Yes I bought a tester but a FULL tester. Hehe... I've always wanted one and now that she's here beside my empty -to-the-last-drop Chanel Chance and Fantasy by Britney Spears, I'm afraid to spritz it because every spraylet is precious. I shall only use it whenever I have to.

Like many others, my love story with this perfume started in Duty Free (testers heaven). It was a few years ago when I didn't have money to buy such luxury. Yes in this country and income class, perfumes are a splurge. I thought it came in such a cute bottle with the plastic white flowers. It's the kind of bottle you would want to keep even when it's empty. So I approached the counter, admired it for a sec, then sprayed it on my hand. I loved how the smell was just right. It wasn't strong, too flowery, too sweet, too fruity. It was fresh and lovely. It reminded me of spring (even if we don't have four seasons, I've seen enough movies and travel shows set during spring) and a wide meadow with tall grass leaves and a tree with a white swing moving along with the light breeze. How very visual of me for a scent.

 
Therefore, I promised myself I was going to have one someday and that day's today! Weeee! *applause*

Oh and Bob the Dog-Bear approves!

I’ve wanted to go down south for a long time since I’ve never been really there. I think Quezon is the farthest I’ve been and that’s still in Luzon. I secretly envied (not so secret anymore) those who have been in Cebu or Davao or Palawan so when I got the Cebu Pacific Sale Alert on Twitter, I knew I had to book that trip. Something in me just clicked and told me it’s now or next year and I was itching to go on a weekend trip out of stressful Manila. Knowing that my parents won’t allow me to go on a vacation by myself, I managed to coax two officemates (K, Mr. M) and a former colleague (VSSN) to join me in this crazy journey. After much deliberation, we decided on Cebu, the City of Smiles.

So the next question was, “Where in Cebu?” Since we were going to be there for just the weekend and we thought of airport convenience and maximizing our time there, the obvious default was Mactan. None of the bus/ferry hassles if we go to another island. However the hotels were quite pricey and we were not impressed with the beach and scenery. If we really wanted to relax, we had to go somewhere far from Mactan. So we explored other nearby islands and stumbled upon our third option, Nalusuan Island, which got its name from the local term “Kalusuan” meaning “a place of penises”. Yes you read that right. In the reverberating declaration of Summer Finn (500 Days of Summer), “Peniiiiiissss!” Anyway, it was called as such because the island was once very abundant with sea cucumbers which resemble the male genitals. There were other options along the way like Olango but eventually because of Kandugyap, we decided on Bantayan Island.


Fastforward to our departure, we left work before 7pm and took a cab to T3. We told VSSN to wear a pink top because coincidentally, K, Mr. M and I were in pink too. I know how very matchy-matchy. Hehe… Anyhow, VSSN was already waiting for us on the ledge just outside the airport entrance. We immediately went to the check-in counter to deposit VSSN’s over 100ml mousse (very important item) and basically all our stuff. There was just a slight commotion because Mr. M did not know what a “check-in baggage” was vs “hand carry” and why his Hayden perfume added an additional .2kg to our baggage. Haha!

Night 1: Arrival in Cebu

No rain. Clean airport. Not too crowded. We never got to appreciate these little things much because we hurried to the taxi line. Our destination was the IT Park – the only place based on research open 24 hours. There were some restos and coffee shops but they were too expensive if we were going to wait for more than 4 hours so we ended up in Jollibee. Hurray for Jollibee!

We consciously scheduled our super early breakfast so that the crew won’t shoo us away then silliness ensued. We tested VSSN and K’s cameras. VSSN’s camera was a Samsung WP10 which can shoot underwater. At the end of the trip I wanted one of my own. Then we discussed work, life, future plans, itinerary, budget, etc. Surprisingly, we were able to stomach each other for more than 4 hours in Jollibee of all places and never ran out of something to do.


Day 1: Bantayan, Here We Go

We met with our travel agent’s assistant and he assisted us to the correct bus going to the port. It was going to be several hours on land but nothing I couldn’t handle. I believe I have mastered long trips by land. The bus had a TV set and the driver chose to play Celine Dion’s concert in Las Vegas. I was the only one entertained, but by then I was exhausted and went to sleep. We chose our own rows thinking the bus won’t be full but it picked up passengers along the way so by the time we reached the port, it was a blockbuster ride.

At the port, Mr. M bought our tickets and rushed to the ferry which would take us to Santa Fe, Bantayan. The water ride was humid, a bit uncomfortable, and quite long. Took us 1 ½ hours before reaching the Santa Fe port. Bring some reading material or gaming device to kill boredom and sleepiness. However our exhaustion and issues in life momentarily disappeared as we approached the port because of the beautiful scenery in front of us. We had to take some photos of course no matter how uncomfortable we were. The shore was white, the water reflected the sky and there was a nice beach house as well.


