Baler via Bongabon : Scary Route

Here I go again... wandering around wherever my feet and money will take me :) !

But anyway, my main purpose for visiting Baler is for my new BF's cousin's wake. Yeah, it was sad that I am going to visit there not for a getaway, but because a person whom I don't even had a chance to meet who also loves traveling and exploring and enjoying had his life cut short by a genetic disorder...

This is my 3rd time to visit Baler, one of the places in the Philippines I love most!!!
We left Manila at around 2:30AM riding an SUV-Adventure. We took the usual root NLEX - SCTEX - Pan-Phil Highway ! Since almost all of us are very sleepy during the trip, we got a little lost with the usual route from Cabanatuan to Baler. We weren't able to take the Pantabangan Route and took the Bongabon route instead.

What a surprise! The nueva-ecija road via Bongabon is not as we were all expecting (a shortcut they say). Upon entering the route, we decided that there's no turning back! We already took a long road only to get stuck in a mountain drive range and rough roads that looks impassable.  It was a very scary route like that in the movies Wrong Turn and other creepy gruesome movies where people suddenly get lost and someone appears in front of them, torture and kills them (this is just to exaggerate the eery feeling I had that time).

On top of it, it was also a bit rainy that time. Glad we're riding on an SUV . Along the way, we saw one Kia Pride struggling on the road (I hope they survived the road and got out safely).  This is the longest 3 hours of my life on the road! I can feel that almost everyone of us were thinking of the worst possibilities that might happen. At first, I took some photos to kill my boredom and lessen my fear but as we go along, I'm no longer in the mood of taking pics.

Slippery Mountain Side Road

Bongabon Route

This is the first time that I appreciate looking into kilometer markers to make sure we're having progress on the road. Hahaha, thinking that we might have been played by "engkantos" and got totally lost in circles!

River Cross at Nueva Ecija-Aurora Road

After the long winding road, it was a relief when we finally reached San Luis, Aurora... we can already see a little civilization. Thank God!

I advise that the local government of Nueva Ecija should warn people passing in this route as it looks not so safe and especially when it's raining. I advise that small cars shouldn't try or anyone trying to get to Baler normally shouldn't take this route!

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Priceless Moment on the Road

This blog was intentionally for the different adventures I've encountered in my life. Lately, another unexpected adventure came out of the blue (God has his own way of making good things out of bad things). Well, my boyfriend (now an ex-bf) just broke up with me with some b*shit reasons of his own... Anyway, we'll forget about it and focus on the unexpected road priceless moments...

On a very fine day of March 23-24, I decided to go with this guy I had a crush on before on a road trip to Real, Quezon with me driving my car and him riding on my passenger seat and some other friends with us. Being on the road is one of the things I love most doing in my life. Having that feeling of just driving especially on a road full of trees with a good view of the mountain.... and add up the fact that you're on the road with good and fun people. A very good timing indeed as I just came from a huge heart break that I really need an escape time and a "hayahay" escape

How come I avoided this kind of trips well in fact way back before, I promised to myself that I will never give up traveling.... that this is what I love most doing... appreciating nature at it's best.... but thank God this guy was there suddenly for me just in time when I need someone to be with me and get comfort from. I know some people might think that it would be very unfair if I go out instantly with a new guy. But I'm not looking for a new relationship right now. I just want to do the things that would make me happy without hurting anybody...

The fact that I had a crush on this guy before made it more exciting... I noticed that he's been doing things he never did before... I felt it... He likes me. He might not tell it, but he shows it. He cares.

And so we spent the whole weekend together with other friends on the beach... and I can tell that there was something with this guy... and only to find out that yes, even before... he has been waiting for me... he already liked me even before we personally met each other... someone had introduced me to him just in facebook, and he was shocked to meet me in person unexpectedly... and same with me, I was shocked to find out he likes me when in fact I already had a crush on him before...

We're on our way home Sunday afternoon when suddenly my car overheated. It didn't start. Odd turn of events and we got stuck for 4 hours along the Sierra Madre highway. I almost got hysterical with the turn of events, but I realized, maybe... just maybe God has a very good plan why it did happen. And yes.... to spend more time with him during the undesirable event...  how we were able to knew each other in terms of how to react in a bad situation... :) Just before we left when my aunt and uncle fetch us  we had a good talk. I had felt it... where the hell am I along those months? He's been waiting quietly for me, and I didn't know that... but I too before I had my ex bf was waiting for him...We were both played by time... But above it all,  I can be more of myself in front of him than my ex boyfriend... I feel at ease with him...

