streetsmartgirl

Just a quick update

2012-11-28T14:30:00.000+08:00

Things haven't been easy for me for the past months. I have a load of blog entries yet to be posted. I hope I will make the time to sit down and finish these entries since they are interesting travel stories to be shared. Maybe writing will help my mind get off the crazy stuff that's happening in my life right now.

Quarter-life crisis, I sooooo feel you!

A weekend in Kuala Lumpur

2012-10-21T19:10:00.001+08:00

If there’s one thing I love about being a bum, aside from waking up late, it would be gettingto travel to interesting places close to Singapore. Three weeks ago, we booked flights for Kuala Lumpur since it was a long weekend here because of their celebration of the National Day Parade.

On our way

We got flight via Tiger Airways from SG-KL for SGD 100 for two persons. For our return flight, we booked AirAsia tickets for SGD 109. These are the cheapest flights we got given that is another last minute travel plans like four days before the trip.

We took an 8PM Tiger Airways flightfrom Changi Airport Budget Terminal and arrived in Kuala Lumpur’s Low CostCarrier Terminal (LCCT) almost 9PM. After going through immigration,exchanging a few Singapore dollars to Malaysian ringgits, we took the Aerobusgoing to KL Sentral for RM 8. Their airport is far from the city approximately a 1-hrdrive. You won’t miss the booths selling bus tickets because they are right outside once you get out the arrival hall. There are other bus routes but since our hotel is in KL Sentral we took Aerobus which offered that route.

We reached KLSentral almost 12MN. Our hotel is just a walking distance from KL Sentral whichis Malaysia’s largest transit hub. It is connected to the six railsystems in Kuala Lumpur. There are also taxi and car rentals here, and businessestablishments like fastfoods, stores, money exchange, etc.

MyHotel

We kinda gotlost on our way to MyHotel @ Sentral. There are no signs leading you to whichdirection. We just relied on KL Streetdirectory map we downloaded. There was anongoing construction at KL Sentral which made it a bit difficult to find ourway. Good thing, there was a security personnel and we just asked directions.

We arrived inMyHotel and checked in. We paid RM 110 for the room for our first night staysince it was required. We’ve stayed in MyHotel Bangkok before and we likedit. So we opted to try another MyHotel, this time in KL. The moment we got intoour room, we noticed that it was noisy. And we wondered why, we looked into ourwindow and found that our room is situated in a side street where there is a bardownstairs. Ugh. I was looking for a quiet night to sleep. There was no fridgeand our cable only had five channels -all of them were about the Olympics.

De Luxe Room

other side of the room

I got bit disappointed. And yeah, nowarm water in the shower although it says its hot. Oh wells. The roomwasn’t so bad except I just thought. Fresh and clean sheets, firm bed, spacious and clean room..moved on!

the hotel entrance

Since we wereon a limited time, we carefully chose what we wanted to see in Kuala Lumpur. Wedid Genting Highlands, Petronas Towers, Batu Caves, streetfood dinner at JalanAlor, Bukit Bintang, and food adventure.

Petronas Towers

It’s best tosee Petronas Towers at night. The lights are all out and night shots are justglorious. You see all the lights illuminating from the towers and it’s a sightto behold.

We did all theshots we can think of. Good thing webrought a mini tripod.

streetsmartgirl @ Petronas

lovers in Petronas

just another Petronas shot

Jalan Alor

Jalan Alor islocated in Bukit Bintang which is the main shopping and entertainment area in KL. You will findan array of food stalls in both side of the streets. You may get overwhelmed atfirst because of the peddlers urging you to eat in their restaurants. We toohad a hard time deciding where to have our dinner.

But as they say, eat wherethe crowd is and so we did.

food coma :)

Jalan Alor istruly a foodie paradise where you can sample authentic Malaysian cuisine.We had chili crab, cereal prawns, and chicken fried rice. Fantastic street food!

Bukit Bintang

Bukit Bintangor BB is known as the shopping and entertainment center of KL. You will findhere a number of shopping malls. And when you say mall, I’d say BUY! We strolledaround some malls in the area like Lot 10, Fahrenheit 88, Pavilion KL, BB Plaza(like Greenhills), Sungei Wang Plaza, and Low Yat Plaza which is the one-stopshop for gadgets.

Pavilion KL - high end shopping mall 

Lot 10 - nearest mall to Bukit Bintang monoral station

Fahrenheit 88

I was able tobuy three pairs of shoes from Vincci or VNC as popularly known in Manila.

shoe shopping at Vincci

Batu Caves

The Batu Cavesis in Erick’s must-go places ever since we planned to visit KL in 2010. But itdidn’t push through. So he was delighted that finally we will able to go andsee Batu Caves.

Batu Caves is a sacred place for the Hindus in Malaysia. Itconsisted of three big caves and smaller ones. We went there by taking the KTMtrain in KL Sentral bound for Batu Caves. You won't get lost because the laststation is Batu Caves and from there the site is a walking distance.

Batu Caves

We alsoascended the 272 steps; these steps are kinda steep so be careful.

On the way up

There arealso monkeys along the way chancing uponyour belongings especially if you are carrying plastic bag with food inside.

monkeys are usual sight in batu caves

I was amazedby the structure of the Batu Caves. It was huge inside and there are many temples full of devotees.

One of the many temples

At the end of the biggest cave which is named Cathedral Cave you will see a large opening when you look above.

big opening at the end of the cave

Foodtrip

Any trip would not be complete without trying the local cuisine. We would not miss trying authentic Malaysian food. Here are some of the yummiest food we had while in Malaysia.

Penang Fried Kway Teow

This dish is made from flat rice noodles and stir-fried in soy sauce, chili, prawns, squid, mussels, bean sprouts, and chives.

Chicken satay

How could anyone miss chicken satay while in KL? It's one of the most popular dishes in Malaysia. The barbecued chicken is best served with rice but you can also eat it on its own.

Chicken fried rice

We also tried chili crab when we had dinner at Jalan Alor. The crab is stir-fried in semi-thick, sweet and spicy-based sauce. The crab that we ate was actually sweet and spicy.

Chili crab

Cereal prawn

Fried chicken with fries and salad

This is it for now. I'll post our Resorts World Genting experience in my next entry :D

PS: Sorry for uber late posts. Work has been crazy lately :P

The Great Bintan Escape

2012-08-28T14:44:00.000+08:00

A month ago, we made a short trip to Bintan, Indonesia for a quick getaway. Bintan Island is part of the Riau archipelago of Indonesia and can be traveled by a 1-hr ferry ride from Singapore. The island is a popular beach destination for Singaporeans who wanted to get away from the city for the weekend.

Since this was a spontaneous trip, we booked last minute just the day before our actual trip. Good thing we were able to find a Bintan weekend package which included ferry transfers, hotel transfers, and accommodation. I called the travel agencies in Lucky Plaza and the most reasonable package I got was from Fil Air Travel & Tours. I was able to find the cheapest last-minute package at SGD207/pax. This already included SGD 22/pax for the ferry taxes.

The trip

Fast forward to the day of our Bintan trip..

Since, we booked the trip late, the only available seats for the ferry is at 12:10PM. We were at the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal 1 ½ hour before our departure. We waited in the Emerald Class Lounge since we got Emerald Class Tickets. The lounge offers free drinks and cookies, and internet/wi-fi. It’s a comfortable place to wait for your departure since the area is exclusive to Emerald Class passengers. Also, passengers are given priority in boarding the ferry.