As we got off the dock we spotted our sundo – a white CRV. Driving the CRV was the owner of Kandugyap. Sosyal! She recommended stalls where we can buy lunch because we were very much PG at that time. We bought rice wrapped in pandan leaves and inihaw.


On our way to Kandugyap, she told us a brief history of the place and her family. It got us more excited which I never thought was even possible. When we were along the road leading to Kandugyap, we saw the beach and Kandugyap’s neighboring houses. The owner said that a lot of foreigners mostly retirees live there. We wanted to live there too and we were still a few kilometers away from our destination.


Finally we reached Kandugyap. Mr. M, VSSN and K had to take pictures of the main gate and the carved signage because it had that old world feeling and we felt VIP. The owner and caretaker ushered us in and the view literally took our breath away. The house was as we imagined it to be (please refer to previous blog entry). We went to our rooms (K was my roommate) for a while to freshen up a bit and leave our things before rushing to the cliff overlooking the beach. All I can say is wow! We couldn’t wait to go down but our stomachs were complaining and we decided to have lunch first before changing and conquering the water.


Now the beach. What can I say? White sand, blue water, crabs, shells, seaweed, rocks, corals, more crabs. 

We crashed and burned in the water. We had a blast taking pictures underwater with VSSN’s camera and after many attempts, we scored one nice shot. Refer to FB (I will post all pictures there).

I think we stayed in the water for hours. Mr. M enjoyed his spot in the huge rock near the shore he lovingly called “Casterly Rock” (yeah he thinks he’s Lord Tywin Lannister but since the rock is small, maybe Tyrion is a better fit). Since it was high tide, the water covered most of the shore and reached the stairs carved into the cliff where the other houses stood. We thought it was perfect because there were four houses, one for each of us.

We decided to have dinner near the market which was a few minutes ride from Kandugyap. Before we left, we had a quick photo shoot in the garden and the beach. It was already low tide and you can see that Casterly Rock actually had stairs carved on it. There was a creepy incident that happened which led to Mr. M slipping on his way down from the rock but nothing that could dampen our mood. We laughed it off! Good thing he wasn’t hurt.

In the market, not a lot of people and restaurants were open that night but we found a dampa place where they sold grilled scallops for Php120 only! We just had to order another plate. So delicious!

We went on a stroll around the area to see the other establishments. I suddenly craved for dessert and we ended up in a café. Mr. M ordered halo-halo while the rest of us had a cup or two of Magnolia ice cream. We went into non-talking mode for a while because there was free WiFi and someone just had to check-in on Foursquare.

When we got back to Kandugyap it was still low tide and because of the earlier incident, no one dared to approach the shore. We decided to drink Tanduay Ice and SMB and talk some more while Mr. M provided the background music. All of this while enjoying the cool night breeze for an hour or so then finally went to bed.

Day 2: The Inevitable Reality

Before breakfast the next day, VSSN and I took a leisurely stroll along the beach and took pictures of two hermit crabs. After breakfast, we did not waste any more time and conquered the water again. Since it was still low tide, we ventured farther and saw corals, fish and tiny crabs. It was funny making a run for it whenever a crab-like creature underwater was spotted.

We saw a few dead fish on the shore because of the tide but marveled at how beautiful the shoreline was which we weren’t able to see the previous day. It stretched far under huge stones which could serve as shade or at night a bonfire place if it weren’t so wet and scary.

I also collected some shells but since I had no idea if I could bring them home, I just took a picture of them.

Sadly, all of it had to end and we found ourselves on our way to the "airport” which was just a field and a small concrete office for our chartered plane. We were concerned about time and travel by air was the fastest way to Cebu City. I wasn’t totally comfortable about it but I was game because I thought kami na ang sosyal! Haha!

When the chartered plane landed I ended up beside the door. I was nervous throughout the short flight despite the excitement of my friends who were busy taking pictures and videos of our take off and of the view from above. I was able to appreciate the view a bit but thinking of the worst that could happen made me slightly dizzy. Forgive me it was my first time on a small plane. On the bright side, I know how to float and swim.



Thankfully we landed safely near the hangar and I heaved a sigh of relief. I think I’m going to take the water and land travel next time even if it takes more than an hour. Anyway, we were greeted by the owners of the plane who picked up some relatives who just arrived as well. They were on their way to SM Cebu which was our destination too so they told us to ride with them on their van. Very kind people.

