Hello again! I'm still in the Philippines. The past few weeks have been busy and tiring. I am still trying to adjust to the change in time zones. It's weird because I have been getting very sleepy around 8pm and waking up at 7am while here. Usually back in the States, I can stay up as long as 3am and can usually sleep until 1pm. I'm sure it's the 12 hour time difference and the jet lag. Another element I am battling is the heat and humidity! It's is very humid and hot here during the day and sometimes at night. I fell so gross and sticky from sweating by the end of the day that all I want to do is take a shower and go to bed!
So on our second day in Bacolod, we were planning on going sight seeing around the mountain areas, but ended up spending the day in Bago. A family friend named Diday (actually her nickname) was at my aunt's house giving manicures, pedicures, and massages. I ended up getting both manicure and pedicure, plus a massage. Hubby got a massage too. It was amazing and just want I needed! The massage was 300 PHP (Philippines pesos) which currently has a convention rate of around 42 peso to the US $1. So the massage was about $7 for a full body, one hour long massage. This is actually slightly high than what spas around the area charge since she does it at your house. The mani/pedi was 200PHP. We also visited an area in Bago near the river where part of a fiesta was taking place. The area was celebrating a "charter fiesta" which consist of different areas/neighborhoods around Bago and celebrates when they becomes a town or charter. Each charter had a little House/hut built along the river and sold different products from their area. My cousins bought a lot of local fruit... Indian mango, star apple, etc. My cousins and I had lunch in a little food stand, where I got to try Filipino style fish balls for the first time. They were more like fish flavored deep fried dough. Yummy!
Yesterday (02/15) was spent celebrating my birthday. My family planned a large party with lots of extended members. It was nice to see more relatives! My birthday is actually on the 17th, but my cousin's wedding is taking place that day. Our scheduled plan was mixed up and changed due to the recent earthquake that affect the other half of the island we are on. The island is separated into Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental. We are in the Occidental side and the earthquake affected the Oriental side. This was where the wedding was to take place, but the earthquake and subsequent landslides had destroyed much of the area and made the roads and bridges impassible by car. Our family had to re-plan everything and now the wedding will be held in Bago and the reception in my aunt's house. Anyways, my birthday party was a lot of fun! My cousin got me a large pink "princess" cake and we every had a karaoke machine! Us filipinos love our karaoke!
Today (02/16), was a day trip to a large neighboring island called Iloilo. My parents had two places they wanted to eat for lunch and dinner and I wanted to go shopping at one of the mega malls. We took a large, fast ferry called an Ocean Jet from Bacolod to Iloilo which took an hour. Once there we ate breakfasts at a small local eatery by the water called Nora's. The meal consisted of fried fish, eggs, rice, and pork chops. I also tried little squid cooked in the ink... It was delicious! Now, I do know what lots of foodies are raving about. After breakfast we spent a few hours shopping in ShoMart aka SM mall. We took a local bus called a Jeepney to the mall. Lunch was at this restaurant in the outskirts of Iloilo, by the water called TaToy's. We had grilled chicken (their speciality and will the head still attached!), scallops, oysters, and garlic rice. My hubby and parents also had young coconut juice right outs of the coconut shell called Buko. I'm not a fan. Afterwards, we took the Ocean Jet back to Bacolod. It was raining at this point and the water was very choppy, making for an interesting ride. We ended the day having lunch with my cousins who were in Bacolod for some shopping. Nothing special in the fare, but the atmosphere was nice... Family, food, drinks, and lots of laughs. What more can you ask for?
Now it's time for bed because I have to wake up earlier to get ready for the wedding in the morning!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
West Meets East 2012 - The Arrival
Hello and mabuhay from the Philippines! I am currently taking a two week vacation to the Philippines, including a 4 day layover in Hong Kong. I will try to blog about it as often as I can get free wifi :) This trip will be my third to the Philippines (the last time we were here was 6 years ago) and first time in Hong Kong, but even more exciting is that it will be my husband's first trip to Asia!
We started our flight domestically from Baltimore Washington International to Chicago O'Hare International. The flight was only 2 hours and on one of the smallest planes I have travelled in! Upon arriving to Chicago, which was COLD, we had to rush to get to our next flight at the international terminal. We took the airport transit to another area of the airport campus where the international airlines departed from. We had to re-check in with our international flight company Cathay Pacific. Then came one of the busiest and strictest security checks I've gone through. Absolutely no jewelry. No shoes. No jackets. No sweatshirts. They would had us down to our underwear if they could I'm sure.