While waiting for our departure

The travel to Bintan took an hour but Indonesia is an hour behind Singapore. We still arrived at 12:10PM in Bandar Bentan Telani Ferry Terminal (Bintan). We were picked up by the hotel bus along with other tourists. The travel from the ferry terminal to our hotel, Bintan Lagoon Resort, was more or less 20 minutes.

Bintan Lagoon Resort

We finally arrived in the hotel and we were greeted with a traditional Indonesian dance by locals. Check-in was slow due to the influx of tourist arrivals. Anyway, we still managed to check-in before 1PM.

Bintan Lagoon Resort is a sprawling beach property. There are several hotel buildings, a good number of restaurants to choose from, nice pool area, and a scenic beach area. The resort also have a golf course. We also saw an immigration building near the beach; it's close to getting finished. I guess, they will soon open this so tourists could arrive in the resort directly rather than from passing through the ferry terminal.

Hotel facade

Our room is located in the first floor of the west wing of the hotel. The hotel room included amenities like cable TV, fridge, hair dryer, aircon, safety deposit box, and a mini-bar. The only thing I didn't like is that our backdoor opens to small road where vehicles would pass by from time to time. And yeah, I must mention that I lost my Billabong maillot here when we left it there to hang dry in our balcony. Oh wells.

Garden View De Luxe Room

Moving on, here are some more pictures during our stay at Bintan Lagoon Resort.

The hotel property is really huge. You can go around it by driving the golf cart or you can just walk while enjoying the scenery.

At the swimming pool

I give two thumbs-up to the resort for keeping the pool well-maintained and clean. Not only the pool is big enough to accommodate big crowds on weekends but there are also plenty of pool beds. There's also a bar where you can order coolers while you are lounging by the pool.

Big pool

After swimming

On our first day, the weather was kinda gloomy so we opted to just stay in the pool area.

The beach

The beach in the resort was also good with fine whitish sand and long beach stretch. I didn't have high expectations of Bintan beaches reading from travel blogs. But I think Bintan Lagoon's beach is also pleasing and scenic in its own way. This was my second trip to Bintan and the first one was in a resort in Tanjung Pinang which is the city/capital of Bintan. We had to ride a boat to get into another private island just to be able to swim and enjoy the sea because the beach in the resort is always low tide. But in Bintan Lagoon, the beach is accessible and clean. The water is shallow and cool.

Towards the beach

beachfront

By the time we decided to hit the beach, it was already sunny outside which was good since it was raining when we first arrived in the resort. Other tourists also flocked in the beach.

Beach beds near the bar

Good day at Bintan

Flyfish, anyone?

The food

There are several restaurants in the hotel like around 4-5. We ate at two of them. Hotel food is expensive. For this trip, we spent like SGD 200 for food just for an overnight stay. There was no choice to eat somewhere since the resort is far from the town.

It was good that the food we had were enjoyable and appetizing. Never mind the price, the food was pleasant anyway. There was always complimentary bread for every meal ordered which was also freshly-heated.

We ate at two of the hotel’s restaurants for our lunches and dinner – Kopi O which is the main resto and Orzo which serves Italian cuisine.

Kopi-O clubhouse sandwich

One of the best-tasting quesadillas. Yum :P

Salmon skewer. it did not disappoint.

Enjoying my seafood marinara

Buffet breakfast was served as well but the choices were limited. It was good enough though for a morning meal.

Bye Bintan

Our weekend stay was soon over. Time flies when you're having fun. We checked out 12NN but stayed until 4PM in the hotel because the only ticket we got going back to Singapore is at 5PM.

Overall, we had an enjoyable stay. The whole Bintan experience from hotel, food, and the beach exceeded our expectations. This is my second trip to Bintan and this was a whole new experience for me.

Relaxed after the trip

In its truest sense, this was an escape for me.. to get away from all stress and worries I've felt in the past weeks. So it was good choice that we chose Bintan as the perfect escape :)

En route to Singapore

I'm back!

2012-08-17T08:29:00.000+08:00

It's been two months since I last wrote in my blog. I was on blog hiatus to accomplish bigger priorities in my life. That is to find a job here in Singapore. For almost two months, I devoted my time jobhunting to find that dream job here and I am happy to say, I succeeded. I was offered a job by a reputable MNC here and guess what? It’s exactly the same job I had in Manila! Yey.

Getting the offer was no easy breezy especially if you’re a foreigner in Singapore. Getting your pass approved by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is another nerve –wracking experience. Filipinos who want to work here should know that MOM is stricter in approving new and even renewing work passes for foreigners. My company applied for my pass this Wednesday and it was approved just yesterday morning. Whew! I didn’t expect that it would be that quick nor it would be approved at all given the current situation. Thank God! God is good.

So yeah, streetsmartgirl will be in Singapore for a while. Will be posting soon about my adventures and (mis)adventures in the Lion City. Ciao!

Beach weekend @ Matabungkay Beach Resort Hotel

2012-06-12T17:36:00.001+08:00

Late post! Been super busy with work and personal life the past few weeks :D

Last weekend of May, I joined in our company outing in Matabungkay Beach Resort Hotel in Lian Batangas. I wasn’t able to join last year’s summer outing so I was kinda looking forward to this one. Fast forward to the day of the beach outing.. I woke up 6:30am and the departure time from the office is 7:30am. Haha! I hurriedly took a shower and prepped my things last minute. I still arrived minutes before the scheduled departure.

We traveled around three hours to Lian Batangas and we passed by scenic Tagaytay. We finally arrived in Matabungkay Beach Resort before 11am and we immediately settled into our rooms.

We stayed in one of their suite rooms. It was spacious enough to accommodate 7 people.

Here are a few photos from that fun weekend.

We checked the beach and the floating rafts immediately caught my attention. It’s just so relaxing to stay in the balsa and chill the whole afternoon there.

There was also a breakwater at the far-end of the beach resort. We had some fun time taking some photos while there.

It was a weekend of beach, booze, and more bonding time with officemates. Perfect way to end the summer!

To sum up it all up, I made a simple collage in photo grid :D

Organic Whitening Body Scrub & Massage at Mont Albo Massage Hut

2012-05-23T23:54:00.000+08:00

I promised my bff Yana that I would treat her to a massage before she flies back to Dubai. Since both of us came from a beach trip and we're probably a shade darker than our natural skin color, we thought that it'd be nice if we treat ourselves to a body scrub and massage.

I looked for spas in Makati and found Mont Albo Massage Hut in Parksquare just in front of Dusit Thani Hotel. I browsed their website and immediately became interested with their spa menu. I called for reservation on the day of our planned spa bonding.

Sorry, I didn't take any photos since I don't think it's appropriate plus the lighting was very poor. A spa is a private place where one can relax and enjoy the massage. I don't wanna bother myself to take pictures. Anyways, let me share our experience :D

Yana and I both availed their Organic Whitening Scrub with 1 hr massage for Php 750. The body scrub + massage lasted for 1 1/2 hours. The organic whitening scrub is composed of three natural substances, extracted from plant components, which have been proven to inhibit the production of melanin. Their organic whitening scrub is a better and healthier substitute than synthetic whitening chemicals.

We bought some add ons like disposable underwear for Php 30 and additional massage oil at Php 50.

Here are some things I want to rave about our body scrub + massage. There are some things I didn't like though.