But still the day has to end... but I know what we have over the weekend is just the beginning of another chapter in my life.

Moments like these are priceless and no money can buy it...

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Digital Perm at Tony and Jackey

It started when I got so bored with my life and I'm having some personal issues with my so called "love life" back in 2010, that I wanted a new look! I've been hearing a lot about this new way of curling hairs. I am familiar with the usual cold perm process until I heard about this and started googling "Digital Perm". Hmm..  found some very interesting facts about it. The waves formed by digital perms are more loose and big than the cold perm. This made it more interesting as now it's really possible to wear that gorgeous curls without ironing them with a hot curler everyday!

Price varies from different saloon and since it is my first time to try it, I went to a trusted Korean Salon "Tony and Jackey". They are offering it at Php 3,000 for mid-length hair using Korean medicine. For L'Oreal  , it's more expensive- Php 6,000.

The process took 4-5 hours. They will hook and clip your hair to this machine with wires that looks like octopus hands. I didn't mind waiting that long cause when it was finished, the result was very fulfilling!

I have my own way of maintaining the shape of the curls. Of course it's a must not to comb it when dry to not loose those precious shapes. Would recommend to comb it by hands when it's still wet after shower. Usually ,the curls tangled as it dries if you only used shampoo. It's a good practice to apply conditioner too. As for me, I am using the Sunsilk Hair Treatment Cream (the orange one). It does good in shaping my curls as well as making my hair softer and restores the damage done by chemicals. You can also apply a curl defining lotion if you wanted to. Avoid blow drying it cause once I tried it, my hair looked and felt so dry and frizzy.

As times goes by, the curl loosens on which gives me a natural curled hair look. Isn't wonderful having different look every month as your hair varies it's curls along the way?

Now, after 1 year...I decided to cut the curls and wait for 6 months to rest my hair from chemicals. Then when my hair is ready, once more I got it digitally permed for the second time... and still the result is lovely!

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Technology to Fashion

I remember how I use to love dressing up when I was in my kinder years. I use to put on my mom's dresses and shoes and wear them around to flaunt (even though I looked ridiculous because it was way too big for me) haha. But it all changed when I reached my grade school and highschool. My confidence faded and I don't wanna wear anything that is "in" in fashion. I look so thin before and all clothes doesn't look good in me. But that didn't stop me from loving clothes. Even if I can't wear them or I don't have the courage to wear them, I still love looking at them or suggest others to wear them.

I got very interested with clothes and dresses when my parents put up a rolling bazaar where they sell clothes on the street. And of course, with television influence, magazines and other forms of medium, I learned how to match up clothes. Back in highschool, I was thinking of getting a course in college that has something to do with design - Interior design, Fashion design, arts and design and the likes. But I didn't get any of those. Instead, I enrolled for the course information technology which is just fine as I can apply both my logic and design skills-- but in another form.

So now, I am working as a web programmer. I both apply my logic side in back end programming and my creativity in UI design. But from time to time, I still am wanting to express my love in fashion and arts- at it's real form.
Suddenly, it struck me... why can't I enroll in a weekend class so I can learn what I wanted to learn. So I can pursue something that I really want... If not now, when?

And so, I searched for a good fashion school here in Manila that offers weekend courses. I found 3 on the top searches in google. The SoFa (School of Fashion and Arts) Manila , Slims Fashion and Arts School and The Fashion Institute of the Philippines 

So from a programmer at weekday, I have tried something new this year. After an endless search for the great school with reasonable price and since I am renting at Mandaluyong area, I decided to enroll at Fashion Institute of the Philippines-Ortigas. They have 2 more branches, one in Makati and one in Cebu. I am so new into this that I decided to take a light course first to check how are they running things inside. I took the Basic Sewing course and if I am doing well with it, I will enroll in their full course for pattern making and fashion design. You can check their rates and schedule at their website FIP- Ortigas Rates . To share my experience, I am now on my 4th day in school and I can tell that I love the place! The teachers and the students are naturally giving warm welcomes. Both learning and having fun at the same time. I wonder if it's the same with other fashion school in the Philippines. The cliche saying "it's never too late to pursue your dreams" still works :) So for some people out there who wanted to try and pursue what they want when given a chance, go on! Don't just dream! Make it a reality :)

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The Joy of Creating Travel Itinerary

The joy of creating my own travel itinerary started when I first joined a barkada trip to Caramoan last 2008 when my co-worker planned and took care of everything . I enjoyed the trip so much that I decided to try it on my own.

