A Night with Bruno Mars in Manila 2014

March 22, 2014 , SATURDAY, 8pm . One of the most unforgettable nights of my life this 2014. Why so? Simply because of ……..

the BRUNO MARS : THE MOONSHINE JUNGLE WORLD TOUR concert was here at the Mall of Asia ARENA

Beth, She and I had been anticipating the coming of Bruno Mars and his crew since December of 2013. The moment his concert tickets were being sold, we immediately made our reservation at the nearest SM Ticketnet outlet. We were pondering that time if we would go for the VIP rate which is almost 21,000 pesos! Nahhh… let’s get real! We do not have that much money haha… but Lower Box? Not bad! At Php6930.00 , you could already appreciate the outstanding performance of Bruno Mars and his front act artist, the POREOTICS.

Here are some highlights of the concert:

the POreOtics

A video of LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN:

and....

I just love Bruno Mars!  Who wouldn’t???

Exploring Puerto Prinsesa, Palawan for 3 Days and 2 Nights

Some people say that when you spend your vacation in Puerto Prinsesa, Palawan, it would cost you a lot! However, I say it all depends on how you will budget your vacation. Traveling in groups would be an advantage. However, there are some tours with fixed rates - - for example, the underground river tour. Below is our itinerary during our 3 days and 2 nights stay in Puerto Prinsesa, Palawan.

Day 1 :         March 11, 2014

7:25 am       ETD via Airasia Zest

8:50 am       ETA at Puerto Prinsesa, Palawan

9:15 am       Check in at Marianne Tourist Inn

11:00 am     Lunch @ BADJAO Seafood Restaurant

1:00 pm       Half day City tour (Maple Travel and Tours)

5:00 pm       Back to Inn

6:30 pm      Firefly watching Activity ( DIY : tricycle – Php600 ; Boat – Php600 good for 3)

9:00 pm        Late dinner @ City Bay 

Day 2:          March 12, 2014

7:00 am       call time for Underground River Tour ( Php 1500)

                   It is about 2 hours travel time from the Inn to the port. From the port, you still have to board a motorboat to get you to the island where the Underground River is. It will take you about 15 minutes to get there. Once in the island, you will pass by what the locals call as the Monkey trail. Basically because there ARE monkeys in this trail. So better be careful of your personal belongings since these monkeys could really get playful.

10:30 am       Our turn to enter the UNDERGROUND RIVER by means of a paddle boat. Fortunately, we had Captain JunJUn as our boatman. He is the best boatman among the 15 boatmen. He even toured our own President Benigno Aquino Jr. when he went there for a visit.

11:45 am     We headed back to the port for our buffet lunch which was included in the tour.

1:00 pm       Ugong Cave Adventure with zipline

                   The cost of spelunking in the cave is Php 200. However, if you choose to go back via zipline, it would cost you an additional Php 250 (if sitting) or php 350 (superman position). An additional Php 100 for having your picture taken while doing the zipline (optional).

3:00 pm       Head back to Marianne Tourist Inn

5:00 pm       Arrival at the Inn

8:30 pm       Dinner at Ka Lui Restaurant. Be sure to make a reservation days before. The resto has a 6:30pm schedule as well.

Captain JunJun

Day 3 : March 13, 2014

6:45 am       DOS PALMAS RESORT call time

8:30 am       Van leaves for Dos Palmas office center

9:00 am       Boarded Dos Palma’s Motorboat

10:00 am     Arrival at Dos Palmas Island Resort ( Php 1800.00)

11:00 am     Snorkeling Activity

12:30pm      Lunch Buffet

2:00 pm       Free time for recreational activities/ rest

4:15pm        Motorboat departs the island (it also has a 1:30pm departure schedule)

5:15pm        Arrival at the port

7:05 pm       Flight back to Manila

It would be best if flight back to Manila would be at a later time. We almost missed our flight because of the tight schedule. Good thing we still had 10 minutes before the check in counter closed. Thank God!

