playtime

We do not stop playing because we are old;
We grow old because we stopped playing.


Mom and i left Manila Saturday morning for Bauang, La Union to visit our relatives. T'was just an overnight stay but time well-spent for me as i was able to once again bond with my favorite pamangkins.

Saturday afternoon the kids busied themselves with the chocolates, my iPod, digicam and moto phone...

Sunday we headed to capital city San Fernando for Jollibee and arcade games at the CSI mall.

Here are some of our fun photos...

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birthday card

got a birthday card today from Anilee, our highschool class valedictorian who is now half a world away. so sweet...she didn't forget i love cats.














this is the only birthday card i got this year and now that human communication has been revolutionized by computers and celfones, it is heartwarming to receive a card especially handpicked for me with a simple dedication bearing ann's calligraphy (reading it transported me back to those days when i enjoyed copying her notes 'coz she got this really pretty handwriting).

thanks ann...and advance happy birthday on the 22nd. stay pretty and happy fellow Libran! :)

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birthday cake

no fuzz

no drama
just chocolate
never fails to brighten my day

*lick, lick*
hmmm...yummy!

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Coco Beach, Puerto Galera

October 4-6, 2006. Fil and i just got back from a 3-day R&R at Coco Beach island resort in Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro. We went there October 4, a day after my birthday and 6 days after Metro Manila suffered a severe lashing from typhoon Milenyo.

As mentioned in my earlier post, i celebrated my birthday at my parents' house where we had a small party (it was originally planned as a BIG party but typhoon milenyo cut out electricity and water supply and spoiled all our plans). Anyway, Fil was welcomed to the family without much fuzz so you could just imagine how relieved we were when we woke up the day after without any worries and only looking forward to an enjoyable 3-day stay at the resort.

For some reason, I don't feel like talking much about this trip. I know i talk a lot and knowing my penchant for details, i might ran out of blog space if i tell the whole story. There are some things i'd rather keep and this is definitely one of them. I couldn't end this post though without saying we experienced really nice things here: beautiful private resort, fun pool, nice open-air cottage nestled on a hill with a hammock and breathtaking seaview, comfortable bed, quiet neighbors, great food (i fell in love with Chicken Mindoro!), soothing massage, coconuts everywhere swaying with the cool sea breeze, gentle warmth of the sun, soft pitter-pattering of the rain while we sleep....

As for the rest, i'll let the pictures do the talking : View our photos >>>

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The Walled City

October 1, 2006. As if the Corregidor tour was not enough, Fil and I decided to continue with our historical immersion trip by checking out Intramuros, the old capital of Manila. Built in 1571, it remains a monumental, if ruined, relic of the Spanish period in Philippine history. It is a city within a city, separated from the rest of Manila by its crumbling walls. This ancient capital had well-planned streets, plazas, the Governor's Palace and churches but many of its buildings (just like in Corregidor) were reduced to shambles in World War II.
We first went to Fort Santiago, a 16th century military defense structure, which stands witness to the valor and heroism of the Filipino through the centuries. It used to be the seat of the colonial powers of both Spain and the U.S. and was also a dreaded prison under the Spanish regime and the scene of countless military police atrocities during the Japanese occupation. Here, too, Dr. Jose Rizal spent his last hours before his execution on Bagumbayan (now Rizal Park). In fact, you can re-trace the steps of the National Hero by stepping on the metal footprints that ran from Fort Santiago to Rizal Park.
Intramuros also houses the Manila Cathedral and St. Augustine Church. We were lucky to witness a wedding at the Cathedral and took some pictures of the beautiful bride and her proud groom. I guess they didn't mind strangers taking their pictures...they are so in love to even care!

Outside the cathedral we hailed a "kutsero" (horse rig driver) in bright yellow-green checkered uniform who offered us a 30-minute kalesa ride around Intramuros for P350. It was already 1130am on a Sunday so the whole place was almost vacated (no students and employees, no local residents who dared burn under the sun). It was just us and mamang kutsero/tour guide who kept on reciting historical facts and pointing to spots where some institutions used to stand including churches which have now been turned into basketball courts or just empty spaces. I couldn't believe the original site of Ateneo de Manila was in Intramuros! Now i know why it was named Ateneo de Manila and not Ateneo de Quezon City where it is now located (i'm from UP so don't expect me to know *bleh!*:P...ooops, how come Fil didn't tell me that? he's an Atenean!)