Raves
1. The body scrub + massage was definitely value for money. You will be treated for 30 minutes of scrub and then a 1-hr relaxing massage for Php750. Not bad!
2. Their location is very strategic to malls, offices, and other commercial establishments. You can easily go to Mont Albo to treat yourself to a massage after shopping or a long day at work.
3. I fell asleep during the 1-hr massage. My therapist was good at kneading with the right pressure at the most stressed parts of my body. After the massage, I felt like I've just waken up from a long slumber. It was that relaxing!
4. Free hot tea and hot towel were provided.
5. They have a website which helped me decide which massage I will get. Calling to reserve a slot is also easy breezy.

Rants
1. No privacy. Massage beds are only divided by curtains. You can hear other customers' or therapists' voices.
2. Massage therapists keep on gossiping with each other and can be heard while we were getting our massage. Their voices are even louder than the instrumental music being played. I hope they will act more professional. Our therapists had to tell them to keep their voices down because there are clients.
3. No comfort room and only one shower area where you can rinse after the body scrub. I had to wait for my turn to use the shower room.
4. Old towels.
5. I'm not sure if it's the scrub or the sheets but it felt itchy on my skin while I was being soaked in the scrub.
6. Small reception area. It really is massage and go.

My verdict
I will go back for if I want a massage that won't burn a hole in my pocket. Their massages range from Php 80 for the express Massage (15 minutes) to Php 350 for their one-hour massages. A decent body scrub costs around Php 750 +.

Mont Albo Massage Hut is one example that a good massage doesn't need to be expensive.

Mont Albo Massage Hut
click here for contact details
Facebook page

Surfing @ Bagasbas Beach

2012-05-20T21:04:00.000+08:00

Bagasbas Beach is located in Daet Camarines Norte in the Bicol Region. I am a Bicolana but I haven’t really visited this part of the region. Although Bagasbas Beach is not as popular as other surfing destinations like La Union, Baler, and Siargao, it is slowly gaining name in the surfing community.

The waves here are just right for beginners and intermediate surfers. Waves can go as low from 2-3-ft on an ordinary day and as high as 6-8-ft when a typhoon is coming. Bagasbas Beach is fronting Pacific Ocean and that explains why it has consistent waves for surfing.

After our Calaguas beach camping, we had a surfing sidetrip to Bagasbas Beach. We reached the beach around 3pm. It was already late for surfing but we wanted to surf anyway. Never mind the delay in the boat transfer from Calaguas to Vinzons and the boat mishap we had (the boat engine died when we were almost near the port). We had a late lunch first and settled at Surfer’s Dine-Inn.

Tired but still smiling

As soon we were done with lunch, we changed into our swimwear and rashguards and prepped into another surfing experience. The last time I went surfing was October 2011 in La Union and I remember catching big waves which I wasn't aware of. My surf instructor has this habit of not telling me if I am about to catch a big wave. And I never ever looked back so I won't get scared :D

We paid Php400/hr for the surfing lessons which included surfboard rental and lessons from an instructor.

Learning the basic moves again

Since I started surfing in 2009, I was officially hooked to it. Although my surfing skill is still for beginner, I still enjoy the sport and I don't have the intention to take it to the advance level. On the good side, I think my skills have improved since I can now ride shortboards and I am able to do a back stance and maneuver my surfboard sideways. I actually don’t know how to swim that’s why it’s important to me that I surf in shallow waters.

We caught a few good waves that day. The waves are gentler that afternoon compared to what we normally experience in La Union.

Here are some of our best rides caught in cam.

Yana's lucky day. She caught almost all the waves she tried. 

 Ru. I love the facial expression!

Jervin, the new recruit. Yeah!

Et moi! Getting stoked again.  

We surfed until sundown to our heart’s content. I will come back when I get the chance.
Bagasbas beach is another surfing spot we discovered.

What's the best word to describe this experience? STOKED.

Hang loose!

Calaguas lovin'

2012-05-12T21:47:00.000+08:00

I've been hearing about Calaguas Islands in Camarines Norte for the longest time. My curiosity grew more upon reading various travel blogs boasting Calaguas' white sand and blue turquoise-waters. I was secretly wishing that someone would organize a trip to Calaguas and tagged me along having known that only beach camping can be done in the island. There's no electricity, mobile signal, and any commercial establishments in Calaguas.

Luckily, I was able to find a tour organizer arranging beach camping trips to Calaguas. I booked an overnight camping trip with Calaguas Hullabaloo together with my bff Yana who’s vacationing from Dubai and other good friends. We got the 2D/1N package for Php3200 inclusive of roundtrip bus tickets (Manila-Daet), land transfers, boat transfers, tent accommodation, and camp meals. A surfing sidetrip to Bagasbas Beach in Daet, Camarines Norte was included in the package. It’s been more than six months since I last went surfing and I missed the feeling of getting stoked. This trip was what I exactly needed to break away from the city life.

My beach excitement slowly started creeping the night we left Manila. We boarded an Amihan Liner bus in Shell Magallanes and it took 8 hours travel to Daet. I dozed off all throughout the travel.

The road to Bitukang Manok (zigzag road) in Cam Norte as we fondly call it woke me up the next day. Feeling nauseous from all the sudden turns the bus made, I had to wake up or else I would probably vomit.

The Saturday weather was perfect for beach bumming. We met my bff Yana in Vinzons Port since she’s already in Bicol and we came from Manila. After being assigned to our boat, we wrapped our backpacks in trash bags and loaded them to the boat. We were finally bound to Calaguas!

Contrary to scary stories I’ve heard, the sea was generally calm. I was bracing myself for a rough boat ride with waves that could go as high as 4-ft as I overheard. Waves are strong in this part of Camarines Norte since the sea is already part of the Pacific Ocean.

Calaguas is a group of islands composed of Tinaga, Guintinua, and Maculabo islands. We camped in Mahabang Buhangin or Long Beach as it is called.

After 2-hrs of boat travel, we reached Calaguas in mid-day. The moment I stepped into Calaguas beach, I felt nostalgic and felt that I've already been to this beach before.

Calaguas reminded me of Boracay's blue-turquoise water, long beach stretch of Pagudpud, and powdery white sand of Panglao. Calaguas is more than what meets the eye.

It was scorching hot with the sun brightly shining. I love sunny days but the summer heat is unbearable these days. We settled into our tents and immediately changed into our swimsuits. I usually don’t swim in mid-day because it's freaking hot and I don’t want to get sunburned. But there isn’t lots of shade in the island. You can choose to stay inside your tent which felt like being baked in an oven or you can swim in the cool water.

Here some of the activities we did in the island. There's not much to do actually but beach bum! I love it!

Swimming. You will enjoy swimming in Calaguas waters. The sand is fine and the water is very clear, perfect for underwater camera shots. You can swim a few meters away from the shore but beyond that there are coral reefs in the seabed which is also good for snorkeling.

Photo ops. Numerous photo ops, why not?

Beach volleyball. In front of our campsite, a volleyball net was set-up where everyone can play.

Sun worshipping.

Or you can choose to hide from the sun. I noticed that in the beachfront, most trees have just started growing so don't expect a lot of shade.

Walking by the beach. Calaguas' sand is fine and soft. It won't hurt your feet if you walk barefoot.

When it was nearing sunset, we climbed into a hill to get at 360-degree view of the whole island. The view from the hill reminded me of Sabtang Island in Batanes. You can see the surrounding islands as well as the whole beach stretch. Here, we also checked if there was a mobile signal but only for Smart.

There were a lot of beach-goers in the island based from the view from the top of the hill. But the 1km beach stretch is long enough to accommodate the weekend crowd.