Our transcontinental trip from Chicago to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific was crazy long!!! 16 hours!!! Thank goodness for the good food, excellent flight attendants, and the personal entertainment system per seat. The worst part was the stinky bathrooms and the actual seats themselves. The shell-style seats were designed nicely in that they prevent the seat in front of you from reclining into your lap. This is accomplished by the seat sliding forward into more of a scoop rather than reclining backwards. MANY patrons do not like this design at all; complaining of a lack of cushioning and lumbar support. I just wish there was more padding to the bottom cushion. After a while, my butt was becoming numb, making it uncomfortable to sleep. Thankfully I was able to find a comfortable position and catch some shut eye. Surprisingly, hubby slept more than me! And I'm the one who always falls asleep on car rides. For a few more thousands of dollars (okay, a lot more!) business class has individual seats that recline further and first class has seats that reclines AND convert into small beds.
Upon arriving in Hong Kong airport, we had to go through customs and security, as well as navigate the large airport to find our flight gate. We met up with my cousins from London here as they were also flying via Cathay Pacific. The flight from Hong Kong to Manila was only about 2 hours. When we landed in Manila, we met up with my cousins from Baltimore who had flown via Delta. Then it was a cattle herd through immigration, baggage claim, and customs. From the international terminal, we took the airport shuttle to the domestic terminal. Here, we waited about an hour inside the terminal for it to open. Once we checked into our domestic flight on PAL (Philippines airlines) we waited another hour for our flight to leave. It was around 4 am when our flight departed for Bacolod.
The flight to Bacolod took less than an hour. It was nice to be greeted by some many relatives upon arriving at the airport! So many people that my hubby knew through Facebook, but was finally able to meet in person. Our next stop was the hotel in Bacolod. I was dying to have a hot shower! My dad actually rented an SUV through a cousin who he also paid to drive us around the area during our stay. It as very convenient as my parents are no longer as familiar with the roads and driving in the Philippines is a totally different animal! Overtaking other people on the road is legal and signaled by honking ones horn at the vehicle you are going to overtake. Sometimes people driving in the middle of the street or speed up to 100 mph. Pedestrians just walk out into the road when crossing, playing frogger, and hoping they don't get run over. It's definitely an environment that calls for an experienced driver!
Luckily, the hotel was kind enough to let us check in early. We are in a room with 4 twin bed (two pushed together). The view from the window is not that great and the room could be cleaner in some aspects, but it serves its purpose. I doubt we will be in the room much throughout the day and at last the beds are clean and comfy. After getting settled in the hotel, we drove to Bago City; an small country town outside of Bago. I grew up here during part of my childhood in my aunt's house. We spent the rest of the day visiting with family and catching up :)
I'm so glad to finally be "home" and to share this experience with my husband! I'm sure we'll have a lot of storied to share and memories toe make!
We started our flight domestically from Baltimore Washington International to Chicago O'Hare International. The flight was only 2 hours and on one of the smallest planes I have travelled in! Upon arriving to Chicago, which was COLD, we had to rush to get to our next flight at the international terminal. We took the airport transit to another area of the airport campus where the international airlines departed from. We had to re-check in with our international flight company Cathay Pacific. Then came one of the busiest and strictest security checks I've gone through. Absolutely no jewelry. No shoes. No jackets. No sweatshirts. They would had us down to our underwear if they could I'm sure.
Our transcontinental trip from Chicago to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific was crazy long!!! 16 hours!!! Thank goodness for the good food, excellent flight attendants, and the personal entertainment system per seat. The worst part was the stinky bathrooms and the actual seats themselves. The shell-style seats were designed nicely in that they prevent the seat in front of you from reclining into your lap. This is accomplished by the seat sliding forward into more of a scoop rather than reclining backwards. MANY patrons do not like this design at all; complaining of a lack of cushioning and lumbar support. I just wish there was more padding to the bottom cushion. After a while, my butt was becoming numb, making it uncomfortable to sleep. Thankfully I was able to find a comfortable position and catch some shut eye. Surprisingly, hubby slept more than me! And I'm the one who always falls asleep on car rides. For a few more thousands of dollars (okay, a lot more!) business class has individual seats that recline further and first class has seats that reclines AND convert into small beds.
