AcrosstheLaine

My Ilocos Get-away Day 2 (Blue Lagoon and Saud Beach)

2012-02-02T20:42:00.001+08:00

The two beaches that we visited in Pagudpud are two opposite types of beaches as far waves are concerned.

Our first stop is the Blue Lagoon or also known as the Maira-ira Beach. The waves in this beach are really crashing and roaring into the white sands on the shore.

A picturesque shot of the Blue Lagoon

My travel mates as the foreground and the roaring waves as the background.

After enjoying the waves in the Blue Lagoon, we went back to our resort which is situated in front of the Saud Beach. This beach is the exact opposite of the Blue Lagoon in terms of waves.

This is where we spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the calm waves and the breath-taking view of the sunset.

My Ilocos Get-away Day 2 (Patapat Viaduct)

2011-12-27T11:34:00.001+08:00

After taking a plunge on the cold waters of Kabigan Falls, we went to the famouse Patapat Viaduct. I had no idea what it was but was excited to discover something new for the day.

While we are on our way, our guide turned on the AM radio from the van and proudly said that the signals from a Chinese Radio station in Taiwan are clearly heard on that part of Ilocos without the use of any specialized radio waves device. He tuned it a radio station which sounded like a Chinese News program. All of us were amazed though all that we heard was a guy and a girl laughing and some talking in Mandarin language. :)

When we reached the Patapat Viaduct, the view inside the van was a beautiful sight already. But of course, we all still felt the urge to go out and step on the sturdy road. Good thing there weren't many vehicles passing by the road that time.

The Patapat Viaduct

The Patapat Viaduct is said to be the 4th longest bridge in the Philippines.
It is a 1.3 km concrete coastal bridge with a height of 31 m that connects the Maharlika Highway from Laoag, Ilocos Norte to the Cagayan valley Region. (Source: Wikipedia-Patapat Viaduct)

The roadside view was spectacular. Blue waters, green mountainside and fresh air. We all wished we could stay there longer. But no, we can't stay there for a long time because our jam-packed itinerary for the day wasn't done yet.

Date A Girl Who Reads by Rosemarie Urquico

2011-12-23T11:37:00.000+08:00

The first time I read it, I loved it right-away. Then I've tried googling who wrote it. I am so happy to know that a fellow Iska (graduate from the University of the Philippines) named Rosemarie Urquico wrote this essay and from then on became a viral literary piece on the web.

I would like to share to everyone this inspiring essay from a fellow Iska to the girls all over the world who puts passion in reading and writing. :)

Date A Girl Who Reads by Rosemarie Urquico

(In Response to Charles Warnke’s You Should Date An Illiterate Girl.)

Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag.She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilightseries.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes.

My Ilocos Get-away Day 2 (Kabigan Falls)

2011-12-17T11:29:00.001+08:00

We woke up early morning of our Day 2 in Ilocos. We already expected it to be a long day.

Our first stop for the day was the Kabigan Falls.

Kabigan Falls is located in Barangay Balaoi, Pagudpud. As old Philippine folklore said the name Kabigan came from the word kaibigan or friend in English.

It is very accessible, about 1.5 kilometers from the national highway. From the van, we were told that the whole trek will be for 30 minutes long and that we would be traversing a not so difficult trek and cross three small streams. (Yey! This sounded like an adventure to me!)

Before we headed to the trail, we paid Php 20 entrance fee for the preservation of the area.

One of the 3 little streams we crossed.

Bottled water models. :)

When we arrived at the destination, we were so lucky there were no other tourists yet because it was still early. We had the entire falls to ourselves.

The breath-taking Kabigan Falls.

Unfortunately, my point and shoot camera couldn't take an entire shot of the 80 ft. waterfall. The view was just amazing. We took a plunge on the cold (brrr...) water of the Kabigan Falls.

The 30 minute walk was all worth-it after seeing this natural wonder.

My Ilocos Get-away Day 1 (Baluarte, Hidden Garden, Polaris Beach Resort)

2011-12-15T20:55:00.050+08:00

Our first stop was the Baluarte. A zoo in Vigan, Ilocos Sur.

The breath-taking view of the mountainside.

The girls having a quick photo opportunity.

The Baluarte is a mini-zoo that is owned by Chavit Singson. It is a home to for endemic animals in the Philippines and other animals from other countries. Here I saw big snakes, camels, and various types of birds.

One of the birds in the Baluarte Zoo. I don't know what kind of bird this is.(Fail!)