The group did not opt for Honda Bay Island Hopping because of the limited schedule. However, Jomar (09076009228), the trike driver who took us to Iwahig for the firefly watching told us that you could always hire a trike that could take you there (around 500 – 600 pesos) and rent a boat ( around 1200 to 1500 pesos) instead of availing a tour package which would cost you about Php 1300 per pax.

Have fun! Ciao. J

                  

#PH thank you

I never thought that I will part of this "Thank You" campaign launched by the Department of Tourism last February 8, 2014. I guess, I just happen to be there when it was shot at the Crown Regency Towers, Cebu City. My friend said that albeit the 2- second clip ( 0:35 - 0:37) , I was immortalized.  :)

For those who helped my countrymen during our times of need , a heartfelt THANK YOU to all of you!!!!

Getting Personal about Online Dating

I started online dating a month after I broke up with my boyfriend. It was December of 2012. A friend introduced me to OKCupid, an online dating site. Half-hearted, I started creating my own profile-- my personal profile which could either attract or repel men. The objective was more of as a form of diversion from the heart aches I was feeling then. I had no intention of going out on dates, or even starting out a new relationship. I just wanted to talk to someone or anyone to keep my mind ( and heart) off the pain . I needed to see that there are lots of fishes in the sea. But I had no intention of playing games or engaging in any forms of perversion on that site.

The first person I talked with was a local. It was a good 3-day conversation which later turned out to be a business proposal. Nah, I wasn’t up for that. The next was a New Yorker. Way too old, about 20 years my senior.  He was a good conversationalist. Got lots of ideas. But as I have said, I was there to talk. Not to start a relationship. And after a few weeks of chatting, it just ended.

More chatters… I never dated even one. I wasn’t ready. Six or 7 months of chatting with random people, I felt I was ready to mingle. Soon enough, a local was eager to meet me. We have been exchanging messages and phone calls for 2 months! But the date never materialized and later I found out he already has a girlfriend of 2 years. An Asshole and another heartbreaker! Anyway, it was not a deep kind of heartbreak. But it still stung my heart. A week later, I said to myself, the next local who will message me and who I will find interesting, I will date asap.  I guess this next local was smitten by me because after our first date, he would message me and call me many times and ask for a second date. However, I didn’t feel the same. So I ended it before things got too complicated.

Once in awhile, I still get messages from men from different parts of the world. And I wonder if it really is possible to meet your other half (or soul mate perhaps) with this kind of set up. Of course, the first thing that people on this site consider is physical attraction… (just like in the real world) and the rest follows. It is still important that each of you feels a certain kind of connection. This connection will be the trigger in maybe putting your relationship to the next level.

I remember another New Yorker, who after chatting with him on facebook for 2 days, asked if we could take our relationship to the next level. I was surprised! That fast, really? For me, the least you could do is give us time to get to know each other first. If things turn out pretty well, then that’s the time to level up the relationship. I wanted to take it easy because a relationship is a commitment. And when I am committed to someone, rest assured you have my love, my respect and my loyalty to you.

So how is online dating treating me? Hmm… I guess, fair enough. It helped me with my moving on phase without having a rebound person. It made me realize that men could really be complex at times (haha). And that it is possible that someone like me is also out there searching for someone who could turn out to be THE ONE - - that is, if we are lucky enough to find each other.

Happy chatting! J

Reconstruction of the Basilica Del Santo Nino of Cebu City (2014)

The 2013 earthquake which devastated the provinces of Bohol and Cebu and neighboring Visayas regions had left many of our ancestral churches ruined and destroyed. One of these is the bell tower of the Basilica del Santo Nino of Cebu City. I had the chance to visit it last January 24, 2014 and this is what I found :

The Church itself is under reconstruction  and so daily Masses are celebrated in the parking space.

Despite the heat of the sun and the crowded place, devotees of the Santo Nino come and go to hear mass, buy relics of the Santo Nino and pay respect to the original image of the Santo Nino brought by Ferdinand Magellan during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. 

long queue to the original image of the Santo Nino

Viva Pit Senor! :)