Upon arriving in Hong Kong airport, we had to go through customs and security, as well as navigate the large airport to find our flight gate. We met up with my cousins from London here as they were also flying via Cathay Pacific. The flight from Hong Kong to Manila was only about 2 hours. When we landed in Manila, we met up with my cousins from Baltimore who had flown via Delta. Then it was a cattle herd through immigration, baggage claim, and customs. From the international terminal, we took the airport shuttle to the domestic terminal. Here, we waited about an hour inside the terminal for it to open. Once we checked into our domestic flight on PAL (Philippines airlines) we waited another hour for our flight to leave. It was around 4 am when our flight departed for Bacolod.
The flight to Bacolod took less than an hour. It was nice to be greeted by some many relatives upon arriving at the airport! So many people that my hubby knew through Facebook, but was finally able to meet in person. Our next stop was the hotel in Bacolod. I was dying to have a hot shower! My dad actually rented an SUV through a cousin who he also paid to drive us around the area during our stay. It as very convenient as my parents are no longer as familiar with the roads and driving in the Philippines is a totally different animal! Overtaking other people on the road is legal and signaled by honking ones horn at the vehicle you are going to overtake. Sometimes people driving in the middle of the street or speed up to 100 mph. Pedestrians just walk out into the road when crossing, playing frogger, and hoping they don't get run over. It's definitely an environment that calls for an experienced driver!
Luckily, the hotel was kind enough to let us check in early. We are in a room with 4 twin bed (two pushed together). The view from the window is not that great and the room could be cleaner in some aspects, but it serves its purpose. I doubt we will be in the room much throughout the day and at last the beds are clean and comfy. After getting settled in the hotel, we drove to Bago City; an small country town outside of Bago. I grew up here during part of my childhood in my aunt's house. We spent the rest of the day visiting with family and catching up :)
I'm so glad to finally be "home" and to share this experience with my husband! I'm sure we'll have a lot of storied to share and memories toe make!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Home Sweet Homeland!
Tomorrow begins a trip long over due and one that I have been waiting for all year! I'm going back to the Philippines! My origin of birth. My motherland. My heritage. I'll definitely write a blog about my travels (short as it will... only 2 weeks! boo!) upon my arrival back to the States, but will TRY to keep a current blog as I go, provided that the internet cooperates.
So the last time I visited the Philippines was in June/July of 2006. Six years ago! Wow, was it really THAT long? I was under the impression that it was only about 4 years. Apparently I was 20 and traveled with my parents and younger brother. This time around, I will be travel with my parents and my hubby! Little bro will not be joining us :( But I am soooo excited to be introducing my husband to where I was born and the first 3 years of my life growing up. We will also have a family reunion amongst my extended family since my cousin will be getting married while we are there.
Plus an added bonus to the trip = 4 day layover in Hong Kong on our way back!!!!!! I am beyond excited to do some serious shopping and eating :)
Only 7 more hours until we leave for the airport! I guess I could TRY to get some sleep...
Thursday, January 26, 2012
The BB Cream Effect
If you haven't heard of BB creams then you need to do some serious googling! It's my new fav make-up product that I have been raving about for the past month! I always tell people that "its in between a tinted moisturizer and liquid foundation". Now I've never been a big fan of either of those products. In fact, I refuse to wear them. Prior to BB creams I used to just wear mineral/powdered bronzer on my face. My favorite product being with Physician's Formula bronzer or Artistry's loose mineral powder.
Now on to the day of BB creams. I stumbled onto this product while watching some asian make-up blogs on YouTube. The short end of the story... bought a few brands to try online and the rest is history! Just wanted to post some before and after photos to show the difference.
This me WITHOUT any make-up. Just some moisturizer. And you'll probably never see my face this naked in pictures again. LOL.
After BB cream application. I used Skin79's VIP Gold BB Cream.
Most BB creams usually oxidize to a lighter tint than my natural skin tone, so I've had to use a bronzer onto of the BB cream. It's usually recommended to "set" the BB cream with some sort of finishing powder (usually non-tinted), so I just use either a powdered or loose mineral bronzer. Lately I've been using the one from Artistry (medium shade).