After we deposited our bags in the baggage area, we went out and walked to CNT Lechon for pasalubong. We returned to SM after and walked around a bit. Since we still had time to waste, we spent it in the bowling alley.

Finally it was time to head to the airport. With reluctance, we said goodbye to Cebu and promised to visit again and maybe make it a yearly thing.

For someone who is not a beach person, I really enjoyed this vacation. I recommend you to visit Bantayan this year and stay at Kandugyap. Hopefully we’ll be able to return in October with more company and in time for the surfing competition.

Travel 2012^_^ 

*Photos courtesy of me (Nokia E72), VSSN (Samsung WP10), K (Sony Cybershot), and Mr. M (Nokia E72)

Yes, that's the title of one of the songs popularized by the Brit girl group B*Witched in the 90s and it perfectly fits my cranky day.


My morning began with my sister telling me that they will be able to get their 3-month salary without tax! Without freakin' tax!!! She asked me if it was the same where I'm currently working and I said as far as I could remember there was no such thing. She said that she read it somewhere in college and it's not just in the BPO industry. Now I'm not too sure if that tax policy applies to all bu I was jolted awake by this. Another reason why I got in a bitter mood is that her base pay is already her take home pay which means hers is bigger than my starting pay even without the night differential!


Then when I got to work I realized that I've been with the company for 3 years (if we include the training phase) and I only have enough savings to buy the Sony Vaio laptop I've been dying to buy then poof! We don't even have performance bonuses (except for that one time in 2009), company trips abroad and pay beyond 13th month. A lot of times our working hours are more gruelling (we joke about having double shifts) and you can't help but bring home work. Seriously I feel like I'm working in the service industry. That's the sad reality of the industry I chose to be part of.


After that wretched morning I hoped to have a better afternoon but no! People who comment just for the sake of saying something got on my nerves. It's a good thing that I've been able to control my pen throwing ways of the past or else someone's going to have an early Halloween costume! Perhaps it wasn't really anger I felt but more of sadness - sadness that there's no passion and motivation in me anymore. It seems that I'm just sailing through the hour, day, week, month, year. Just goes to show that to survive that world, you must really want it!


I'm not one to admit regrets but it seems that I chew regrets everyday. If Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago eats bullets for breakfast, I eat regrets for lunch, merienda and dinner (since I don't eat breakfast). It wasn't like this during my first 6 or so months. I remember telling one of my friends that I could see myself grow in the industry. Unfortunately it fizzled and I never got to ignite the fire again. It's now just about the perks of the job and some colleagues who I treat as my friends. Of course I need a steady source of income too.


A lot of things to mull over the long weekend and our Cebu weekend.



=P

As early as the moment I booked our flight to Cebu via Cebu Pacific I've been superrrrrrrrrrrrrrr excited! This will be my first time to visit the Queen City of the South and my first time to go to the Visayas region so this is major. At first we decided to book a resort hotel in the Mactan area but it's really expensive or Cebu City then just visit the beach. We considered Olango Island for a while because of its bird sanctuary and dive sites just so we can maximize our limited weekend stay. However we realized if we really want to relax and enjoy Cebu we should go as far away from the city as possible. Hence my office friends (KF, VSSN and Mr. M although it's supposed to be CM for Cookie Monster but for formality's sake let's use Mr. M) and I decided to go to Bantayan Island.

Whenever I ask someone from Cebu or someone who has been to Cebu, Bantayan Island is always highly recommended. It's been compared to Boracay minus the noise and abundance of people with its white sand beach and blue waters. So Bantayan Island it is. Next step, a really nice, comfortable and within our budget place to stay. I googled hotels and resorts in the island and came across Kandugyap House by the Sea via wowbantayan.com, Facebook page and Air Island Tours. Truth be told Kandugyap, which means sea breeze, is one of the main reasons that cemented our decision to go to Bantayan.

Kandugyap is described as a "Beautiful Sea Side House &/or Bungalow accommodation for Bantayan Island Travelers on a secluded and tranquil sea side property that features fantastic 180 degree views of the ocean, Kandugyap is a privately owned property expressly catering to Bantayan Island Travelers seeking a large, completely furnished spacious house in which to spend their stay, or those looking for smaller upscale Bungalow accommodation." (wowbantayan.com).


We fell in love with the Mediterranean style facade and the colorful and spacious interior. We did not even attempt to look for other options (or the other options did not elicit the same reaction from my office friends. Hehe...). This is the place for us. Period.