A Raccoon! Yay! :)

The camels are kneeling.:)

A tiger in captive.

Next stop, the Hidden Garden. Whatever was hidden here, I didn't think I was
able to find.

There's something mystifying about this grotto.

A white flower in bloom. Nice!

A bonsai plant.

The Hidden Garden is a home for a variety of ornamental and medicinal plants. It is then called the garden therapy of the founder for it helps relieve his stress after a long day. Not only this place in Barangay Bulala is a garden, but also a restaurant and a coffee shop One who wants to relax and unwind for a day should visit this place.

I had to take a picture of this Kalesa (carriage) outside the Hidden
Garden.I'm guessing this horse's name might be Jorgy.

There weren't so many cars and other public vehicles when we passed by this arc of the province so we went out of the van and took some photos.

Pagudpud at last.

This is the resort where we stayed: Polaris Beach Resort

They say the third floor veranda has a great view of the beach.

The Polaris Beach resort is a good choice for a budget accommodation, it is located in Saud Beach. What I like about this resort is its location. It is strategically located in front of the beach. The rooms are clean and the beds are comfy.
They say that the veranda on the third floor has a good view of the sunrise/sunset. We stayed on the second floor. Too bad, I wasn't able to catch neither the sunrise nor the sunset because of a jam-packed itinerary.

My Ilocos Getaway (Itinerary for 3 days/2nights)

2011-12-15T11:43:00.001+08:00

May 2009- I and my call center officemates decided to go on an Ilocos Getaway for the summer.

We decided to take the land travel to Ilocos from Alabang. We rented a van, we were 9 in the group. We got to pay Php3,500 per pax. The package includes Alabang-Ilocos-Alabang land travel via a van, the land tours, and 3 days/2 nights accommodation at Polaris Beach Resort in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte as well. The package was definitely a good deal.

The road trip lasted for almost 14 hours. We arrived at Pagudpud at 10:00 PM, though we had some stop-overs like Baluarte, Hidden Garden and some dinner at a local restaurant in Vigan.

Here was our itinerary for the Ilocos Trip:

may 30

0600am Assembly at las piñas

0400pm Estimated Time Departure to Vigan

0400pm visit baluarte

0500pm visit hidden garden

0800pm check in at the resort

may 31

0600am Breakfast

0730am proceed to kabigan falls

0945am proceed to patapat viaduct

paraiso ni anton

1200nn proceed to blue lagoon

0200pm back to resort

1700pm back to resort

0700pm Dinner (on pax own account)

june 1

0700am Breakfast

0800am proceed to bangui windmill

0900am proceed to cape bojeadour

1100am visit malacañang of the north

visit paoay church

0100pm visit marcos mauseleum

1230pm lunch at batac

0200pm visit calle crisologo,vigan for pasalubong

0400pm leave vigan

0200am ETD Las piñas

And the package details:

Target Slots: 10-12 clients (with 1 tour coordinator in a van)

Van Capacity: 15 Seater Nissan Urvan/Toyota Commuter/Toyota Hi-Ace

Accommodation: polaris beach resort

Type of room: Rooms are all air conditioned

Baggage Allowance: 1 luggage per person not more than 10kgs for your convenience.

package rate 3500: per head

Package Inclusions:

* Roundtrip Van Transfer (MANILA-ILOCOS-MANILA)

* 2 night accommodation at , Pagudpud

* Day Tour in Laoag, Pagudpud and Vigan

* Toll Gate Fee, Gasoline, Driver's Meal and Accommodation

* Permits and Entrance Fees

* Taxes and Surcharges

Egg Sarciado Recipe

2011-12-14T15:10:00.009+08:00

One lunch time, I got so hungry and I didn't know what to eat. I decided to Google one recipe that is easy to cook and is a budget saver too.

I landed on the Del Monte Kitchenomics homepage and found this easy to cook recipe:

Ingredients:

7 pc (350 g)	eggs
3 cloves (15 g)	garlic, crushed
1 pc (30 g)	small onion, chopped
1/2 pc (5 g)	chicken bouillon cube
1 pouch (200 g)	DEL MONTE Original Style Tomato Sauce