Voila! The finished look! Just added some false eyelashes and Lioele's gel eyeliner :)
Now on to the day of BB creams. I stumbled onto this product while watching some asian make-up blogs on YouTube. The short end of the story... bought a few brands to try online and the rest is history! Just wanted to post some before and after photos to show the difference.
This me WITHOUT any make-up. Just some moisturizer. And you'll probably never see my face this naked in pictures again. LOL.
After BB cream application. I used Skin79's VIP Gold BB Cream.
Most BB creams usually oxidize to a lighter tint than my natural skin tone, so I've had to use a bronzer onto of the BB cream. It's usually recommended to "set" the BB cream with some sort of finishing powder (usually non-tinted), so I just use either a powdered or loose mineral bronzer. Lately I've been using the one from Artistry (medium shade).
Voila! The finished look! Just added some false eyelashes and Lioele's gel eyeliner :)
Monday, January 23, 2012
Sick as a dog
Okay, not really. I just have a cold and right now it's not bad. But yesterday I felt like I was going to die... nauseated, daggers in my throat, runny nose, coughing. Gross. I just felt gross. The absolute symptom was the sore throat!
Pharyngitis to us of the medical world... inflammation of the pharynx or back of the throat. Worst symptom ever! Worst than a paper cut. Worst than nausea and vomiting. I'm sure it was due to the post-nasal drainage from my runny nose, but I have a great fear of a sore throat developing into tonsillitis or the dreaded strep throat. I had strep throat and tonsillitis once and it is something I would not wish on my worst enemy. It's like a sore throat, but 100x worst! And it was just my luck that the penicillin took a week to actually work (not in 2-3 days like my doctors promised) and I found out that I'm actually allergic to penicillin. So I had the atom bomb of sore throats AND itchy red hands.
So I was on a mission last night to combat this sore throat. Google search! I found a recipe for hot water, lemon juice, honey, and cayenne pepper for one to gargle and sip. The recipe also called for apple cider vinegar, but I didn't have this. It definitely soothed the pain in my throat, but it didn't make it go away. I ended up drinking/gargling half the cup, taking a Tylenol PM and going to bed (sleeping upright).
This morning... sore throat still there, but not as bad. I had some orange juice and by the afternoon my sore throat was gone!!!!! YAY!!!! Still have a cold though, but now its just annoying sinus congestion. Nothing a little amazing Mucinex can't fix :)
Ps. The tylenol PM totally knocked me off my feet for the whole day! But I was able to get some sleep last night.
Pharyngitis to us of the medical world... inflammation of the pharynx or back of the throat. Worst symptom ever! Worst than a paper cut. Worst than nausea and vomiting. I'm sure it was due to the post-nasal drainage from my runny nose, but I have a great fear of a sore throat developing into tonsillitis or the dreaded strep throat. I had strep throat and tonsillitis once and it is something I would not wish on my worst enemy. It's like a sore throat, but 100x worst! And it was just my luck that the penicillin took a week to actually work (not in 2-3 days like my doctors promised) and I found out that I'm actually allergic to penicillin. So I had the atom bomb of sore throats AND itchy red hands.
So I was on a mission last night to combat this sore throat. Google search! I found a recipe for hot water, lemon juice, honey, and cayenne pepper for one to gargle and sip. The recipe also called for apple cider vinegar, but I didn't have this. It definitely soothed the pain in my throat, but it didn't make it go away. I ended up drinking/gargling half the cup, taking a Tylenol PM and going to bed (sleeping upright).
This morning... sore throat still there, but not as bad. I had some orange juice and by the afternoon my sore throat was gone!!!!! YAY!!!! Still have a cold though, but now its just annoying sinus congestion. Nothing a little amazing Mucinex can't fix :)
Ps. The tylenol PM totally knocked me off my feet for the whole day! But I was able to get some sleep last night.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Quick Easy Eggs Florentine
I actually stole this recipe from theChew.com, one of my new fav shows to watch! I love to think that I'd be able to replicate Mario Batalli's recipes, but there are a lot of easy recipes on the show. Even though she gets teased a lot for eating healthy, I love Daphne Oz's segments of healthy versions of food we all love; except her Tofurkey... still don't know about that one...
Anyways, here's the recipe minus the Hollendaise sauce which has too much butter in it...
- Poach one egg by bring a small pot of water to a boil. Crack egg into a bowl to help you place into the water once boiling. *I accidentally broke the yoke and probably boiled the egg for too long. Boil egg for 3-4 minutes.
