge plan. I was NOT prepared with all the buying of stuff (because why else would I buy a wide-brimmed straw hat), the planning of story boards, the borrowing of odds and ends, and the requirement of having to know your best side to shoot (I don't have one, at best I had a tolerable side) that came along with planning a prenup. If it sounds like a lot of work, it's because it does involve a huge deal of man hours.

Interestingly though, we enjoyed this 2-day fanfare. Yes we had to do it for 2 days because Baler was so goshdarn far. Here's how.

7. Drama. Will. Happen.

As in every project, even if you plan everything, unforeseen events happen. But unlike with work-related projects, I did not come with a risk register for my prenup because I do not enjoy project management tools that much.

So when it suddenly started to drizzle for our beach sesh, we did not run amok. We just laughed it off.

And when it started to rain a bit harder, we still laughed, although more nervously this time.

The rain eventually stopped though.

Drama will happen, so might as well accept them and work around them instead of acting like a bit@h as if it's the end of the world.

6. Be a sport.

Is your photographer asking you to sit on top of a rock with edges so sharp you know it can grate cheese, but still act like you're having the time of your life? Do it. You wanted this whole prenup circus so suck it up and try to invoke your inner thespian.

I am not saying that you keep mum if the instructions will truly make you feel uncomfortable but if you end up saying no to everything your photo and vid team will tell you, then you might as well have stayed at home and took selfies in your pajamas.

Leave your grumpy cat tendencies and go with the flow. That's why you hired professionals.

5. Prep. Rep. Pep.

Prepare. You can't possibly memorize everything you are supposed to bring for the prenup so to lessen the probability of ohcrapiforgotthathing moments, make a list of everything you are supposed to bring!

Review your plan with your beau. Because y'know, he will also be in the photos. It's also his wedding prenup, remember?

Psyche and pep talk each other. Because bullsh!t words of encouragement work.

I'd like to thank my company for all these summer goodies that I used for my prenup.

4. EAT

Yeah so you cut down on carbs for the past few months in preparation for the prenup so it's time to reward yourself by eating your weight during the actual shoot (I exaggerate, of course). All that running and costume changes and "one more take for safety" will make your crabby if you don't stuff your face to your hearts content.

Ribbit.

3. Turn it to a game

DTM and I are both competitive by nature.

Myself more than him as DTM likes cheating more than winning.

So when we each had to do our solo shots, we played a bet on who will be able to complete theirs with the least number of takes. It made the whole day shorter AND I won.

My prize will remain undisclosed.

Mark's solo shot, a super funny and helpful member of the #CasiñoPartyof2 prenup team.

2. Own it!

We were models for the weekend, and we arrived at Baler during the peak of summer so we had a crowd forming around us, watching the whole shoot. My knee-jerk reaction was to pack-up and hide.

A voice inside my head was screaming, "Run!"

Literally a sea of people.

Good thing another voice (there are a couple of them actually, you should hear them go bananas when I am given the nail polish options at the salon) said that I had nothing to be ashamed of, I looked hella pretty thanks to my great make-up artist (more about her later), the DTM has my back, and I was within range of my goal weight thanks to subsisting mostly with Nesvita (and it's cheapo counterpart, Bear Brand Busog Lusog drink) for the past 2 months because of work.

So (yes, I like using this conjunction) I took a deep breath, and strutted in front of the camera like Carrie Bradshaw in that episode of Sex and the City where she walked the runway for Fashion Week. Minus the dramatic trip, face first.

1. Have a great team to back you up!

I was lucky enough that my #CasiñoPartyOf2 prenup team was all-around awesome.

Hair and Make-up: Dred Postigo
iSnap Creatives Team
Wedding Coordinators: Bryan Laurente and Cheryl de Chavez
Photographer: Mags Tamayo
Photog Assistant: Mark Baranda
Director: Lance Agustin
Aerial Pilot: Paulo Melaya
Videographer: Billy Mabini
PA: Charlie

And here are some examples of why we had an awesome team behind us:

- Even though he has left the company, Bryan was present throughout the prenup, making sure we stick to our timelines and the storyboard.
- My evening gown assumed that I had a bigger bust than what God actually gave me so Cheryl did something with pins and made it fit like a glove.

- I did not bring enough candles so Bryan and Mark had to manually move lit ones so the shots won't look odd.

- Dred made me look pretty. And she was there all through out, making sure my face did not melt under the Baler sun. 'Nuff said.

- Mags, Lance and the rest of the video and photo crew made us very comfortable through-out, saying BS like we were doing great, and that our shots looked like posters for a popular telenovela.

I felt that they truly had passion for their job and they understood that this meant a lot to us as a couple.

So that is how we enjoyed our prenup sesh. If you are reading this blog as you are about to go through this pre-wedding ritual, good luck!

And feel free to share your story below in the comments section. :)

7 Things I Learned Watching UFC Manila

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Wed, 20 May 2015 16:00:00 +0000

When UFC Asia announced the UFC Manila fight last March (Or Feb -- I am sure someone will correct me here), I broke my no-new-expenses-rule and purchased 2 tickets for DTM and moi.

No, I did not but VIP tickets. As mothers usually say, "Hindi ako tumatae ng pera." ("I don't poop money.")

Sure, the tickets were a splurge, sure it would've been better for me to put that money into the #CasiñoPartyOf2 nuptials... but the heart wants, what the heart wants.

While I overall enjoyed the event itself, here are 7 things I learned from watching UFC Manila.

1. So that's how they film/record/shoot the whole thing.

Watching UFC fights on TV, I never really noticed the camera men. Case in point, see below.

But lo and behold! The nimble, men in black are hidden, standing up on the octagon posts!

One word: Ninjas.

2. Why isn't Joe Rogan talking?

When the pre-fights started, the silence was deafening. Well not really, you can hear the crowd cheer and fists hitting body parts, but it was, at least for me, because I was missing the UFC commentators.

So apparently yeah, that's how live fights are. The snaps of the hits though, those were scary to hear.

If only the spinning back fists that were thrown had a clean hit, that would've made me jump up and throw my dollar beer to the person seated in front of me. Speaking of alcohol...

3. Drunk-watching live sports is fun.

Except that I had to keep on standing up every after fight.

Mmmmm... light beer and alcopop. Reminds me of my college days where my alcohol blood level never dropped.