We spent all our time in the water until sundown. Although it was already 4ish, the sun was still shining brightly. The cool water provided relief from the intense heat of the sun that day. The beach sunset was similar to Nagsasa Cove’s sunset in Zambales.

After bathing in the sea the whole day, we finally took a bath in the water pump which is the only source of fresh water in Calaguas. There's also a toilet in the island so no need to worry in case nature calls you :)

Dinner followed afterwards and we slept early that night. There was a reggae party organized we didn’t bother to go. We immediately fell asleep when we lied down inside the tent. It was Supermoon that night when the moon is in its closest distance to the earth.

Next morning, we woke up to the sound of the crashing waves in the shore. We felt refreshed coming from a good night’s sleep. It was our last day in Calaguas and we wanted to make the most out of our time. We spent the early morning in the beach when the sun isn’t completely out yet.

Before noon, we left the Calaguas Island. It was a short but sweet stay. I will be surely coming back. This is the kind of beach you’ll never get tired of coming back. Calaguas has a great potential in becoming a top beach destination if it will be developed. But I wish not! I want Calaguas to remain the same for the longest time possible – pristine, undeveloped, and untouched.

Definitely Calaguas lovin’

Pure Saturday @ Republiq Club

2012-05-12T12:50:00.000+08:00

Almost three weeks ago (sorry uber late post), my high school girlfriends and I together with some friends partied at Republiq to celebrate Yana's homecoming from Dubai and to bid farewell to Betty and Lester who flew back to New Jersey.

Republiq Club is the hottest destination for nightlife in Manila. With a large clubbing space, latest sound and lighting technology, Republiq offers a world-class clubbing experience.

We went on a Saturday and it was Pure Saturday @ Republic where they play house and electro music. We also reserved a cocktail table for 6k. The rate is fully consumable where you can order drinks (in glass or bottles) and food platters.

Sharing some fun party pictures.

Pre-game at Betty's place. We're ready to party!

The pretty ladies :)

And the gentlemen..

Throw your hands up in the air if you're having fun.

We partied from 11pm until 5am, literally from night to day! We danced until our feet ached.

It was a fun night with friends. Wishing for more nights like this :)

Thousand Cranes Shabu-Shabu, Greenbelt 3

2012-05-07T09:51:00.002+08:00

Two weeks ago, my good friend Betty Jane came home to Manila with her hubby for a 2-week vacation. It's been two years since I last saw her when she moved to New Jersey. We met up for dinner to catch up.

Betty was craving for Japanese food espcially for mochi ice cream. There are quite a few of Jap restos in the Greenbelt area but none served mochi ice cream (not that I know of). We ended up dining at Thousand Cranes Shabu-shabu which wasn't bad at all. Shabu-shabu is the Japanese variant of hot-pot where you cook the meat variants, seafoods, and vegetables in a boiling broth. You can also create your own dipping sauce.

Thousand Cranes Shabu-shabu at GB2

I guess everyone's not that hungry but we ordered the Assorted Meat shabu-shabu which consisted of pork, beef, and lamb meat. There were also veggies and noodles included in the platter.

On our table

We also ordered two bottles of Jinro to go with our food. It's taste is comparable to vodka although lightly sweeter.

Jinro

Each of us has our own pot of broth where we can cook our food. So it depends if you like to make your soup spicy or not.

I'm not sure why my food tasted bland no matter how many seasonings I put on it. It tasted all the same. I guess the only consolation I get is the warm soup with the all the meat on it. I created a separate dip but it didn't improve the taste of the meat. Be sure to cook the meat well since it will take time before it's ready to be eaten. After all, you wouldn't want to suffer from stomach ache because of eating raw meat.

Although I did not enjoy much the taste of my food, I still enjoyed the company of my friends. It's also worth noting that the servers are attentive to your needs. They would offer to make your own sauce and would check if you need a soup refill, The cooking stoves were also easy to control.

Kampai!

Thousand Cranes Shabu-Shabu

Greenbelt 3 2/F Greenbelt 3 Legaspi St.

Legaspi Village Makati City

Metro Manila Philippines (02) 729-8640 to 41

Pasalubong from friends

2012-04-29T13:51:00.000+08:00

I'm posting here gifts/pasalubong I got from my closest high school friends. This month two of my closest high school friends Yana and Betty Jane arrived from Dubai and New Jersey respectively for their annual vacay in the Philippines. Yay! It was a once in a blue moon event since it's very rare that my balikbayan friends are all here at the same time.

I got these from Yana Banana :) I told her to bring me Galaxy chocolates when she gets home for vacation.

And this from Betty Jane :) This Aeropostale tank top and boxer shorts is the best sleepwear this hot summer nights.

During summer months, I prefer using body spritz or sprays over perfumes. They're light, refreshing, and you can spray a lot without leaving an overpowering scent. Just perfect for really hot summer days.

Yay! Thanks girls Yana & Betty Jane :)

The Batam View Beach Resort Experience

2012-04-26T22:43:00.002+08:00

After a day out in the mall, we finally checked in to our room at Batam View Beach Resort.

The room itself is old but clean. The wooden floor looked tired. Our room has the view of the sea and ongoing construction of Montigo Resort – the new place to be in Batam.

It has the basic necessities like cable TV, mini fridge, tub and bath, hot and cold shower, hair dryer, and safety deposit box.

The best thing about the room is the bed. Sure, the whole room may look somehow old but lying in hotel bed is the most relaxing thing to do after a day of walking. What I loved most in staying in hotels is sleeping in its huge and firm bed.

We explored the resort when it wasn’t hot outside anymore. We checked the beach but it was lowtide. We decided we’ll just lounge by the pool.

The weekend crowd were all in the pool but it was big enough to accommodate everyone. We found an available beach bed and got our towels and spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool until sundown.

We also played in the trampoline. It was fun jumping high but my legs got tired from all the bouncing after a few minutes.

For dinner, we had our take away food from Ayam Penyet Ria. The chicken was good and the spicy sauce was really hot but I love spicy food anyway.

We decided to hang out at the Islander Lounge and have some cocktails after dinner. There was a live band playing music and everyone was just enjoying the night.

I had Batam View Punch and I liked it. It was a refreshing drink with a strawberry fruit flavor and a kick of alcohol plus a cherry on top. Erick had Bintang beer which was too bitter for my taste. We also ordered calamari to go with our drinks. We stayed and just chatted all night long.

We woke up around 8AM the next day and proceeded to the Wangi Melati Coffee House for our complimentary breakfast. We thought it was continental breakfast of bread and coffee so we didn’t rushed. We found out that it was buffet! We could have gone there earlier. Anyways, we were still able to get and try all the dishes from the buffet.

After breakfast, we went to the beach. The beach sand was brownish in color and the water looked green. It was clean though. The water was cool enough to beat the morning heat.

By 12nn, we checked out . It wasn’t until 2:30pm Indonesia for our return back to Singapore. We waited in the hotel lobby and waited for our transfer to the ferry terminal. The Batam shuttle brought us to Nongsa Ferry Terminal. I saw a Polo store but it was too late to buy something since we were already lining up in the immigration.

It was time to go back to reality! Our Batam weekend was short, sweet, fun! And yeah cheap too. Overall, our experience was good. Although the hotel was old, the staff are friendly and accommodating as well as attentive to your needs. There are also plenty of activities to do like biking, fishing, massage, and they even have a Kinect room to entertain you.