This afternoon we finally confirmed our booking via Air Island Tours. Since the villa for 4 is currently not available during our stay, we reserved the 2 other rooms (Maria Veronica and Maria Isabel). KF and I will be roomies while Mr. M and VSSN will occupy the other room (no democracy here). The agent said once the occupants of the villa check out, Kandugyap can transfer us to the villa.

I really hope that Kandugyap will live up to our expectations. *signal post-trip entry*

But wait there's more! We will be boarding a chartered plane from Bantayan back to Mactan. Kami na ang social climber! We decided to take the plane because we are on a time crunch. We need to eat lechon before we depart for Manila!

NOTE: Visit the links above for more photos of the beach houses as well as the beach itself.

I used to get easily bored with Focus Group Discussions or FGDs. I never paid enough attention to the numerous questions the discussion leader asks the respondents. Some of the respondents are not very cooperative and open about their thoughts and feelings after willingly participating in the session. The discussion leaders also tend to lose their group's attention and not be able to get it back. To add, you are merely an observer and listener watching from the other side of the wall like the FGD group is a small school of fish in a large aquarium.

FGDs are very dependent on what comes out from the respondents' mouths and the guidance of the discussion leader in directing and fleshing out their statements. If the FGD fails, let's say the respondents do not fit the brief or do not offer substantial responses, I just end up doing my own backyard research.

Fortunately in the last FGD I attended I surprisingly enjoyed it even if we started early and ended just after dinner (it was a really long session). The part I liked most in each session was when the discussion leader asks "If brand x is a person, describe him/her." This question is not really new to me but the answers of the respondents were funny and surprisingly on point. I found it interesting and it amused me to no end so I decided that for this week, I will choose 5 brands (one brand per blog entry) and paint a picture of who this brand is to me. I will try to provide an equivalent image or name to spice things up.

After 5 minutes (yes this is real time)...
The 5 lucky (or not) brands are:
1) Store: Fully Booked
2) Clothing: Forever 21
3) Technology: Vaio
4) Food: Skittles
5) Personal Care: Pantene
NOTE: I am allowing myself to change these brands as I go along. Will discontinue this plan. Nawalan na ng gana. ^_^

I recently found a poem I wrote when I was in college in one of my notebooks. I did not want to blog about it then because it was incomplete and I really wanted to finish it since it reminded me of how I loved writing when I was in school. After some tweaking plus an additional stanza, I'm finally done with it. Like most of the poems I wrote when I was in high school to college (most of them unfinished and probably already turned into those recycled notebooks), the theme is dark and quite "emo". I believe "emo" was the "in" thing in everything during those years anyway so I'm not the only one. 

Yes I'm still in the office. Congratulations to me. NOT.

Anyway I needed to channel some things I'm excited about that is not work-related somewhere and I remembered my blog. Since this week and the past weeks have been so !@#$%^&*(), I decided to think about things that make me forget and make me cheer up a bit.

1) New York Fashion Week - it doesn't show but I love fashion. I'm looking forward to all the wonderful creations.
2) Tagaytay with the Sagigilids - fresh air, pastillas, buko tart, etc
3) Rain concert (not a fan but my sister is) - thanks to my officemate!
4) Babies arriving for the weekend - what I call my siblings collectively
5) Resident Evil: Afterlife - what can I say, I like to see zombies!
6) SM Megamall (to check out Forever 21 and Payless...and perhaps buy a thing or two. I promise to stay away from Powerbooks!) - splurge?
7) My bed - the only source of comfort for me
8) Reading - my other source of comfort

I hope you are looking forward to some amazing things this long weekend as well. Have a good one friends!

=P

I don't get why some of those voting for certain presidentiables think that voting for Noynoy is equivalent to...

Being sentimental or emotional

Being "bobo" or "mangmang" (for a lack of a better word)

Being blinded by the "Aquino" family name

Definitely may mga taong ganon like definitely may mga taong boboto sa presidentiable na iba based on looks, track record, na di kumanta sa miting de avance, na walang binabasa nung nag-speech, na gamit ang sariling pera sa ads, na endorsed ni ganito ni ganyan, na super talino, na super sipag, na madaming ginawa sa ganito ganyan, na hindi moody, even kung sino ang possible first lady.

EXCUSE ME! 

On Being Sentimental or Emotional
My affinity with EDSA I is not that high. I was just a baby then. When I see the laban sign I remember Glee. The color yellow definitely doesn't mean anything to me except that I hate it. And Ilocano blood runs through my veins (Marcos ring a bell?). When Cory died I didn't cry. When Erap left Malacanang, I did. But I'm still voting for Noynoy.