4. Arianny Celeste.

I was only cheering for her because of peer pressure. -_-
#ieitherhaveanotherUFCgirlcrushoriwanttoberher

Why you so far?! Why you no zoom good phone camera?

5. Mark Muñoz can make you hoarse.

The crowd went ballistic in the 3 rounds of the Muñoz fight. And I actually thought it was the co-main event. Ha! Should've read the fight card, I cried my lungs out during the Muñoz fight. Voice left for the Mousasi fight was only 15%.

What a great retirement fight.

6. UFC Filipino fans are a hoot!

Every time there was a lull in the fight, you'd hear comments from the crowd that made those within earshot laugh. Sample call-outs:

After the Muñoz fight and the Mousasi-Philippou fight was on the mat: IBALIK SI MUNYOS! (Bring Muñoz back!)
When the fighters were trying to submit each other: KISS! KISS! or ITAPON MO!
After the Steve the referee was announced: GO STEVE!
When the fight was not-so-action packed: NEXT FIGHT NA!
During the main event, when Edgar and Faber were chasing each other around the ring and were sizing each other up: ARRINAY! ARRIANY I LAB YOU!

The MOA Arena was packed for UFC Fight Night Manila #UFCManila

7. I would definitely watch again.

Even if I have to break another piggy bank. Even if DTM looked too happy for comfort in this photo. ;p

Did YOU watch the fight? What did you think?

An Idiot's Guide: Surviving Wedding Fairs

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 15:44:00 +0000

I'm getting married!

Fine. We are getting married, DTM and I. But being the self-centered princess that I am (uh, hello, I named my blog Christia's World, so yeah, what did you expect?), I still say "I am getting married" whenever I tell people the news.

Re-staged proposal shot, because it was too dark in the theater where he proposed that the actual pics were pitch black.

Anyway, once I told my married friends about DTM popping the question, they all told me what I desperately needed to do first to prepare for the wedding. Let me try and list down what I remember:

Get a wedding planner.
You don't need a wedding planner, you are a project manager.
Go to all the wedding fairs!
Do NOT go to more than 1 wedding fair.
Set a date first!
Set a place first!
Choose a theme.
Choose a color, themes are tacky.
Book a church, they get booked 1 year ahead.
Book the reception venue.
Find the perfect dress.
The dress should go with your theme.
Go to Bridal Book.
Go to Weddings @ Work.

So with their very helpful and not at all confusing suggestions, I decided to start off my wedding planning by attending a wedding fair.

Some of my confusing friends, part of the proposal-night surprise. Confusing or not, I still love them.

Now why did I decide to start with a wedding fair? Well, since I knew nothing about weddings (aside from the fact that you always bring flats to wear after the ceremony so you can eat without your feet cursing you during the reception), I thought I'll learn about all the vendors I would need through wedding fairs.

Attending wedding fairs can be very overwhelming, especially if you hate crowds or if you are uncomfortable with strangers trying to stuff your face with flyers. But DTM and I survived them and I wanted to share my experience to other bride-to-be's who are also about to embark on this epic (and OMG so expensive) journey of planning a wedding.

Full disclosure: DTM and I only attended 2 wedding fairs so I am by no means a wedding fair expert. I just like to talk.

1. Be an early bird. Tweet-tweet.

Register online so you can get in the fair for free. If you plan to just drop by, you are usually asked to cough up Php 500 for your entrance. Money you can use to pay all the freakin' down payments you will have to pay for all the vendors you need to make your night "magical."

2. Bring ammo for yourself. Bang, bang, b!tches!

You will be asked to write your name gazillion times, you will be asked what you want for your wedding ceremony hairstyle, and you will be given so much brochures that your purse will look like a filing cabinet.

To prepare for these scenarios, you will need to bring a pen, your tablet or smart phone to show your "pegs" (which is some fancy-schmancy term they all use to mean a picture of the hairstyle you want for your wedding, or the make-up you want, or the dress cut you like, etc.), and a separate bag for all the flyers.

Made good use of the many eco-bags that I keep on buying because I keep on forgetting to bring the d@mn bags whenever we do go grocery shopping.

OC-queen tip, the bag I brought had a compartment so I can put all the vendors I liked in one compartment and the flyers for the vendors that I am not quire sure of in another slot in the bag.

3. Keep the groom-to-be happy. Tee-hee.

So, you know your man hates these kind of things but you still want him to be there for some reason (maybe you don't want him to feel left out, maybe you want his opinion on some of the vendors, or maybe you just need someone to hold your purse, whatever).

What I did was I took him to the grocery before the fair, asked him to pick all the chocolates he wanted, so he can eat and play Clash of Clans while I was learned about the different types of wedding coordinator services.

If you don't know what Clash of Clans is, good for you.

I am not saying you go buy your beau milk chocolates if he is lactose intolerant but I hope you get my drift -- just keep him happy and preoccupied so you do not have to leave the fair because he is all huffy and bored like a toddler during mass.

3. Skip the heels. Clickity-clack.

Wear flats. Unless you are one of those ladies who are apparently comfortable wearing high heels while working through the maze that is the wedding fair.

4. Scope out and plan your route. *Looks, scopes, places hand facing palm down on eyebrow.*

There are usually maps given at the entrance of the fair. If not, you can just do a quick pause at the entrance (no, do not block the entrance of course, you inconsiderate fool), and see the lay of the land. Or in this case, the lay of the fair.

Then think of which vendors you still lack (or if its your first time, which vendors do you want to learn most about), then go to that area first just in case you need to leave early.

5. Take a break. Whew!

You DO NOT have to go through the whole fair (especially if its the size of a whole PICC tent) in one go! Take a breather, go grab lunch in between vendor checks. Keep yourself sane and go through the place at a pace which will not overwhelm you.

DTM taking a breather from all the wedding fair fun

6. Do not get pressured. Pfffft! (That is the sound of air being released from a tire.)

"It's 50% off, but only during wedding fairs."
"Sayang naman if you don't book now, you will save Php 5,000 if you book now."
"Our regular price is 3x higher than the fair price!"

OK, so maybe I am exaggerating the last sentence there. But my dear, do NOT get pressured if you do not feel 100% that you want to book the vendor. If your "heartsong" is not singing when you see the trial make-up that the artist did to you but OMG you are tempted to book her because she is uber famous and she has an amazing rate that is good for today's fair.

Not feeling 100% is not a good sign. It's like seeing a dress half-off that you kinda want to buy only because it's half-off but it makes your butt look funny. Bad idea. Just get the flyer, then move on.