I made a photo collage of our Batam vacation :D

Day Out in Batam, Indonesia

2012-04-20T23:21:00.001+08:00

During my 13-day trip in Singapore, we squeezed in a weekend trip to Batam, Indonesia. Batam is one of the largest islands in the Riau archipelago in Indonesia. It’s just a 40-minute ferry ride from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal in Singapore. Batam is popular to Singaporeans looking for a short weekend getaway close to Singapore. There are a number of luxury hotels and golf courses and shopping malls here which sell cheaper items compared in Singapore.

Two weeks before my trip to Singapore, we booked an overnight Getaway package at Batam View Beach Resort for SGD 236 for two persons. This include roundtrip ferry transfer, seaport taxes, land transfers, one-night superior room accommodation, buffet breakfast, free use of gym facilities and pool, and a sea sport activity. Erick and I wanted to get away from Singapore for the weekend without burning a hole in the pocket and this was the cheapest travel deal we got.

We arrived at the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal at 8AM and collected our ferry tickets at the counter of New Century Tours Pte Ltd. Our departure cards have been filled up based on the information I provided them through email. Our ferry bound to Batam will be leaving at 9AM and we will arrive there still at 9AM. Indonesia time is 1-hr behind Singapore.

The ferry ride was smooth and fast. Within 40 minutes, we are already in another country – Indonesia! I sometimes wish that Philippines is near to its neighbor countries so we can country hop from one to another. But then, I love the fact that Philippines is kind of isolated from the rest of Asia. It makes the Philippines a must-travel destination.

Upon arriving at Nongsa Ferry Terminal, we were welcomed by the hotel staff who got our passports for fast immigration clearance. It was good since we didn’t have to queue for immigration anymore. But I just didn’t like that they kept our passports during our whole stay in Batam. We only got them back when we checked out.

Another 15-20 minute ride and finally we are arrived at Batam View Beach Resort. From the look of the hotel building, you know that the hotel is old and was probably one of the first resorts in the island. It is already past its glory days. But we already expected this based from the reviews we read at Trip Advisor. Since it was still early for check-in, we requested the front desk staff for a cab to bring us to the Nagoya Hill Shopping Mall. There’s actually a free shuttle for SGD 5 roundtrip but the reservation is full. We paid SGD 20 for one-way taxi fare.

It didn’t take long maybe just 40 minutes and we were already in Nagoya Hill Shopping Mall around 10am. It was the so-called largest shopping mall in Batam. If I could describe it, it’s like Greenhills Shopping Center in Manila with all the gadget and clothing stores. It has a supermarket – Hypermart where you can go grocery shopping a lot cheaper compared to Singapore supermarkets. We tried to look for the Polo outlet store but we failed to see it. We scoured the whole mall but there was none. Suprisingly, Adidas store was the only popular clothing brand we saw in the mall.

Here are a few things we did.

I’ve been reading in forums that A&W used to be a popular fastfood chain in Singapore but it closed. So we ate there just to see what’s the fuss all about.

Their chicken meals are actually good – in terms of fastfood standards.

And we loved the rootbeer float too!

We also bought donuts from J.Co. Half-dozen donut only costs Rp 34,000 (Php 150+). Cheap but good! I loved the Japanese matcha green tea donut. I know that they recently opened a branch in Megamall but I haven’t been there lately.

I wasn’t really keen in buying anything until I saw the Wacoal store and with 50% off sign, I didn’t think twice to get in. I bought some really cute pair - bra and undies at half the price. Yay! I think it I only bought it for Php400-500.

We also checked Matahari – a leading department store in Indonesia and I bought another Wacoal. It was around Rp 110,000 or Php 500+.

We bought some snacks in the supermarket like the much-raved Chitato chips and kue lapis. I also bought one tub of Purbasari lulur. Read my Batam shopping finds here.

It was past 1pm when we decided to go back to the hotel. We just bought take-away food from Ayam Penyet Ria to eat at the hotel. We hailed a cab outside and agreed to pay equivalent of SGD 20 for the one-way fare.

A day out in the mall in Batam was tiring but fun because of our good eats and great finds. Our Batam View Beach Resort experience coming up in the next post :)

Kiseki Japanese Buffet, The Hereen

2012-04-16T14:45:00.000+08:00

What’s the best way to celebrate a special day with a loved one? For me, it’s by indulging in good food. Erick and I celebrated our anniversary by dining out at Kiseki Japanese Buffet at the Hereen. We’ve always loved buffet and took our time to try all the dishes offered in the buffet while enjoying each other’s company.

Kiseki Japanese Buffet prides itself as the mega Japanese buffet in mini prices. It is located at the basement of The Hereen in Orchard Road. We dined on a weekday dinner and paid SGD 63.60 for two, plus 10% service charge at SGD 6.36 and 7% GST at 4.90 for a total of SGD 74.86 (Php 2545).

This was my dinner treat to Erick since he’s the one who’s been spending whenever we’re out in SG :) Thanks love! I told him to meet me at Somerset MRT at 6pm after work. We got there a bit early and the restaurant was just getting ready to open. But I’m glad we’re one of the first few customers.

The restaurant was huge almost occupying the whole basement floor. There are many tables which is suitable for big groups of friends and families. There are also different sections which you can choose to be seated plus there's a kids play area where your children can be left to play.

There are many stations in the buffet. You will be overwhelmed where to start first.

We started in the maki and sushi sections for our appetizer which is near the entrance of the restaurant. I used to not like eating raw but now it’s quite funny that sometimes I feel a craving to have tuna sashimi.

There’s a full salad bar where you can customize your own salad with the freshest vegetables and seafood with a home-made salad dressing.

If you enjoy cold seafoods, there’s a cold selection where crabs, prawns, scallops, clams, and mussels are plentiful. The sashimi counter is just beside it.

So okay enough for the raw selections, if you fancy something grilled, there’s a grilling section where you can select your meat and ask the chef to grill them for you. We had some grilled beef and squid. You can also personalize your own pasta by choosing the toppings, sauce, and pasta. We had a seafood and bacon carbonara.

When ordering something grilled, you have to clip your table number to your plate and you don't have to wait for your food to be cooked. The food attendant will just deliver the food to your table.

The robatayaki counter offers various grilled selections like chicken meatballs, shitake mushroom, and salmon belly. Shrimp lovers will be delighted to find out that during the buffet night, tempura was all over the menu – ebi tempura, tendon, kakiage, tempura udon, and more.

There’s an okonomiyaki station if you're craving for some savory Japanese pancake with a variety of ingredients.

Erick loves soup and he was delighted to find that there was a nabemono bar offering shabu-shabu dishes. From the selection, you can customize what to be included in your shabu-shabu. We chose the hotpot with assorted meat, naruto maki, squid balls, and veggies.

After three hours of gluttonous eating, we are left with full stomachs and maybe a few pounds gained. We are two happy eaters.

I always save the best for last..desserts! There are quite a few selection but what we really loved was the Swiss chocolate roll. It was heavenly!

There were other desserts like mango pudding, flamingo mousse, fresh fruit slices, brownies, cupcakes, and even green tea ice cream. By the way, drinks are refillable and you can choose from fruit juices, sodas, coffee, tea.

Overall, our dining experience at Kiseki was good. My rating would be:

Food: 4/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Value for money: 4/5

Kiseki will be moving to another location at Level 8, Orchard Central in June 2012. Visit Kiseki's website, print the voucher, and present at the new Orchard Central outlet to take advantage of an exclusive offer.