Are you fond of traveling around Philippines or in Asia, and you're on a tight budget but wanted to maximize your time on a place ? Why not create your own travel itinerary? I know, some people might think it would be a big hassle to research and plot schedules on your own, and some people think it would be more fun to have a spontaneous travel without any plan at all. First of all,it's practical for people traveling with a tight budget not to pre-plan their trip. More likely they would end up wasting most of their time and money. The second thing, if you have a travel agency arranged the itinerary for you, as per my experience, you can't really maximize your time on the places you want to be-- this is referring to a joint travel group. Lastly, you would be very proud of yourself once you it became a successful trip!

Well, it's not that hard planning your itinerary. You just have to allot a little of your time and effort for research. It has a advantages, and it can be a source of fun learning too, so I would suggest start it now.

So where would you start? Just turn on your computer with an internet connection, get your pen and papers. And voila! You're good to go!

It would be a great advantage to have your own credit card for booking to avoid the hassle of depositing on banks.

1. First , plan the date of your trip. Usually, for a domestic trip at-least allot 3-4 days.
2. If you're not in a hurry, wait for promo fares that would fall on your planned date trip. Usually 3-5 months before the date.
3. When done booking your flight/bus ride, start researching on the place to visit on your picked location. Google search and map is a very useful tool. You have to know their locations and the details like is there an entrance fee to get there? Is the place always open to public? and other related information.
4. After-which, if you now know the locations, group the places that are close to each other.
5. When done grouping the places, you can now look for a cheap hotel that is near your listed destinations. You can book directly at their website or through trusted booking site-   www.agoda.com, www.asiarooms.com . When researching for a place to stay, it's also a must to read on the reviews of other travelers who stayed at that hotel.
    You can visit www.tripadvisor.com if you're looking for a reliable review site.

   Things to consider in booking a hotel:

   a. worth the price to pay
   b. nearby your destinations
   c. nearby restaurants, convenient stores and shopping areas
   d. ameniteis and facilites included according to your own personal needs
   e. a lot of good reviews on the internet
   f.  a free airport hotel transfer would be a good addition

6. Once you're settled on the hotel, research on how to get to your destination from your booked hotel. Either thru a public transport like train, jeepneys (philippines), cab, ferry boat and other means of transpo. You may find that some destinations are not reachable through public transportation. Another option is to directly contact the hotel that you'll be stayin' to help you with private van or car rental. Pretty much all of them provides that service.

7. When you found all the information mentioned, you can now plot your travel itinerary from the time, to places, where to ride through the expenses you need.

Here's an example Itinerary guide I made for my solo trip in Hongkong. You can create one and will serve as your template for every trip you wish to arrange on your own. :)

Notes for traveling on your own without the help of a travel coordinator:

1. Always bring extra money. It makes you more comfortable even if you get lost or something unexpected happen. Good to have something to pull out on your pocket.
2. Get the hotel's front desk number. They know more about the place and they will surely good to assist you.
3. Avoid talking to strangers if not necessary. Follow your instinct on people whether they  look someone you can trust or not.
4. Always take care of your important belongings. For international, you may opt to bring your passport with you or leave it on your hotel (inside the safety box) but be sure to have a photocopy with you when you go out.
5. Of course, don't forget to smile and enjoy the rest of your trip! If you're worried you're trip might end up a mis-adventure, you can first try arranging your own trip with a partner or involve them in planning. And if you have a plan A, be sure to have plan B-Z in case there's something wrong with your initial plan. :)

~Life is too short to stay at home! Go out and explore the world! ~

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Travel by Sea

I often travel by airplane or  land if travelling in a distance of more than 100 miles. Well, plane is pretty much a faster way to get to your destination than anything else. But isn't also exciting to try something new? I got the chance to finally ride a ferry for the first time (excluding this on the list of boats and small ferries I have already tried). This time, from Manila going to Negros Occidental.