And lastly...

7. HAVE FUN! WEEEE!

Yeah, there are so much people in the fair that you think of shouting "FIRE!" just so they'd disperse, and yeah, you've been bumped so many times without so much as a sorry from the bumper to you, the bumpee, but hey, what did you expect?! It's a fair! Crowds tend to appear in fairs.

So don't be a brat, get your smile on, and enjoy!

Us? We met Toothless so we had a pretty good run.

That's it from me!

How about YOU? Are YOU about to attend a wedding fair? Or, how do YOU find wedding fairs?

Quickie Post: Getting Rid of these !@#$% Milia

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 18:21:00 +0000

Ever since I was a little princess in Pampanga enjoying Animaniacs and 5 and Up, I've had these small bumps on my face called milia. They are not life threatening or anything, just a major cosmetic annoyance and the bane of my teenage life back then.

No, not WAY back then you monster.

I've tried getting them removed by a famous dermatological clinic through cautery (ouch). Then after a few months, my milia came back as if I did not go through living hell of burning my face at age 11 just to get them removed.

When that failed, I tried various face products but alas! They were just too resilient for any topical cream to have any effect on them.

So I gave up and chucked it all in my winning the genetic lottery for having a face that would not stop getting milia.

Then Skintrends came.

Look at her! Milia-free

When Ate Marge said she can remove my milia while she was going through my usual facial, I was hesitant because I knew the healing process will take as long as for them to go back again on my face. But she said some fancy words that convinced me.

Long story short, and true enough albeit PAINFULLY, she made them disappear! And after 3 days, the scars healed and I was left with a milia-free face!

Look at DTM boy about to enjoy his soothing facial. While I endure getting pricked multiple times due to these @#$%^ milia (or milias for plural?)!

Full disclosure: I still need to go to this place every 3-4 months or so to remove a stray milia (or dozen) though. But I ask for Ate Marge because she does it so well! :)

If you want to visit them, try the Eastwood branch at the 2nd floor of the Cyber & Fashion Mall, near the office entrance. Call 09228847271 for reservations.

Need more details? Check out their FB page.

Do YOU have a milia "infestation" as well? What do YOU do?

The Adventures of Spa Girl #17: Nurturing Time at Nurture Spa

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 23:01:00 +0000

I know, I know, my title is a bit of a spoiler because obviously my bottom line is that DTM and I enjoyed this refreshing spa place in Tagaytay.

Tagaytay Nurture Spa

Anyhoozles.

This post is coming a tad late, well, a LOT late. 2-years late to be specific, which is making me think I should be publishing this post on a Thursday, making it a #throwbackthursday type of post. Luckily, there is also a Friday version of this, which is #flashbackfriday. And I was just told there is a Saturday version of it as well. Not sure what that hashtag will be. I could probably Google it but... nah.

I digress.

On to the review!
The Breakdown

Full disclosure: The details I am about to give are based on the package DTM boy and I got, which was called the "Romantiko Package."

Such a pa-simple way of getting yourself a tip. Good job, Perry.

Wet area @ Tagaytay Nurture Spa:
There are accommodations inside the Nurture Spa Village, which according to their website is now called Nurture Wellness Village. Hence, you have your very own wet area. We got a forest view room and their bath was nice, with complimentary toiletries if you forgot to bring your own.

If you open the curtains, they look out to the forest view of greens and flowers. So nice. So exposed.

That huge bottle is insect repellent. So obviously, at night, without that, the mosquitoes will feast on you. Mmm. Human.

Ambiance @ Tagaytay Nurture Spa:
Di-vine. The place was awesome. Think wallpaper-level type of scenery. But why am I telling you when I can actually show you. Get ready for a looooot of pictures. Trigger happy, I was.

This was the mini-cabana right outside our deluxe room. You can actually request to get a foot spa or back massage right on your own cabana.

They also have a pool. This is the view when we had our brunch.

DTM boy, Buddha version

Other deluxe forest view rooms

Prices @ Tagaytay Nurture Spa:
The package we availed set us back for Php12,500, for 2 pax. It may seem steep but it is inclusive of the following:

Overnight stay in a deluxe forest view room
Breakfast and lunch
Romantic candlelit dinner with a wine and a personal butler
One hour couples massage
Thirty minutes facial or foot massage

For a full price list, see here.

Location of Tagaytay Nurture Spa:
It is a bit of a drive away from the center of Tagaytay to the point you will think that you are on your way to a horror movie setting like that of the old barrios with cannibals in the old Shake, Rattle and Roll movies.

Or you can check out their location map on their site here.

Store hours of Tagaytay Nurture Spa:
Well, they don't really close because they have accommodations there but it was so awesome that they allowed us to check in late because we had to come from a bachelor and bachelorette party.

Contact them @ Tagayta Nurture Spa:
02.710.9786
0917.687.8873

Website:
They have a very informative site here. Don't you just love it that you can research a place thoroughly through their website? *Reader: Hellz, yeah!*
Hear that, other places who do not have a working website?

THE GOOD
I am going to use bullet points now because I am a list kind of girl. So aside from the gorgeous place, here are other things we liked about the place.

Food, food, foooood! Since the package we brought had all meals included, plus a candlelit dinner, we had a chance to try their sumptuous offerings. And boy did they deliver. But more on that later.

Kare-kare. Doesn't look it? Because this is not your average kare-kare. It's 2.0 kare-kare.

The rooms were spacious! And they were in their own separate "huts" which ensured utter privacy.

What's that on the bed you say?

Why it's a welcome cookie!!!

The service was also great. They staff was really polite, and none of the artificial, I-will-smile-at-you-because-I-was-told-to kind of faces. You see the genuine care on their faces. And when it rained when it was time for our candlelit dinner, they made us use the upstairs restaurant, just DTM boy and I so we can still have that privacy we were promised.

Eeek, romantic, cheesy, dinner.

"Cheers, for the freakin' weekend" - Rihanna

THE FOOD
DTM boy and I had a visual and food feast in Tagaytay Nurture Spa. So, as DTM boy puts it, here are the reasons why we are fat.

Quaint cafe where they served our lunch.

We woke up late because we got there around 2 am. Hence, we start with lunch!

DTM boy loved his osso buco. After eating it here, he got the recipe online and made his own version.

Dinner veggies

Spring rolls with egg on top. Why with egg on top? Because they can.