Kiseki Japanese Buffet Restaurant
#B1-01, The Heeren (near Somerset MRT Station)
Orchard Road Singapore
65 6736 1216

Outlet store shopping in Singapore

2012-04-14T13:15:00.000+08:00

Of all the countries I've been to, I didn't expect that I'll be able to find outlet stores in Singapore. But as luck would have it, we went to IKEA in Alexandra Road which is just opposite Anchorpoint Shopping Center which houses a few store outlets like Charles and Keith, Pedro, Cotton On, G2000, Billabong, Giordano, among many others.

The stores here offer as much as 70% on selected items and you can find items for as low as SGD 5 for plain tees.

Here are some of the stores in Anchorpoint Shopping Center.

Charles and Keith

Cotton On


Billabong

To get to Anchorpoint, click here.

Anchorpoint
370 Alexandra Road
Singapore 159953
(65) 6475 2257
10am - 10pm

My Singapore shopping hauls

2012-04-14T08:46:00.000+08:00

During my 13-day SG trip, I only promised to shop if it's on sale. Shopping in Singapore is quite expensive. True! That is if you didn't know the best places to get a good bargain. I managed to buy a few items on sale and this shopping experience made me realize that clothes and shoes in SG aren't that expensive only if you shop smartly.

Here are my shopping hauls and buying all of them makes me happy because I saved a lot! Conversion is at SGD 1 = Php 34.

 Charles and Keith black leather bag

Original price: SGD 69.90 /Php 2300

Sale price: SGD 55.90 /1900

L-R: Charles and Keith tan office pumps, Rubi by Cotton On blue flats 

Charles and Keith shoes
Original price: SGD 53.90/Php 1800
Sale price: SGD 26.90/Php 917

Cotton On flats
Sale price: SGD 1o / Php 341

l-R: Cotton On Animal print blaser, Forever 21 belt, G2000 boatneck top

Cotton on blazer: SGD 10 /Php 341

G2000 top: SGD 13 / Php 443

Forever 21 belt: SGD 4 /Php 136

Billabong maillot

Billabong swimsuit: SGD 20 /Php 682

L-R: Forever 21 amethyst leggings, Cotton On black leggings

Forever 21 leggings: SGD 9 /Php 306

Cotton On leggings: SGD 5 / Php 170

I made sure to visit some outlet stores in Singapore so I can take advantage of really discounted items. After all commuting isn't hard at all and I managed to do it on my own. I will blog about this in my next entry.

Batam shopping finds

2012-04-10T21:34:00.001+08:00

Last weekend, we made a short trip to Batam, Indonesia which is just a 40-minute ferry ride from Singapore. We wanted to have a quick getaway from Singapore and Batam Island seems to be one of the closest we can go to unwind.

Singaporeans go to Batam to shop and have a cheap and good message aside from going to the beach. We were able to visit Nagoya Hill Shopping Mall which is the largest mall in the island. To be honest, most stores here sell fake items. If I could compare it to our malls here in Manila – it’d be Greenhills Shopping Center or Harrison Plaza.

But there are also good buys here in the mall.

We bought some snacks like junk foods with variety of flavors like pizza, beef barbecue, and salted. The Chitato potato chips was really good at IDR 8,150 (Php 38). We also tried kue lapis or layer cake which is a famous local delicacy in Batam. We got the chocolate flavor Apollo kue lapis priced at IDR 18,550 (Php 86). It was surprisingly good with soft sponge covered in chocolate.

I've been using the Asian Secrets Lulur whitening body scrub. Lulur was originally intended for the bride-to-be in order to beautify, smoothen, and whiten her skin before the wedding day. This skin whitening treatment is still being used by modern Indonesian women. They didn't have the ASL brand which I was using so I bought the Purbasari brand (IDR 12,760/Php 60). It was a huge savings since the scrub is sold here at Php135.

Who loves donuts? I do! We bought half-dozen donuts from J.Co at IDR 34,000 or Php 159. Whoa! I know J.Co has recently opened here in Megamall but I haven't gone lately to check. Anyways, I really loved the Matcha green tea and Al Capone donuts (two donuts in the upper left).

Who would have thought that I will be able to do some lingerie shopping in Batam? We passed by the Wacoal store and saw that there was an on-going sale. Yay!

So I bought the red-striped bra (IDR 67,500 or Php 315) and panty (IDR 25,000 or Php 117). Those are the prices after the discount. And yeah, I also bought another black t-shirt bra at Matahari Department store at IDR 110,000 or Php 515. Cheap!!!

I love my Batam shopping finds!

Visita Iglesia in Singapore

2012-04-07T00:59:00.000+08:00

Although I am not in Manila during the Holy Week, Erick and I found time to visit some churches here in Singapore to pray and reflect. We were able to visit five churches in the Serangoon district.

We started our Visita Iglesia with the church closest to our place. It was only a five-minute bus ride away. We attended the Stations of the Cross and the mass at St. Anne's Church and then went to the other nearby churches.

St. Anne's Church, Sengkang

The next church was in Upper Serangoon Road and was only eight bus stops away. The Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary has a nice facade with a grotto and waiting benches outside.

Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary

St. Vincent de Paul is a small yet modern church in Yio Chu Kang Road. It was good to know that they hold Tagalog masses here every other Sunday of the month.

St. Vincent de Paul Church, Yio Chu Kang Rd

We missed the bus going to the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary so we had to wait for about 20 more minutes. By the time we got there, the church was already closed so we just prayed in the grotto. The church's location is a walking distance to the Serangoon Stadium and was situated in a quiet neighborhood in Serangoon.

Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

The last church on our list is the Church of St. Francis Xavier in Chartwell Drive. The church is located in an exclusive neighborhood in the district.

Church of St. Francis Xavier

Our Visita Iglesia was very worthwhile and provided us a time to reflect during the Holy Week. I am happy that I was able to practice this though I am far from home.

A day at IKEA

2012-04-06T23:53:00.002+08:00

So finally, I had to chance to visit IKEA not just once but twice. We visited both stores in Alexandra Road and Tampines. We were supposed to buy Erick’s stuff in IKEA Alexandra but decided against it since it was a long commute from there to his house so we went to IKEA Tampines the next day which is one bus ride away.

IKEA is everyone’s happy place, I must say – from furniture shopping to food!

I’ve been hearing good things about IKEA food so we first tried their Swedish meatballs and the salmon since we got there lunch time.

Swedish meatballs

Salmon

You wouldn't miss IKEA because of its blue and yellow building color.

IKEA in Alexandra Road

Once you're inside, you will be delighted with all the stuff that you will see. There are lots of home inspiration and ideas that you'll want to do in your own home - from bedroom to the kitchen.

When I saw the room below, I knew that it's the type of room I wanna have. The room itself was simple yet stylish. The space was maximized by using a divider between the bedroom and the closet. And most of all, I loved it because there was a walk-in closet where I can stuff all my clothes and shoes :)

Main bedroom

I really want to have a walk-in closet in my future home. I especially loved the walk-in closet and adjoining bath and tub here.

Dresser and walk-in closet

I also loved this another space which is typically suitable for a condo unit. The space is re-invented and maximized. You wouldn't feel that you're living inside a shoebox space. Haha.

Living room and dining room all in one space

What's cookin' house-band?

And finally, here's the bedroom. I think this unit is perfect for those living solo and young couples.

the bedroom

I wouldn't leave IKEA without buying something. If I could just buy some stuff for my room and ship them all to Manila, I would. But IKEA food is the most I can take home. So chocolate bars for moi!

IKEA chocolate bars

IKEA, I will surely come back!