- Saute 1 cup spinach in olive oil and garlic until soft.
- Toast 1 slice of whole wheat toast
- Assembly spinach and egg on top of toast. *Remove egg from water using slotted spoon.
- Sprinkle your fav herbs on top. I used a provincial herb mix.
The egg should be runny, but still good if you fully cook the yoke. You could even forgo the toast if you are on a low-carb diet.
ENJOY :)
Thursday, May 5, 2011
I'm still alive!
Hello Blog! Sorry I have been neglectful over the past few months, but life has been quite crazy and hectic! There have been many large and interesting changes that have occurred in my life recently, which have kept be busy and without much free-time to blog. Well, I am taking some quality time to update you about me.
Two of the biggest changes that have happened over the past few months are 1) Brandon and I got a new dog and 2) We moved back to Maryland :)
Bella is the new addition to our little family; along with me, my husband, and our 13 year old male shih tzu Pierre. She is a black labrador retriever who we got from a local breeder in Virginia. She comes from a champion pedigree with both her grandmother and father being champion title show dogs. She is an AWESOME and BEAUTIFUL puppy. Every is always complimenting her on how pretty she is :) Of course she is still a puppy (currently about 6 months) and can have her CRAZY, WILD moments. Her "whining" bark as we call it is ear-piercing and very painful! She loves to play roughly with Pierre, who she is now significantly bigger than and unfortunately he usually is not in the same playful mood... being 13 years old. Thankfully, she is pretty much house-trained and we haven't had any "accidents" in the house for a while now *fingers crossed*
As for the second big event in my life, yes we have FINALLY moved back to Maryland! Much to my absolute happiness :) Not that the area of Virgina where we lived was horrible, but it just didn't afforded me the lifestyle that I was used to in Maryland. I was starting to miss the diversity and action that comes with living in the DC metro area. We're currently living with Brandon's dad while we look for a rental to stay while we try to either rent out or sell our house in Gloucester. It's not the most ideal living conditions, but we have our own room, bed, access to cable tv and most importantly a roof over our head. Now I also have access to all the authentic ethnic foods that I was so deprived of living in Virginia... Mexican, Vietnamese, Japanese, Filipino, Iranian, Lebanese, Indian, and Italian cuisine where they actually make the pasta fresh daily <3 <3 <3
Recently we took a stroll around the DC memorial with Bella. It was so nice to be around the historic architecture and other dog-lovers walking there dogs too. I am truly ecstatic to be back HOME :)
Two of the biggest changes that have happened over the past few months are 1) Brandon and I got a new dog and 2) We moved back to Maryland :)
Bella is the new addition to our little family; along with me, my husband, and our 13 year old male shih tzu Pierre. She is a black labrador retriever who we got from a local breeder in Virginia. She comes from a champion pedigree with both her grandmother and father being champion title show dogs. She is an AWESOME and BEAUTIFUL puppy. Every is always complimenting her on how pretty she is :) Of course she is still a puppy (currently about 6 months) and can have her CRAZY, WILD moments. Her "whining" bark as we call it is ear-piercing and very painful! She loves to play roughly with Pierre, who she is now significantly bigger than and unfortunately he usually is not in the same playful mood... being 13 years old. Thankfully, she is pretty much house-trained and we haven't had any "accidents" in the house for a while now *fingers crossed*
As for the second big event in my life, yes we have FINALLY moved back to Maryland! Much to my absolute happiness :) Not that the area of Virgina where we lived was horrible, but it just didn't afforded me the lifestyle that I was used to in Maryland. I was starting to miss the diversity and action that comes with living in the DC metro area. We're currently living with Brandon's dad while we look for a rental to stay while we try to either rent out or sell our house in Gloucester. It's not the most ideal living conditions, but we have our own room, bed, access to cable tv and most importantly a roof over our head. Now I also have access to all the authentic ethnic foods that I was so deprived of living in Virginia... Mexican, Vietnamese, Japanese, Filipino, Iranian, Lebanese, Indian, and Italian cuisine where they actually make the pasta fresh daily <3 <3 <3
Recently we took a stroll around the DC memorial with Bella. It was so nice to be around the historic architecture and other dog-lovers walking there dogs too. I am truly ecstatic to be back HOME :)
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