100 g	potatoes, sliced
1/2 pc (50 g)	small carrot, sliced
1 tsp (2.4 g)	cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tsp water
1 stalk (15 g)	green onion, sliced (optional) Procedures: 1. COOK 6 pieces eggs until hard boiled. Peel and cut each egg lengthwise into two. Beat remaining egg. Set aside. 2. SAUTÉ garlic, onion, and chicken cube. Add DEL MONTE Tomato Sauce, 1-1/3 cups water, potatoes and carrot. Season with 1/4 tsp iodized fine salt (or 3/4 tsp iodized rock salt) and 1/8 tsp pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables are cooked. 3. ADD beaten eggs and cornstarch. Simmer while stirring for 2 minutes, or until cooked. Add boiled eggs. top with green onion if desired. (photos were taken using a mobile phone, recipe and procedures were taken from the Del Monte Kitchenomics website)

Christmas Feast of Lights @ Ayala Triangle

2011-12-14T12:01:00.009+08:00

This photo was taken last December of 2010.

Tonight, my college friends and I decided to have dinner to de-stress from work. It's a Friday and it has been a "tradition" for us to get-together for a simple dinner during this time of the week.

We decided to eat at Ayala Triangle, Makati.

Knowing that it was a strategic meeting place for all of us, we decided to meet and dine there. There were a lot of people in the area, restaurants are filled with office workers, family members and friends. There are also a lot of people in the waiting area. Undeniably, it was a Friday night.

With the sight of the large crowd, we ended up eating at a resto inside Insular Building. We were lucky, there aren't a lot of people there yet. We had some nice talk and some travel planning as well.

After an hour or two, we decided to go home. It seemed that all of us got drained after a long day at work.

We were passing by Ayala Triangle, when the Feast of lights show started.

We decided to stay at least for the next 30 minutes for the show.

It was beautiful. One can really feel the Christmas spirit seeing the dancing lights assembled on the entire Ayala Triangle Park. People from the corporate world, family members and students were all awed with the dance of the lights.

I didn't get the chance to take a video nor a picture of the set-up this year, so I just posted this photo I took a year ago.

Though it was so humid tonight that I couldn't feel Christmas season yet, the sight of the people gathered under the thousands of dancing light bulbs in colorful hues remind me that Christmas is here again. It can't be stopped.

(photos were taken using a mobile phone)

My first photography workshop

2011-12-14T12:00:00.004+08:00

I had the chance to attend a workshop/seminar conducted by the Communication Foundation for Asia, a non-government organization that uses communication and media technology to promote human development, together with 20 other representatives from different foundations and NGO's in the country. Most of the sessions in the workshop were about photography and how people from non-government organizations can use this very powerful tool to convey their group's vision and mission. I learned the basics of photography and some of its basic principles as well. According to Fr. Stephen Cuyos, our speaker (and a very techie priest, I must say) the following are the basic rules of photography:

1.Take photos with a purpose.

2.Have a center of interest.

3. Follow the rule of thirds.

4.Check all viewpoints.

5.Watch the background.

6.Frame the subject.

7. Include some action.

8. Create depth.

9. Be a photo director.

10. Go beyond the rules.

and after the 2-day workshop, here are some of the photos I've taken from my

Sony cybershot w-150.

I just love sunsets. This is a sunset view from Sta. Mesa, Manila. My first sunset on this part of Manila.

The foreground, background exercise:

Blurred foreground, clear background.

Clear foreground, blurred background.

The framing exercise, with my Group 1 new-found friends.

The window on my right side inside the CFA center.

I love how the light seem to escape from the blinds.

The photo that represented the vision-mission-goal (VMG) of my organization.

Paramore Concert!

2011-12-14T11:58:00.006+08:00

I've been liking Paramore not just because of Hayley but also because of the high vibe their songs give me. It was last year when I and my friends got the chance to watch their concert at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds. I had a rockin' good time singing along with Hayley and with the rest of the crowd. I'll definitely watch their concert when they get back. I think it will take sometime before they go back because just a few months ago they had toured Asia again without the Philippines on their list. I took this photo of my ticket and posted this on my FB wall with this caption:

"Counting a few more days before I DECODE the things that All I WANTED to avoid IGNORANCE and be one of the MISGUIDED GHOSTS who are PLAYING GOD so that I could be more CAREFUL in LOOKING UP every BRICK BY BORING BRICK and stop FEELING SORRY. (I don't know if I am making any sense, I'm just simply counting down few more days before the rockin' and slammin' :P)."

It doesn't reflect that much how excited I was when I posted this, does it?

VIP Section! Woot!

I just love her leotards!

The stage that was egressed with a blink of an eye, right after Paramore played their last song.

My concert buddies! We looked like we were still on a high on this shot!