Singapore so far

2012-04-02T11:19:00.002+08:00

Hey everyone! How was your weekend? I am blogging in Singapore right now where I am having a really great vacation. I arrived last Thursday and was greeted by a rainy weather, exactly the same weather when I left Manila. But thankfully, everytime that we're out the weather was always cooperative.

This long vacation is turning out exactly as I didn't plan which is actually GREAT. I had no itinerary at hand but Erick and I never run out of things to do while I am here in Singapore. I've just been here for four days and so far here's what I did.

Buffet steamboat dinner at Chinatown

We had a buffet steamboat dinner with some friends at Chinatown. Definitely good because it's been awhile since I had buffet!

Merlion i Light Show

We caught the last night of the i Light Marina Bay 2012 which featured the Merlion, among the many other structues along the bay. The event is a sustainable light art festival which made use of energy-efficient lighting and created awareness for energy-saving lighting technology for the urban environment.

Lazy Sunday afternoon

We spent our Sunday afternoon strolling around and just lazing around the Singapore Botanic Gardens. We brought some snacks for our mini picnic in the park.

IKEA feels like home :)

We went to IKEA at Alexandra Rd. and Tampines. Erick bought a full length mirror and a side table for his almost bare room. We love IKEA food especially the Swedish meatballs and chicken wings.

Shoe haven at Charles and Keith outlet

We checked some outlet stores in Anchorpoint Mall in Alexandra Rd. I only promised to shop if it's on sale.

Reunited :)

And spending time with each other everyday is priceless. Yihee :) I still have 9 more days to go in Singapore. I wish my vacation won't end.

My BrowHaus Experience

2012-04-01T01:22:00.001+08:00

If you catch me staring at your face, I am probably looking at your eyebrows and studying them. I'm obsessed about eyebrows. For me, you can have the most basic make up but if your eyebrows are neat, you'll still look made up.

I've been hearing raves about BrowHaus since I came to know it. BrowHaus is a one-stop grooming salon that uses blueprint system which is a precise system designed to create the perfect brow. The system employs a grid technology to structure a brow of perfect form and symmetry. I was curious about their services like their brow construction which is normally called as threading. However the price was quite steep. It was Php 598 for classic threading where you can get it at Php100+ in other beauty salons.

BrowHaus Greenbelt 5

So when a deal for Brow Construction was sold by one of the groupon sites, I immediately asked the boyfriend to buy it for me because the deal was exclusive to Citibank credit card holders. Finally, I was gonna try it!

Brow Resurrection - one of BrowHaus' signature services

My eyebrows are not exactly that bad which I thought so. They are groomed every once in a while - shaven or threading as I pleased. But one thing I noticed is they don't have arches for that perfect eyebrow look.

I booked an appointment with BrowHaus Greenbelt 5 since it's near my office. I got there before my 7pm appointment and I didn't wait that long to be called. My eyebrow technican or eyebrow architect lead me to small room and explained the process to be done. She said that my brows are straight. Oh dear. She mapped my eyebrows to check the inner brow, the peak, and the tail and to determine the perfect eyebrow shape for my face. She suggested that for my face the perfect arches are the soft ones.

Then, the brow construction began. She put on some powder first to protect the skin and probably ease the pain. It felt like normal eyebrow threading but more detailed. I sensed that the eyebrow technican is working meticulously in creating the really perfect brows for me. I actually had to help her during the process by pulling my skin in the eyelid for her to pull the hair easily and prevent from making a cut. The whole process wasn't painless at all as I expected but I must say it's worth it. Oh the things we do for vanity!

My brow technician advised that I should let the hair grow thicker in my inner brow to have a more defined eyebrows. After the whole threading process, a soothing cream was spread in my brow area to ease the redness and pain.

BEFORE

AFTER

I am happy with the results! I am definitely lovin' my eyebrows. I think it really brightened up my face and made my eyebrow area more defined and groomed. To add with, I am also pleased with the service provided by the BrowHaus staff. I will try to maintain my brows but if anything goes out of hand, I know BrowHaus will come to my rescue. Hmmm and I'm getting curious about their Color Tweak to boost the eyebrow color to soften or darken thm.

BrowHaus

Serendra
1 Serendra, Store space 2C13
The Piazza at Serendram, Bonifacio Global City
City of Taguig 1634, Philippines
Tel: +632 901 0597

Greenbelt

Store Space 4-003B
4F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center
Makati City, Phillipines
Tel: +632 501 3998

Excited to travel!

2012-03-23T22:24:00.000+08:00

After almost six months of travel hiatus, it’ll be only be exactly 5 days before my long travel. Yey! Spell excited and that’s me. Seriously, for a travel junkie like me not being able to go on a trip for such a long time was a torture. Hmm well not really but I had to make some adjustments and focus on other things like work (boo).

Guess where my destination is? SINGAPORE..where the love my life is currently based. I will be in SG for 12 days.. yay! At first I was quite hesitant of taking a long vacay because of work. Most of the time, we are working to meet really tight project deadlines. But since the holiday was stretched due to the upcoming Holy Week and and me missing Erick, I decided to go anyway.

It’s gonna be my 5^th time in Singapore and you know how quaint it is. So I guess I’ll pass up on the touristy activities and do some more local stuff like maybe running in the park, going to the wet market, and eating at hawkers. I really haven’t listed what I wanna do with my 12 days in SG which reminds me to start listing them. Well, Erick and I have planned a quick Batam getaway during my vacay. That's one and probably some outlet shopping. And oh, I haven't gone yet to Ikea :)

I brought a new 25kilos capacity burgundy luggage from World Traveller. Should start packing my stuff this weekend! I’m excited!!!!

The case of a compromised credit card

2012-03-21T15:28:00.001+08:00

Yesterday, I bought a luggage for my upcoming trip next week. I bought a World Traveller burgundy luggage with 25kilos capacity. It was a good deal at 50% off considering the brand and size. I decided that I was just gonna use my BPI credit card. When the cashier swiped my card, she got an error saying ‘call voice center’. I got confused since I already paid my outstanding balance before due date which was last Friday. I asked the cashier to try it again but it still was giving the same error. This irked me because I didn’t want shell out cash but had no choice since I was at the counter already. So in short, I bought my luggage in cash.

When I reached home, I immediately called BPI to inquire what could be possibly be the issue. I already paid my outstanding dues so I could not understand why my card has been declined that night and also last Saturday when I tried to use it. They checked my records and inquired when was the last time I used my card. I told them it was probably first week of March when I bought an item from one the deal sites. I tried to use it after but it got declined when I booked a flight from Cebu Pacific for my sister. I thought the card was just maxed out since I share the same credit line with my dad.

Upon further investigation, the BPI phonebanker informed me that there appeared to be transactions using my card from Apple app store. There were two transactions on March 9 amounting to USD 144 and another one on March 11 amounting to USD 10. This freaked me out since I don’t remember downloading something from Apple and I don’t even have an Iphone or any Apple gadget. I am not gonna pay for that!

The agent suggested that I should file a dispute on the items purchased using my credit card. He called another department to verify something. When he got back to me, he informed me that the transactions made under my card did not push through and BPI have permanently blocked my card so that it would not be further misused for transactions. Wheeeeeew! What a relief! But I'd appreciate if they could have informed me that they’ve blocked my card instead of me calling them to know the situation. I tell you, it’s really embarrassing to stand in the cashier only to be told that your card has been declined, with a long line of customers behind you. I wanted to disappear in embarrassment.