My boyfriend's a seaman, and I previously told him that I wanted to know how it feels to be in the middle of the ocean on a big boat for a day. He did not fail to let me experience it. We booked 3 weeks ahead of our planned date of leaving. I found out that Negros Navigation and Super ferry were now merged and formed the new name 2GO Travel. I think it's pretty good as the booking and services were improved. But 2 days before our scheduled date of departure, I received a text message from them informing me that our departure 10AM of Friday was moved to 10PM. Quiet disappointing for us as we have already laid out our itinerary and schedule from the expected time and day arrival at Bacolod.

Travel time is almost 24 hours. We stayed on the suite room. Our ship's name was Thomas Aquinas. (Wow! it was named after my Alma matter's patron saint) . According to one of the ship staff, it was previously a  Superferry ship and was just renovated this year. They only have 2 suite room, 2 six-bed cabin room and a hundred more public beds.

Thomas Aquinas - Suite Room

For Php3,000+, we enjoyed our private room, with full board meals good for 2. It was a pleasant voyage, and the weather was nice. I'm not a good swimmer, so if you're too or even if you can swim. , be sure to check the emergency exit signs and where the life vests are located in case of emergencies.

Some people tend to travel by sea rather than plane for the following reasons - always cheaper (unlike plane which you still need to wait for promo fares to get one), an instant 70kilos allowable luggage, for people who wants to mingle with strangers, they can definitely meet one in this ship, some to avoid their fear of heights on planes, or just try a different experience.

Just like plane, you can now pre-book your tickets online through credit card payment. Just go to http://travel.2go.com.ph/eTicket/search.asp  to check the schedule then book and buy. Be sure to call them 3-4 days before your expected date of departure to check if your schedule has changed.


Whether you're bored or you just lost the excitement in riding planes or cars, it will always be an adventure to try something new :) ...

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No bake blueberry cheesecake

I'm not good in cooking but I believe that everyone can learn everything as long as they wanted to. :) I love eating so I really really wanted to learn how to cook... and of course bake! But since we don't have an oven at home, I usually do refrigerated cakes. Well fiesta float is all I can do perfectly , so for the the first time I tried the no-cook blueberry cheesecake! (A very expensive cake to practice on).

Since it's my dad's birthday and I have a very special guests (my beloved bf), I was inspired to try this recipe. Here are the ingredients I bought:


Ingredients:

Crust:

1 pack Graham crackers (crushed)
1/2 cup Melted Butter (or bakers margarine)
1 tsp lemon rind (optional)
2 tbsps Sugar


Filling:

2 pkg Magnolia Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup Sugar
2 tbsp Unflavored gelatin dissolved in
4 tbsps Magnolia Fresh Mil
1 cup All purpose cream, chilled
1 can Blueberries in syrup


Procedure:

In making the crust, crushed the Graham crackers if you weren't able to buy a readily crashed cracker at store.

Mixed crashed graham with the sugar and melted butter. If crackers were still loose and dry, add more butter to bind it.

Press on a 9" pie plate or pan and chill for 30 minutes.

Now let's proceed in the steps on making the filling which is the most important of it all. The taste of the cheesecake will depend on the taste of the filling :) First stem is to beat the cream cheese and sugar until they
are well blended. *If you have a beater, much better. For me I don't have one so I just used a manual egg beater which is harder*, then set aside.

Meanwhile, dissolve unflavored gelatin in milk on a low heat. Don't heat too much as it will dry. Make sure it's still wet and hot then add to cream cheese. Continue beating to blend well.

In a separate bowl, whip the chilled cream until stiff and fold into cream cheese. 

Once mixed, pour above the created crust. Chill for another 30 mins to 1 hour.

Then top with blue berries in syrup. Chill for 4-6 hours. And it's ready to serve :)

Notes: Apparently, I failed to bind the crust. Well mostly because the amount of butter used is not enough to bind the crumbs. So if you are going to do this , use as many butter as you can and make sure the crush is moist enough. And another thing I learned, if you want to create a thicker filling, you should use a smaller pan.


Nevertheless, my family and visitors was able to enjoy the cake :) It's quiet delicious even if I failed to create the crust! Not bad for a starter! Try this recipe as well and let me know of the result :)

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