Gravy fries. Mmmm.

Massacred beef caldereta. Because DTM boy could not wait for me to take a pic of his dish before eating it.

THE NOT-SO-GOOD

Well... maybe not bad, but see below.

THE MASSAGE
After getting my "exceeding expectations" for all other aspects, this is where I would give them a rating of "met expectations" only. The massage wasn't bad. By all means, it was an OK massage, they will even give you an instruction card where you will circle the body part that you want them to focus on before the actual body massage session.

And for some reason, I could not find a photo of the couples massage room where they kneaded our aching muscles so here, my artistic powers will help your imagination:

Yep, I am still very artistic, same level when I was 4 y/o.

THE VERDICT
Definitely worth going back to if DTM boy and I get to find more free weekends. And maybe this time, we will actually go there early so we can make the most of our weekend at the spa.

Insider tips:
Go for the packages. I mean, if you add food, the massage, the facial and accommodations individually for 2 pax, that will make you shell out 15 grand easy. The packages are a steal.

Have YOU been to Tagaytay Nurture Spa? Share your experience!
If not, what other resort or destination spas have YOU tried?

24 hours after: On Stolen Phones, Police Car Chases and Globe's Customer "Service"

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 15:14:00 +0000

This year, the universe said that it will give me an early Christmas gift and it handed over a Metro Manila life experience that I was spared from, until now. Being pick-pocketed.

OK, maybe this is being too dramatic about it

The universe, being all crazy and crap, even upped the ante and said, you should find this as a learning experience. Well universe, challenge accepted! Here are the 7 things I've learned 24 hours since that horrid event. (Plus a whole bunch of memes because I've been dying to incorporate these in my blog being a closet 9gagger.)

1. I am stupid.

I've told my sisters, time and again, to keep their belongings safe when they are in Metro Manila. This meant backpack hanging in front of your chest, all zippers tightly shut and being very aware of your surroundings. So, using a classic Christia move of being too stupid to heed my own advise, I placed my phone in my backpack and I had my headphones connected to it so I can listen to my tunes. In hindsight, doing this not-so-clever-move may have opened the zipper up a bit, giving a sneak peek to the "kawatans" that I had something they can steal easily.

2. Immediately accepting reality. Something I canNOT write in my resume.

After the snatcher took my phone, of course the music I was listening to was cut off. So I stopped walking and checked my bag where I know I placed my phone. Then I checked my bag's other pockets because I was sooooo wishing it just magically jumped in another part of the bag instead of already looking around to see who amongst the slew of people walking with me from Shangri-la to Megamall took my phone. Which leads me to my next item...

3. Snatchers no longer run away from the scene. They just calmly take your stuff from your bag/pocket and will just walk away.

When it dawned on me that my phone was lost, I started having cold sweats and I finally had the mental alertness to check my surroundings to see who took my phone. No one looked suspicious and no one was running away. According to my friend, Running Man, that's how they operate now.

I see what you did there Mr. Bad Guy (MBG), taking a page from movies where cool guys escape the bad guys by blending in and keeping calm.

4. Police jurisdiction have boundaries

Together with DTM, we reported the incident to the nearest police station. When DTM opened his phone tracker, it seems like MBG did not shut my phone down so his location was showing. We showed this to the policemen and initially, they said they will endorse us to the next city because that is where MBG's location was. I must have looked like I was about to go bat-$hit crazy because one kind policeman was helpful enough to say, "Screw policy, we need to act fast, let's chase this guy now because time is of the essence. We can just explain to the guys when we get there."

The phone was turned off eventually but it was one action-packed night, I tell you, riding in the police car with the policemen talking about strategies on how to catch MBG.

The crime drama series fan girl in me was enjoying every moment but reality Christia was suppressing her.

5. DTM loves me.

He:

hugged me tight when I told him about it
did not launch in a bunch on I-told-you-so's
skipped work to keep me company all through out the night
gave me a massage to lull me to sleep

6. Bacon helps.

Just a few hours into the work day, my team and I went to Pancake House because they said we deserved a good breakfast after my story of crime and no punishment. And my boss ordered a plateful of bacon for us. Nicely done sir, nicely done.

7. Globe needs to work on their Customer Care Hotline

I've never called the Globe hotline and had a positive experience after. Every time I call the line up, I end up getting frustrated to the point that I can feel my BP shooting up.

Case in point: When I called last night to report my stolen phone, I asked about my "gadget care" insurance that I know I had because the sales person that I spoke to in the Globe store that released my phone to me told me I had said coverage for free for a year. The agent answered that I have to dial another number as it is outsourced to an insurance provider. Fair enough that's their script so I asked for the number. I asked her to see if I am covered in the insurance in their records and she said yes.

Today, I called the insurance provider and they said I am not in their records, and that Globe did not forward anything to them. The insurance provider was kind enough to say they will reach out to Globe but I said I will also check on my own.

So I called Globe up and after going through their very "fun" phone prompts, I spoke to a gentleman that said I am not covered with their gadget care!

Wow. Confusing.

So I said that is not acceptable and I that I was told by other Globe employees the exact opposite. Then he said he will get this escalated and someone will just call me back.

I said again that is not helping me as escalating is not resolving an issue that I think can be resolved now. I asked him what can he do. He said escalate.

I asked for a supervisor.

He said a line about the supervisor not being able to help and will essentially say the same thing and that they have no supervisors currently available.

I said I will still wait. So he placed me on hold and in came their current choice of hold music, a specialized Globe Christmas jingled. I simmered and listened for about a good few minutes about having a wonderful Christmas time. Right.

When the agent came back on the line, he said he still has no supervisor available but he double checked and saw that I was in fact, under gadget care and it just needed to be activated for me to avail the insurance.

WOW again.

I said go ahead and process that. Which I hope he did. Then he gave my reference number for the transaction and apologized.

Another Globe hotline experience making me a vocal detractor for the next foreseeable future. And this is just about my gadget replacement. I am not even talking about my simple SIM card reactivation hullabaloo in the Globe store earlier today.

From http://pinkpensandhighheels.files.wordpress.com

OK, shaking off my angry caller self... counting back from 10, 9, 8...

That's it, pancit! Universe, thy challenge is now completed. Now give me my 500 experience points so I can level up. #gamergirltalk

Thank you interwebs for allowing me to rant about this. All the work to recover from this is far from over but the bottom line is, it's just a phone and I am very lucky that it was not taken forcibly from me. Now back to devoting my energies to something meaningful and productive.