So anyway, when we passed by the four universities (PLM, Mapua, Lyceum and Letran), i got disoriented: it was so quiet, the only thing we could hear was the rhythmic 2-beat sound of the horse galloping down the historic street. For a moment I imagined myself in "Maria Clara" attire...

We rounded the walled city in 30 minutes and we requested mamang kutsero to bring us straight to Illustrado restaurant where Fil devoured a big plate of delicious paella enough to feed four people and I satisfied myself with my all-time favorite chicken and pork adobo hehehehe...you bet i have no imagination or sense of history when it comes to food! :-)


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32nd birthday; Corregidor!

Hi, today is my 32nd birthday. Feels great to wake up to a beautiful day and look straight to the eyes of the person i hope to spend the rest of my birthdays with.

I haven't done any reflection yet as i was busy touring with Fil the past few days (we already went to Corregidor and Intramuros) and today we will have a party at my parents' house and it will be the first time for Fil to meet my family. Wish us luck! :-)

Meantime, i'm writing about our trip to Corregidor. This will keep you busy for now. Welcome to your past, everyone! :-)

September 30, 2006. History should not be boring...and this was proven true by our english-speaking filipino tour guide, Armando, who kept on injecting funny anecdotes and trivias in between recitation of historical facts and figures as we cruised the interior of Corregidor island aboard the colorful tranvia bus. It was my third time in Corregidor but it didn't matter - i was as eager and interested as a first-time tourist.

While the whole of Luzon was suffering from a blackout caused by typhoon Milenyo, Fil, Gracie and I braved the big waves of Manila bay and pushed through with our trip. Not surprisingly, some parts of the island looked like they've been hit by a bomb: fallen trees, damaged roofs, broken branches, scattered leaves. Of course this was the doing of typhoon milenyo and if only for that i had to thank him because the chaotic look he created even made the island look more authentic :-)

Corregidor is known the world over for its role in war, bravery, and history. A rock island remarkably shaped like a tadpole at the entrance of Manila Bay, Corregidor's strategic location was vital in the defense of Manila during World War II. While it is geographically closer to the province of Bataan, Corregidor remains a part of Cavite. The name 'Corregidor' came from the Spanish word 'corregir' which means 'to correct', since the island was a checkpoint for vessels entering Manila Bay during the Spanish and American occupations.
The whole island is a national historic shrine. It has no local residents (no politics here!) and is maintained by about a hundred people composed of the hotel and museum employees, tour guides, drivers, gardeners, etc. During our day-tour, we visited the following sites: Battery Way, Battery Hearn, Battery Grubbs, Mile-Long Barracks, Pacific War Memorial Park and Museum, Eternal Flame, the Old Spanish Lighthouse where we were rewarded with a breathtaking view of the island including that of Cavite, Bataan and Manila, Japanese Garden of Peace, Filipino Memorial Park and the Lights and Sounds show at the Malinta Tunnel depicting the events in Philippine history covering the period 1941-1945. Each time we visited a site, our tour guide gave us a brief historical background then allowed us to disembark the tranvia bus to take pictures (my favorite part!).

Those who want to stay overnight will not be left with nothing to do because there are still a lot of activities to choose from. The island welcomes families with children, too. There is a hotel and beachfront, treasure hunts for kids, hiking trips, sunset viewing, an aviary and an evening light show at the Malinta Tunnel to make one's historical immersion almost complete. For those who simply want to be away from the polluted, noisy city, Corregidor is a beautiful island teeming with wildlife and lush, serene hills. We were thankful that while some trees did not survive the wrath of typhoon milenyo, the whole island has more than enough trees to cover up for its fallen comrades.

It's amazing how it only took a 75-minute boat ride from Manila to step back to history. It was a trip different from the others...a chance to experience history take on a vivid life. While the island is now silent, definitely the ruins of the batteries, barracks, structures and tunnels will continue to tell a very moving story of a war that has claimed so many lives and has seen so many heroism. Somehow it made me feel guilty that my purpose for coming here was not only to refresh my memory but mainly to practice my photographic skills. Hmmm, if only the walls could speak...
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