Lesson learned: Use your credit card with extra caution. Like most of you probably, I use my card with ease in online transactions. It saves me time and it's faster. I never thought that I would be victimized by fraudulent use of credit card. Anyways, I was informed that BPI will process the replacement of my credit card within 1 banking day and the delivery would take about 3 days. I just hope to get my new credit card soon because I will be out of the country next week and will definitely need it.

Here are a few useful tips from BBC Web-wise to keep your credit card safe and sound.

Stay safe!

Take me to the beach!

2012-03-17T01:25:00.002+08:00

Summer is officially on! I can’t help but daydream about going to the beach these days, just daydreaming because I really haven’t got any plans to hit the beach this summer. Erick and I will be on a quick beach getaway when I visit him in Singapore this coming Holy Week. *fingers crossed*. Well that’s another story.

I’ve always been a budget traveler and I've been to many beaches here in the Philippines but most of them are on a budget trip. But of course, given the moolah and all, I would love to explore some of the luxury beaches in country. After all, the best beaches in the world are here!

Here are some beaches I am dying to go to:

El Nido Resort, Palawan

When I hear the word "Palawan”, pristine beaches are the first things that come to my mind next to the Puerto Princesa Underground River. I’ve been to Puerto Princesa, Palawan and we have toured the Underground River, Honda Bay, and Sabang Beach. This beach vacation with the family was super relaxing and fun that I want to go to back to Palawan, but this time in the luxurious El Nido Resort. For budget-conscious travelers, staying in El Nido town and going on island hopping is an option but I want to experience the white sand, blue waters, and luxury accommodation El Nido Resort offers.

El Nido Resort have combined a luxurious hotel experience and a private and secluded beach. Most upscale resorts provide the best accommodation but lacked in beach quality. When visiting in El Nido, you can choose from the four island resorts in which you will stay in: Apulit, Lagen, Miniloc, or Pangalusians islands or alternatively you can choose to stay 1 night on each of the island. How beach lovely is that!

Palawan is truly a paradise found!

Bellarocca Island and Resort Spa, Marinduque

Bellarocca is located in Marinduque and sits on an island with an overlooking view of the blue sea and clear skies. I first came to know about Bellarocca when an exclusive deal site offered a very tempting deal for a 3D/2N stay. Upon seeing the resort pictures, I was awed by the Santorini-inspired architecture of the resort. After all, it’s not often that you find a Greek inspired architecture here in the Philippines.

The accommodations are really lovely. Private villas have their own infinity pool and outdoor jacuzzi. Who can resist the charm and privacy offered by Bellarocca?

I'm not completely sure if the beach is recommended for swimming. I heard that the beach is rocky. There are water sports activities to try though such as windsurfing, jet ski, water skiing, etc. Or you can just lock up in your room and laze in the king-size bed or better yet lounge in your private pool as you sip your cocktail and enjoy the view of Mt. Malindig. This is the life!

Club Tara Beach Resort, Siargao Island

Siargao is known as the Cloud 9 for its humungous surfing waves. I guess every surfer wannabe dreams to go to Siargao. I heard there are surfing spots for beginners which is cool. Well aside from being the surfing capital of the Philippines, Club Tara Beach Resort is also found in Siargao.

The resort is located in one of the Bucas Grande Islands also known as the Sohoton National Park. The islands are a hidden gem with some white sand beaches undiscovered and wonderful snorkeling spots.

The cottages stand on the water surrounded by 6-8 islets. Staying in one of their jacuzzi villas would be so relaxing with the view of the green sea.

Misibis Bay, Bacacay, Albay

A Bicolana myself, it’s a shame that I haven’t gone to Misibis Bay which is dubbed as a luxury island playground. To be quite honest, I didn’t find the resort enticing at first because I knew that the white sand beach is artificial. Hehe Beaches in Albay are all black sand because of Mt. Mayon.

However, the resort has been in the spotlight since it opened which made me curious. After all, having born and grown in the province I want to know what this little island has to offer. A beach trip could be planned, it's just an hour trip by land and ferry transfers anyway.

Take me to the beacccccch!

PS: All the photos are taken from each of the resorts' websites.

Ilocos travel series: Ilocos - good until it lasts (day 3)

2012-03-09T23:09:00.001+08:00

Knowing that it was gonna be our last day in Ilocos, I woke up a bit early. I had a good night’s sleep after drinking basi, a locally-made Ilocano wine. It was unfortunate that I wasn’t able to keep awake the whole night to join the gang in the all-night drinking spree. It may have been due to basi or I was just dead tired from the whole day of activities.

Our itinerary for the day included a whole morning of beach bumming in Pagudpud, a visit to Patapat Viaduct, Bangui Wind Mills, and Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, and then merienda at an authentic Ilocano restaurant, and some souvenir shopping in the public market.

Good morning Pagudpud!

After breakfast, we spent all morning in the beach. It was our last hours in Pagudpud so we wanted to made the most out of it.

Happy beach time :)

After lunch, we went to Patapat Viaduct which is still in Pagudpud. It is basically a highway bridge that connects Ilocos province to Cagayan Valley. It is fondly called as the “French Riviera of the North”. While cruising along the highway, you will be amazed with the view of the sea and the mountains.

Patapat Viaduct

The scenic view from the bridge can really pass for a movie shooting location where the man chases the love of his life when she tried to run away by taking a bus. Haha.

We stopped for a while and took some photos as if there were no passing cars.

with kaladkarin friends

And finally, I saw Bangui Wind Mills for the first time. The famous wind mills have been on much exposure in Philippines tourism ads and commercials. You will be awed to see that these wind mills are actually huge. From afar, you’d wonder if the blades are actually moving. Wait till you get close to it. You could hear the sound of the wind as it smashes against the turbines.

Bangui Wind Mills

The Bangui Wind Mills are more than just a tourist attraction. It was built to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases which causes global warming. The 20 wind turbines help in accelerating the rural electrification of the province as it also provides power supply in the Ilocos province.

Really huge fan

We stopped by Cape Bojeador Lighthouse which is also known as Burgos Lighthouse. The old lighthouse used to guide safely ships entering the Philippine archipelago from the north in the rocky coast of the town.

The lighthouse is tall at 65 ft. and it was breath catching to climb it up to the top. The view was definitely worth is as you can see the view of the province as well as Bangui Wind Mills on a clear sunny day.

View from the lighthouse

We drove to Laoag City in mid-afternoon. Our flight back to Manila was at 6PM and we wanted to spare a few hours in the city to buy some souvenirs and savour Ilocano dishes. We had merienda at Saramsam Café.

Saramsam Cafe

We also stopped quickly at the Sinking Bell Tower of Laoag which used to be a tall bell tower. It was said that it sank through time because the of the sandy foundation of the bell tower. It is something not to be missed as it is located upon entering the city proper.

Sinking Bell Tower

Any trip wouldn’t be complete without any pasalubong. Our tour guide brought us to the local wet market for us to buy cheaper pasalubong. Of course, I didn’t miss to buy bagnet, chichacorn, suka, and bagoong.

Times flies fast when you’re having fun. At 6PM, we boarded the plane bound for Manila which brought us back to reality. I’m glad I made this trip with my closest travel barkada. We all agreed that this was our most sulit trip to date – sightseeing (check), friendly tour guide and comfy van (check), foodtrip (check), nice hotel and resort (check), BEACH (check), drinking session (check), pasalubong (check) and most of all budget (check). What can I say? This trip had it all.

Fun time in Ilocos (check)!

PS: Some of the pictures from my Ilocos blog entries were from my friend Gyles. Thanks Gyles! :)