Have YOU experienced getting mugged/snatched/hoodwinked by Globe/stuff stolen from you?

Quickie Post: On Janet Lim-Napoles, Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Yolanda

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 15:58:00 +0000

The interwebs was all a-flutter this afternoon after the senate hearing where Janet Lim-Napoles cried "'di ko po alam" and "I invoke my right" so much that resulted to so many JLN-memes.

From creativemanila

And a couple of Miriam Defenso-Santiago ones just because she blew everyone away for being... well, Miriam.

Grabbed from Rappler

If you did not hear or watch the hearing, you can join the nation in frustration by listening or watching here. I was initially thinking about sharing my thoughts on this matter but instead of adding more hate-vibes to the universe, I've decided to shift my energies on the upcoming typhoon that is Yolanda, or as the Twitter-verse is calling it, #YolandaPH

From Pag-asa

Dubbed as the "strongest storm in 2013" by CNN, it is enough to scare the bejesus out of DTM's mom, asking us to stock our pantry full of food and prepare for this storm by acting like doomsday preppers.
Although Yolanda will not hit Metro Manila directly as it is moving towards Eastern Visayas, I still say it is better to be safe than sorry. Hence, DTM and I hit the supermarket after work and we stocked up on food for the next 3 days.

If you are looking for a quick guide on preparing for this typhoon, refer to this infographic that I found tons helpful when I was preparing for one of our many typhoons this year.

- See more at: http://ww2.ambitenergy.com/spark/how-to-prepare-for-spring-storms#sthash.m0g6Ex2w.dpuf

How are YOU preparing for Yolanda?
And to everyone in the Visayas region, my prayers go out to you... xoxo.

Boracay Package: Getting Wet and Wet

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 16:43:00 +0000

Why does this say getting wet and wet? Because half of the time we spent in Boracay, it was raining! But that did not stop us from having some wet fun under the sun!

What did we do?

1. Watched poi dancers
These ladies and gents that danced poi were intense! One lady with a long hair almost got her hair singed when the wind blew. It was exciting to watch the glow of the fire against the backdrop of the setting Boracay sun.


That lady in the left side almost got into a very bad YouTube video entitled "This girl is on fire (literally)"

2. Swimming
I am water-averse. So this was done by my sisters. My mum and I just stayed by the lounge chairs, swapping stories. They had fun with the warm, blue water.

Too bad it was overcast, the waters woul've been bluer

3. Island hopping
This was the most enjoyable for me as I got to experience the beach without actually getting wet. Teehee. So many things to see on the boat and the water was soooo clear, you could see way, way down! And there were a lot of trees on the islands we passed by that had bats sleeping on them. Both creepy and cool at the same time.

Obviously I really liked this part of the trip with all the pictures uploaded for this.

4. Fly fish
This was one exhilarating ride! How do you do this?
The manong will let you ride this inflatable bed-like thing tied to a speedboat that will speed up to a level that will take the inflatable "raft" that you are riding up in the air!

Pics by this point are all looking very misty as our camera was ensconced in a waterproof bag

As sisters, we were all so competitive that no one wanted to let go,even when the manong said it will be more fun if we get shot out of the ride and into the blue waters of Boracay. Nope. We stuck to the ride because no one wanted to “lose.”

Eventually one of my sisters did end up flying off to the waters which was so hilarious when it happened because she was crying out like a little lost sheep, saying “Ate Kris, Ate Kris, menakbag ku.” [translated: Sister Kris, Sister Kris, I fell. (Translation seems off... What is the English term for Ate?]
And all 3 of us still on the ride, instead of helping her out, were laughing at her. That is true sisterhood, ladies and gents.

We eventually helped her out of the waters though. Lest my dad scold us for being too mean.

5. Snorkeling
Even if I did not snorkeled with my sisters, I could see the fishies while on the boat. That was how clear the water was.

See. So clear.

Look at those fishies!!!

6. Watching the beach
Nothing is as relaxing as watching the water lapping through the sands while thinking about world domination.

7. Drinking
And thanks to these portable, on the go cocktails from OneBar, we were able to drink while walking from station 2 to 1.

Mojito for moi and long island iced tea for dad

8. Shopping
We are 5 girls in my family, of course shopping was done in days 2 and 3 of our stay. Boracay offers so many shopping options, from the folks selling their fares as you walk along the stretch of the beach, to the D’Mall.

Insider tips:

·         You need to bring some cash when you do island-hopping, you will stop by the Puka beach where you can buy some cool finds
·         Buy one of those water pouches. They are cheap, around Php 80 only. This will allow you to post in Twitter, FB and Instagram in the middle of the godknowswhere. AWE-SOME
·         The most helpful website for all my Boracay needs was My Boracay Guide. Some Boracay tourism folks were handing out hard copies of these guides on the place itself when we were boarding the boat to Boracay. They even have an app!

That concludes my Boracay package series of posts! Did you have fun? I know I did! I have so many more travel posts to share, but I will have to find time to pen them in my blog... I promise, they are coming soon!

What did YOU do when you were in Boracay? Or for those still planning to go to Boracay, what are YOU excited to do when you get there?

The Adventures of Spa Girl #16: Nigi Nigi Massage Center

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 16:03:00 +0000

One of the freebies in the Boracay package we got from TravelOnline was a 30-minute massage in Nigi Nigi Massage Center. So you bet your @ss that this was one of the major points that made me decide to go for TravelOnline as our choice travel agency.

Thank you TravelOnline! Don't you just love that they highlighted the word "each" in the voucher?

Oh yeah, best to check these other posts before moving to the next paragraph.

Wet area: None. Well, the Boracay beach for crying out loud!

What to wear: You will be asked to remove your top

Ambiance: The smell of the beach, sand and surf give the best ambiance. No need to have anything makeshift as this is the real deal, beachfront massage. But of course, since this is an open place where your massage will take place, you will hear the chit chat of folks passing by the store.

No holes for the head though, which is bad for the neck, I tell ya.

Price range: Lucky enough to have this part of our Boracay package! For their actual price range, visit this site.

Anything for the mouth: None.

Location: Station 1 for Nigi Nigi Too and Station 2 for Nigi Nigi Massage Center.

