NVC to USE

....to me! i just hope that whoever was assigned to hand it over to me will not take his own sweet time. double your steps, slowpoke!

I'm getting closer to it. The 'light at the end of the tunnel' is becoming more and more visible.

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i love Tagaytay

I've been to Tagaytay countless times and like a soldier coming from a war, i always find myself going home to it to soak in the healing power of its love.

I went there again last weekend with Fil where we sipped fresh mango shake by the ridge while staring at the quiet beauty of Taal volcano and the lake that cradles it. At night, the waiter ushered us to a dinner table with the best ambiance: no less than the lake below us sparkling under the moonlight. After-dinner coffee was also an experience like no other: the cool crisp mountain air blending with the coffee's delicate aroma made it a journey to the senses.

Aaahh, Tagaytay means romance. Perfect place to spend our last few hours together before we exchange goodbyes at the airport.



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moi-moi

you make me feel so comfortable
so loved and so secure
I know deep in my heart
how much you care...
Sometimes i stop and think
how very empty life would seem,
how changed my world would be
without you there
It makes me want to come to you
and hold you for a while,
to let you know my life has been
so good because of you.
Today is the perfect time
to say with all my heart
I love you very much.
I really do.

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natural paradise

Eden Nature Park, Davao City - 29 May 2007

Tired of the city? Wish you could run away and escape to a quiet place to soothe your weary soul?

Davaoenos are sure lucky because they need not go far. Within city limits can be found Eden Nature Park, an ecologically-friendly forest and farm resort where one can breathe in the cool mountain air and meditate in the company of exotic flowers and pine trees.

Located 3,000 feet above sea level, this mountain resort is 95% human-made and provides a magnificent view of Davao City and the Davao Gulf.

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paradise island park & beach resort

Fil arrived in Manila early morning of May 25 and by 6:30pm that same day, we were at the Davao International Airport where his brother Frendale, accompanied by Eric & Abner, met us. We all hurriedly took the last boat going to Paradise Island Park & Beach Resort in Samal Island to join the rest of the family in celebrating the 70th birthday of Fil's mom. His parents were not informed about our planned trip (everybody successfully managed to keep it a secret for a month!) so just imagine their surprise when we showed up for dinner! Hayy..nakahilak jud si Tita sa kalipay hehehe :-)

It was a weekend full of FuN! Super-duper bonding talaga...i'm just so happy to be part of this family.

Samal Island, Davao del Norte
25-27 May 2007

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Khay & Fil: 9 days only

When Fil left last January after a month-long christmas vacation here in the Philippines, we calculated that it would take at least 8 months before we see each other again. What a sweet surprise when he told me on the phone last April that he's coming over in May for a 9-day stay. Woohoo! He timed it for our 1st year anniversary and his mom's 70th birthday. While we wished for a longer time together, we were still thankful that his office granted him a short leave despite the fact that he already vacationed here 3 times last year.

That 9 days are now part of history. He again left last Sunday. Short but sweet. It won't be long...i know we'll be together again soon.

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perfect timing

It's as if the universe conspired for us to be in the same place at the right time. Last May 29, Tuesday, i found myself having dinner with college friends Alan, Dante & Grasya at Yahong restaurant in Davao City. They were my orgmates in UP Kutang Bato, an organization of UP Diliman students from the Cotabato Province (north & south) possessing extraordinary intelligence, talent and beauty (hehe walang kokontra!). Fil was there too and he amused himself with the sight of the four of us talking non-stop reminiscing the good old days and at the same time stuffing ourselves with crispy pata, kare-kare, sinuglaw, crispy buntot ng tuna and sinigang na hipon. Sabi ko nga extraordinary talent di ba? kasama na diyan ang talent sa pagkain :-)

Allan was my college bestfriend and remained so a few years after college. My time then was divided between him and my boyfriend. We had so many fun moments together until he decided to leave Manila to work somewhere else. Now he lives in General Santos City but ever the restless soul that he is can sometimes be sighted in Davao, Sarangani, Glan and nearby provinces working to make the world a better place and at the same time hunting for the very elusive "ideal man" hahaha!

Dante is part of our group, laging ka-join sa mga gimik! i don't remember spending time with him alone, we were always together in a group: KB outings, room warming, christening of ivy's baby. When i was taking my Master's in UP, i'd always bump into him: library, canteen, jeepney. He was everywhere, pakalat-kalat, and very popular! He now lives in his beloved Kidapawan City but visits Davao regularly for his hospital duties as aspiring nurse. Goodluck!











Grasya, a native of Davao, chose to join Kutang Bato instead of Iso-Dabaw, another organization in UP exclusively for students from Davao. I think she is closest to Evelyn because they had time to hang-out even after college and to Ivy because they now both work for PhilHealth. I haven't seen her since 1995, maybe? After she got married, she went back to her hometown which made it even more impossible for us to meet.

But that day, we were all in Davao City. Who would have thought? It was a surprise dinner, literally!

We missed Amy (i saw her last December in GenSan), Evelyn (my current housemate so hindi ko ito nami-miss), Ivy, Cheryl B., Joydads & Reypots. It's ok, we had a grand time gossiping about them. Ang mga wala, ginalibak! LOL

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Trinoma mall

To all mall rats out there, checkout the newest mall in Metro Manila: TriNoma, located at the corner of EDSA and north avenue in Quezon City just beside the MRT station, right in front of SM North EDSA. If i am not mistaken, this is the exact spot peppered with tiangges & jeepney terminals during my UP days.

After lunching at SM Mall of Asia and shopping for pasalubong last Friday, Fil and i went to see this new mall out of curiosity and we were surprised to see something so new yet so familiar. Only about 2 weeks old (it soft-opened last May 16), it has the signature design of an Ayala mall. It is Glorietta and Greenbelt combined, sleek and spacious, with entertaining water fountains and a multi-level park at the center of it. It is definitely not your usual box-type mall but more of like a park where you can also just sit and enjoy a warm cup of coffee which is exactly what we did 'coz after surveying the place, we stopped for some coffee at the Coffee Bean. We also checked out the cinema. Nice comfy chairs they got there but, unlike the old-style cinemas we're used to, there are no comfort rooms inside. You need to go out to do your thing and miss 5-10 minutes of movie time.





















We left after the movie and outside, we saw the facade of the mall's elegantly-designed grand main entrance which simply says: TriNoma

Which made me ask this question: what does it stand for?
Triangle North Mall because it is situated in the North Triangle of Quezon City?
Triangle North of Makati in reference to the wholly-Ayala-owned commercial centers Glorietta and Greenbelt?
Triangle North of Manila as it says in wikipedia?
Triangle North of Makati/Manila as claimed by other sources not sure of what 'ma' stands for? hmmm, how about Marikina? teeheehee, pwede rin yan!

confusing ha, ano ba talaga? explain niyo sakin pls!

In general i like this mall and i am excited to visit again after its grand opening. The only downside is that while the mall offers a view of Quezon City and its landmarks, one annoyance to that view is, disappointingly, the squatters area in front of the Office of the Ombudsman. What an eyesore, tsk! tsk! I hope something can be done about it.

TriNoma will have its grand opening this December - a convenient place for meet-ups especially for people using the MRT, government employees in QC, TV network employees and a perfect tambayan for UP Diliman students and others. It will house not only fastfood chains and the usual retail shops but also fine dining restaurants and high-end stores. As they say, no need to travel to Makati. Its neighbor, SM City North EDSA, obviously smelling competition, is currently undergoing a major facelift and there's a plan to build an overpass that will connect both malls for the convenience of shoppers.

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