On Being "Bobo" or "Mangmang"
Or ignorant or uninformed. I read about the candidates. There are tons of information in the Internet and I've read the good, the bad and the ugly. I'm not claiming that I know everything but at least I made an effort to get to know who they are, their track record, what they are fighting for, what they plan to do. He may not have authored laws compared to the other presidentiables pero paano naman kung ang mga pinaglalaban niya eh bills to curb corruption? When I read his bills (particularly on procurement) my reaction was "Patayan na. Paano sila makaka-kurakot?" But I'm still voting for Noynoy.

On Being Blinded by the Aquino Family Name
Definitely not. Noynoy wasn't even my first choice before and criticized his being a son of Ninoy and Cory ergo nakikisakay sa magulang. But I realized that the Aquino blood runs through his veins. We can't take that against him. Like I said Ilocano ang pamilya ko may leanings somehow towards Marcos. And if you ask my closest officemates there are times pinagtatanggol ko ang Marcoses. But I'm still voting for Noynoy.

I did not base my decision on those things. Like I said Noynoy was not my first choice for the same reasons some of you are citing. To be frank, Gordon was. But I was still unsure so I read up on each candidate and Noynoy is my choice. He is not claiming to be all knowing, all smart-ass. Our soon to be previous president is a smart-ass - actually so smart she got away with lots of things. He treats his VP as a partner and hindi accessory. He actually highlighted the importance of having a VP na di lang siya kapalit ng presidente pag wala ang presidente sa bansa. He has a senatorial slate that truly believes in him. More than being fit to be president, he represents a movement. 

Noynoy is my president. Mar is my VP. Almost my entire senatorial slate are composed of LP. Well except for Bongbong. Ilocano nga eh. My local choices are LP except for positions na wala silang na-field or kulang. Hehehe...

This is MY opinion, MY decision. Like you guys have your own opinions and decisions. My choices have changed prior to 2 weeks ago when I was convinced. And like my status, everyday I am more and more convinced. Who convinced me? Noynoy. Yes I don't know him personally. I don't know anyone related to Noynoy personally. My friends during that time aren't sure of who to vote for yet and my family was still deciding on who to vote for (except my sister. She was settled on Noynoy the moment she saw and shook hands with him in UST. Not even the good looks of another presidentiable "starstrucked" her. Hehehe...). I haven't been to any campaign sorties or met anyone all out supporting for Noynoy or received a baller/sticker/what have you when I was making my decision. But I saw him on TV (news, debates, interviews, etc), read about him, heard his rap on the radio. I don't even like his initial TVC and found Baby James to be the redeeming factor in the end. So REALLY no one convinced me but Noynoy. Sige my conscience and my heart and my mind.

So my choice is an "informed choice". Please stop saying that it's not. 

Sorry if I offended anybody especially my friends. Friendship comes first before politics okay? You guys are smart people and more than capable of making your own decisions and I may not agree on a lot of levels but I respect you and your decisions. At the end of the day you are more valuable to me. Ano ba namang nagawa ni Nonoy (to quote from Jellymon) or ni Gibo or ni Erap or ni Gordon or ni Villar sa personal life ko? Hehehe...

I'm lucky my family supports the same presidentiable and VP. They made their decisions on their own as well. Surprisingly for my mom and dad who also don't have a strong affinity with EDSA (kasi nga Ilocano eh born and bred), they are voting for Noynoy and I'd like to think that Noynoy convinced them too.

For a first-time voter, I'm excited. I feel the gravity of this year's elections. I feel the passion of people to go out and vote. It's high time for change and for trust to be brought back to the government. If I only made my decision earlier and not plagued by my duties at work, I would have volunteered for my candidates. The only contribution I can make for them and for my country is to vote for Noynoy, Mar, most of the LP senate slate, Bongbong, local LP slate.

LABAN at RESPETO!

---------


Since I'm not an "intellectual writer", here's a link to Lila R. Shahani's personal essay on Noynoy.

=P

"On May 10, I will vote for a president who will restore a sense of dignity and humility to an office that has long lost its luster. I will vote for a president who insists that justice and fairness be of equal application both in his family and in his country. I will vote for a leader who acknowledges the mistakes of past administrations and is not afraid to do what is right by his people who have been wronged. I will vote for a leader who is not afraid to be held accountable for the values that must be upheld by the highest office in the land. I will vote for a president whom I can be proud to tell my daughter is the legitimate president of our beleaguered yet eternally beloved country.

But in the end, I just want to vote for a president who won't screw us over - who won't screw me over. Much. Because we've got to start some place."

RJ Ledesma from his column Pogi from a Parallel Universe
Philippine Star
May 5, 2010
Full article here