Contact them: Email : info@niginigi.com
Reservations : +63-36-288-3101
Fax : +63-36-288-3112
Skype : niginigiboracay
YM : infoniginigimain@yahoo.com

Website: Nigi Nigi website

The Good:

Aside from the fact that it was a freebie massage, what I really loved about this place is their beachfront location. The laps of the sea on the Boracay beach was enough to almost lull me to sleep

The Massage:

Meh.

The Not-so-Good:

Dear Nigi Nigi Nu Noo,

My mum and sister said that your pillows had a funky smell. I myself did not experience this because I’ve had a cold for the past 27 years of my life so I will take their word for it. Please take care of that. Ktnxbye.

Xoxo,

Spa Girl

The Verdict:

Getting your massage on beachfront is something one needs to try at least once. And this place is not a bad choice to spend a few minutes away from the Boracay beach.

Insider tips:

Call ahead or set an appointment before going to this place. We were lucky enough that the place was empty and we were attended to immediately but there were a lot of folks that followed who wanted to get massaged but had to be turned away as they were working on my family. So set an appointment my dear readers.

Post-massage look for mameh, ready to conquer the beach!

Have YOU tried this massage place? If not, have YOU tried any beachfront massage?

For my last Boracay blog post, head on over here. It will be the last one, I promise.

Boracay Package: Food, Glorious Food!

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 15:39:00 +0000

You may want to drop by this post first before reading this one. Although if you feel like context does not matter for you, read on my friend, read on.

Ahhhh food. We have a love-hate relationship. And when we were in Boracay, it was definitely a madly in love, newly wed, post-honeymoon level of relationship. But why not right?! How would you expect me to enjoy my vacation if my sisters were binging on the seafood fare while I was on my CalorieCounter app, plugging in everything I was putting in my mouth. Not fun. So I binged to my heart's content.

Look at those fishies, staring at you with their lifeless (but not red) eyes. You need to show respect for the life they gave by NOT dieting in their dead face.

Here are some of the freebie food that we had included in our TravelOnline Boracay package:

1. Inihaw
Our very first dinner in Boracay, courtesy of Villa de Oro, the resort right beside La Carmela. Lovely view, nicely decorated place, it was a great way to kick-off our night in Boracay.

At Villa de Oro, with my dad and his usual San Mig Light. He used to drink Pale Pilsen, but he switched to light because, according to him, he is watching his weight. Riiiight.

2. Brekkies
In our 3 days, 2 night stay, our brekkies were all free with La Carmela. It was a set breakfast, not the buffet version. The taste? Meh.

3. Banana split

Minion voice: Bananaaaaa... potato raaaahhhh....

One of my sisters love bananas. She loves them so much, her classmates actually gave her a big bunch of bananas for her birthday and a stuffed banana doll. I kid you not, I did not make that up. And yeah, she ate those bananas by the bulk, like the way you eat chips.
So when we went to Nigi Nigi Nu Noo to grab our free bananas splits, we eventually gave her our banana halves.

Just look at that face, all happy with the banana halves overflowing on her plate.

4. Pizza
Warm, crunchy and cheesielicious pizza from Red Coconut. We eventually had our last lunch at Boracay in this resto.

Margherita and pepperoni! Of course in my mind, as I typed pepperoni, my brain used an Italian accent. Crazy, stereotyping brain.

But of course we did not just subsist with the freebies, here are the other food items that kept us fueled up

1. Lunch at M&E Ihaw-ihaw Restaurant
We had lunch here in the middle of our island hopping fun during our second day in Boracay. Our timing was actually purrrfect because right after we jumped from our small boat and plopped our butts in this small shack where we had our lunch, the heavens poured like crazy! It made eating our freshly caught lapu-lapu a whole lot yummier.

M&E before the rain

And it poured the minute we sat in the restaurant! Talk about timing.

2. Merienda at Nigi Nigi Nu Noo
We ordered huge burgers with our banana splits. They were so huge I could not finish even half of it.

The fries were also good :)

3. Buffet dinner at *holy cr@p on a cracker I forgot the name of the place where we ate*
Our second night in Boracay was rainy. It was raining so hard that we had to buy those plastic raincoats in D’Mall. They are literally plastic bag with holes and we had to shell out 150 for each one. Anyway, since we were marooned in the area where we were when the rain poured, we had to grab our dinner in the nearest buffet. Not bad for only Php 450 per person.

Crabs need not any fancy caption

Hey mister, is that your 3rd time back at the buffet?!

Soup, anyone?

What I loved about this buffet is their steamed crab section. I had 5 whole crabs. Yes, if one of my sisters is banana-crazy, I am crab crazeh! See my sister’s avatar for me as one of the Dumb-ways-to-die characters.

"Eating too many crabs in one sitting...."

All in all, we ate like we were about to get slaughtered for a deity when we were in Boracay.

What did YOU eat when you were in Boracay? Or for those still planning to go to Boracay, what food are YOU excited to eat?

Looking for more Boracay-related posts? Jump here!

Boracay Package: La Carmela de Boracay Resort

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 14:54:00 +0000

And so we arrive at La Carmela.

Not the best picture of the resort but this is all that I could find that did not have my ugly mug.

As we were getting ourselves checked in, we were served with complimentary drinks that my Bonamine-high sister gulped like it was the last glass of water and she’s in the Sahara desert.

Oh right, for your to get this blog post, you might want to drop by here and here.

Checking in was painless, all I had to do was give our hotel voucher and we were given our keys.

For those wondering, no TravelOnline is not paying for my blog posts.

Room:

I reserved 2 double-bed rooms for us and we were delivered just that. I loved that since they know we reserved as a family, both rooms were interconnected by a door.

After a quick debate on which sister will sleep with the parentals (of course, they chose to sleep with the youngest one), I scanned the contents of our room.

The room is a really basic-leave-your-stuff-here-and-go-out-explore-the-place type of room. All the necessities were there, sheets, pillows, towels, security locker, TV, AC, etc. Nothing much to say really.

My sister in our shared room, plopping down as soon as we arrived. She will kill me for this less-than-flattering angle.

Amenities and more:

Restaurant, kiddie pool, adult pool, conference rooms and the resort itself is beach front. There are plastic lounge chairs under a cabana-like section provided by the resort where you can leave your lazy parents as you bake and swim under the Boracay sun.

Look at that gorgeous mum of ours!

Prices:

We got the room with the Boracay package we brought from TravelOnline. You can check out their prices at La Carmela de Boracay here.

Staff:

Ho-hum is all I can say. They were helpful enough except for this one dude that assisted by dad with the security locker who had a bit of an attitude when my dad hesitated to give a lock code.

What I Lovedlovedloved:

The resort is in station 2 that is why it is so near everything! Business seems to be booming for La Carmela as the place is twice its size now versus when I last stayed there with DTM boy last 2009.

Needs improvement:

Dear La Carmela,

1.       Please clean the room thoroughly before letting guests in. Even before we could lie down, the bed had some sand on it. Not a lot but still…
2.       Where are the little shampoos and lotion bottles that I usually take home but not use?
3.       Why’d you go stick us on the farthest end of the resort? Where’s the love?
4.       That’s it, pancit!
Xoxo, Spa girl

Mmmm pancit. This has nothing to do with the blog post, it's just that I've ranted on and on and I need a picture to make the post less... wordy.

The Whatthehelljusthappened?!:

None

Insider tips:

·         La Carmela does not accept credit card details as their deposit which sucks @ss. You will be required to deposit 2K per room, which was something we were not prepared for. Good thing there was an ATM nearby so we were able to replenish our wallets thereafter, but still, it would’ve been great if we were informed.
·         Check in is at 2pm and check out is at 11am.
·         If you get your Boracay package from TravelOnline, the land transfers are included. So the Island Express peeps will pick you up at the reception area. You just have to coordinate with your travel agent at what time.

Verdict:

If you are simply looking for a place to dump your stuff, a resort near everything and a resort where you can rest after a long day of Boracay fun, then La Carmela is not a bad choice. Personally, the next time that I visit, I will try other resorts though, just for the heck of it. TravelOnline has other resort options in their site.

La Carmela details:

Sourced from their website


	Station 2, Balabag, Boracay Island
	Malay, Aklan
	Philippines

	lcdboracaymail@gmail.com
	+63.36.288.5423 / +63.36.288.5921 / +63.36.288.4376
	+63.36.288.6974 / +63.36.288.5572
	+63.918.937.6573 / +63.917.638.8013 / +63.9088910881 / +63.939.918.3853 / +63.922.816.6941

Makati Booking Office
Cellphone: +63.9228166942 / +63.9399183859 /
TeleFax: +63.2.8979184 / +63.2.8958048 / +63.2.8958049

Where did YOU stay when you visited Boracay? Or for those still planning to go there, what Boracay resorts are YOU checking?

Next up, Boracay food. Prepare to get hungry, here.

Boracay Package: To and Fro

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 15:20:00 +0000

*For this post to make sense, please read the intro to the Boracay trip. But feel free to read thru this post without any context if that makes you happy. This blog believes in democracy.

Although my significant other calls me his great navigator, I attribute most of my navigation skills to Waze and GoogleMaps. Thus, it was to my great relief that the package from TravelOnline came with all that we needed to get from Metro Manila to Boracay and back!

Yep, I've been bitten by the meme bug so expect more of these to come.

How we got to Boracay from Metro Manila:

Booked a flight. Luckily, the Boracay package that we bought already has this included. If your Boracay package does not have this, an option for penny-pinchers is to watch out for piso fares from various airlines like AirPhil or Cebu Pacific. This will really save you some serious cash. But you will be booking flights 3-5 months ahead so not for the instant-gratification type of people.

Flight to Kalibo - This is a pain if your flight is to this airport. You know why? The land transfer from the Kalibo airport to the Caticlan Jetty Port is 2 friggin' hours. This was the flight we had with our package (that was why I asked for a very early flight so it will not eat up on our beach time). Looking back, it was not my best decision to stick with this one because I had to endure my own brain mimicking Donkey from Shrek every 15 minutes and asking "are we there yet?!"

Brain: (In Donkey's voice) Are we there yet? Me: (see Shrek's face)

Flight to Caticlan - If your Boracay package offers this flight, GET THIS ONE! DO NOT HESITATE. SERIOUSLY.

From Kalibo, as seen in bullet point 1 above, you will then endure a land transfer of 2 hours! Bring an audio book. As part of our Boracay package, we got free land transfers courtesy of Island Star Express. As soon as we arrived at the Kalibo aiport, they were there waiting for us near the baggage claim.
After the 2 hour drive, we got to the Caticlan Jetty Port. It was a relatively quick boat ride, approximately 15 minutes but my youngest sister got seasick pretty quickly.
From there, we were led to another vehicle that drove us to the hotel for another 15 minutes.

How to get from Boracay to Metro Manila

See the bullet points above? Baliktarin mo lang. #lazyblogger
Seiorusly though, I kid you not, if you have a Kalibo flight, the travel back is about the same, just inverse the steps above.

Before I end this part, I'd just like to say that the land and sea transfers with the TravelOnline sub-vendor were well-handled. Our initial ZestAir flight going back home got cancelled the day before we were supposed to leave and my agent advised me that the land transfer folks were already aware and would pick us up accordingly based on the changed schedule.

No fuss, no muss, good job Island Star Express :)

I am not being paid by any of the companies mentioned in my blog post. No kidding.

Finally, touch down at La Carmela Resort! What to know what happened next? You know you want to... Click here.

Beach right in front of La Carmela. Station 2. These are my lovely sisters. One of them is high with Bonamine here. Can you spot which sister? Place your guess in the comments below.

Boracay Package: Family Outing Year 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 14:06:00 +0000

I've been a very, very bad blogger. Albeit my intense desire to write about sooooo many great finds, my schedule is just beyond booked (and when I do find some semblance of free time, my body goes to auto-catatonic mode, moving only to do bodily functions).

But enough of my usual "I am back" spiel and on to the meat of why I am blogging again.... I want to write about my 2013 family vacation in Boracay. I briefly mentioned it here, but all in all, it was a very short trip and we've had all sorts of drama going in. In the hopes of NOT boring you with one ginormous long blog post, I am going to cut the trip into streams, because this is my project management brain telling me to compartmentalize to make the work manageable.

So let's start this epic journey with me finding the perfect Boracay package.

Boracay package a-hunting I go!

So off I went to the trusty and all mighty Google for the hunt on the Boracay package that me and la familia will take.

My initial direction was to save some hard-earned moolah by using the power of group buying sites. But after going through so many Boracay package promos in group buying sites and then getting shocked by all the "I-hate-insert-name-of-group-buying-site-here" Facebook groups, I've decided I did not have the b@lls to save 75% on our Boracay package but then having that x-percent chance that the whole thing will fall through, considering historical data from the grieving interweb members as seen in the aforementioned FB groups.

I may not have the b@lls but...I got a sweet Boracay package deal #nonsequitur

My next bout of Google-powered research was on travel agencies offering reasonably priced Boracay packages. And after a few clickity-clackies I arrived at TravelOnline's website which specialized on Boracay packages and many more.

Long story short, and as evident by my previous post, I bought our Boracay package from this agency. And since I like lists, here are the top 7 reasons why I chose TravelOnline for my Boracay package needs:

Their agents were very responsive. I sent them an inquiry and within the same day, I got a response on the Boracay package I wanted! And this was a weak-@ss, not-using-proper-capitalization-in-sentences-type of inquiry.
They have tons of happy customers seen here, here and here. Hard to argue with that.
The prices were very reasonable.
They had freebies! I am a sucker for freebies. Throw in a cheapo pen wrapped in tinfoil and I giggle like a little girl that got a Barbie's Dreamhouse for Christmas. So when I learned that their Boracay packages have not one but 5 sets of different freebies, I was over the moon.
Their website was very informative. They even had a live streaming of Boracay.
Did I mention the freebies?! FREEBIEESSSS in this Boracay package!
The Boracay package offered had all taxes, surcharges, and all the hidden-what-have-you's included!

My Boracay package source. Reminds me of the old YouTube logo

And so, after a hop, a skip and a couple of emails with Clarissa, my lovely agent, our e-tickets and hotel accommodation vouchers were sent to my mailbox and we were all set for some fun under the Boracay sun!

Or so we thought.

*dun, dun, dun* (This is supposed to be ominous music if you didn't get me. Rest assured though the ominous music is not due to the Boracay package we bought.)

Click here to learn how the travel to Boracay went.

For those asking how to book a Boracay package with TravelOnline: Go to their site, I do not even have to make things user-friendly as their site offers everything and anything you need. Visit TravelOnline.ph

Let's Have a Quickie: Vacations and Travel Angencies

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 15:34:00 +0000

So I am so psyched to start my annual leave this Monday. Being the control freak that I am I have a list from the stuff that I have to pack (must not forget traveling sewing kit), to the fun filled activities that my fambam and I will enjoy next week. That is why when it came to booking our trip, I wanted to get a travel agency to do it for us, to have a hassle free vacay.

Luckily, I found TravelOnline! They have super reasonable packages and thus far, superb customer service.

The package we got was so sa-weet! Hotel, flights, food, massages, the works.

Case in point, I called Zest Air to add a checked luggage. I know I will overpack because I am a girl. I was expecting to experience some pain in doing this because I've coordinated with economy airlines before and this is how their customer service usually works. The agents, while well-meaning, do not provide real help given the processes that they are fed.

Anyway, enough with the rant on customer support, long story short, my travel agent was able to get things sorted out for me in a matter of seconds that took me 3 hours waiting online and talking on the phone with the Zest Air folks. And I mean seconds, I kid you not. The word "literally" literally applies here.

I will update this post after our Boracay trip next week for a full report on the agency. Wish me loads of fun, happy, rainbows, unicorns, confetti time with la familia!

When was the last time YOU had a long vacation?

Edit: November 2,2013

Needing more info? Head on here>>> http://christiasworld.blogspot.com/2013/10/boracay-package-family-outing-year-2013.html?m=1

The Adventures of Spa Girl #15: The Spa

noreply@blogger.com (Christia's World) — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 14:20:00 +0000

Of course I had to do a review on the well-advertised, high-end day spa, The Spa. With their chutzpah of calling their spa as such, as if it is "the" spa place to be, I had high expectations.

I tried the Eastwood branch as it was within walking distance of my beloved pooch's grooming place. So while my baby was prettifying (I was waiting for spell check to underline this word to signify its non-existence and lo & behold I learn that it is a real word), I had some time to “groom” myself as well!

Warning: Post-cut there are a loooot of pictures because I got a bit trigger happy. Sue me, the place was just sooooo nice that I had to take pictures. It was like my finger was compelled to keep on snapping.

Wet area @ The Spa: I got a premiere suite, so I had my very own steam room. Actually, it was a shower-cum-steam room, with the shower part at the back portion and a small stool that you just pull so you can relax while you steam it up.

What to wear @ The Spa: They give you this nice white terry robe that makes you feel oh-so-relaxed once you wear it after your steam.

Ambiance @ The Spa: This is where The Spa Eastwood hits it 100%. As soon as you enter, the reception area’s look, feel and smell already invites you to relax. I felt that this place will actually make my stress go a-bye-bye.

Price Range @ The Spa: I availed of a 1-hour Shiatsu massage and it set me back for Php 1,600. For a full menu of their services, see here.

Anything for the mouth @ The Spa: Ginger tea and cold water.

Location of The Spa: The Eastwood branch is located inside the Richmonde Hotel, 2nd floor, near the Basement Salon (which ironically, although called the Basement Salon, is also on the 2nd floor *wink*)

Store Hours: Sunday to Thursday 12pm to 10pm / Friday to Saturday 12pm to 11pm
Last Call : Sunday to Thursday 8:30pm / Friday to Saturday 9:30pm

Contact The Spa:
Website - http://www.thespa.com.ph
Phone Number - For their Eastwood Branch call 709-6868 / 709-7878 / 0915-4223836

The GOOD
The Spa Eastwood gets the whole of 5 stars from me for the premiere suite. It was so serene and the attendants were so polite that I felt like it was illegal to be unruly. As if I talked over the allowed decibel, someone will suddenly show up, slap me hard for 5 times on each cheek that I will literally see stars.
Another good thing is that after the massage, you get some time to yourself to nap and remind yourself that you are about to leave this haven and you will have to re-join the rest of the world.
So obviously they've won me over with the entire ambiance deal. Check out how many pictures I took.

The NOT-SO-GOOD
See next section

The MASSAGE
This is where I got a tad disappointed. The massage itself was, well, unremarkable. It wasn't awful but it was not also worth Php 1,600. Although the pressure was good, the massage done just did not hit the right spots...

The VERDICT
Triple somersault love the place but they can do more when it comes to the massage.
This is the exact opposite of my review for Happy Family Spa.

Insider tips: Do not forget to rest-up after your massage.

Will YOU go back if you had the same experience?