Boulevard Diner

Boulevard Diner

Address: 91 Xavierville Ave. Loyola Heights, Q.C.

Cuisine: American Fastfood 

We've been anticipating the opening of this diner ever since Nina, of othe co-owners, mentioned to us that she and two of her friends will be starting a new burger joint. Of course, being the burger lover that I am, I can hardly wait until the day that we will be able to visit. Unfortunately, it was weeks after they've opened when we were able to grace their store.

The store is located past Ababu, when coming from Katipunan avenue. It is pretty hard to miss since the place is so well-lit and so clean-looking. The place feels happy because of the colors used in the whole place even if it is mostly white. Boulevard Diner can comfortably sit more than 20 people. I think it can accommodate at most 30 people. 

We've been reading rave reviews from our other friends who have been to the diner to try the Gorgonzola burger and the wings, so we tried these two products.

Don't judge the burger and the fries just because of my bad picture. Seriously, the burger was huuuuge. I think it had more than 1/3lb of patty in it. It was so thick. And I must say that this is one of the juiciest burgers I've ever tasted. And as usual, I made a huge mess eating the burger. Why can't I learn how to eat burgers gracefully, or at least, cleanly? The fries were a good complement to the messy burger that I had.

We played safe with the wingerangs since I have a very low tolerance for spicy food. We chose the fury, which is their regular spicy equivalent of buffalo wings. And I must say that their wings were sooo gooooood. I have to continuously remind myself not to be a glutton and share the wings with my BF because I am confident that I can finish everything by myself. The wings dipped in gorgonzola sauce was also good but I think the wings were still enjoyable without it.

It seems like Charlie's Grind and Grill has found its competitor in Quezon City with the Boulevard Diner. This is a good thing because BF and I need not wait to be in the Pasig or Greenhills area just to have our burger and wings fix. Plus the fact that they are open until 11pm, BF and I now have more restaurant options to go to after my evening class.

Disclaimer: Even if we personally know one of the co-owners of the place, this is a non-sponsored post and we paid for the meal that we had. This post was written with no bias (parang voltage lang a).

25 Things To Do in the Philippines

Ok, the title is from an inquirer article which can be found here and I think aims to promote Philippine tourism with the locals.

I haven't been out much since vacation leaves are hard to come by and my travel partner is always on busy mode lately. During sembreak, perhaps?

Let's see which items I could tick off.

1. Go white water rafting in Cagayan de Oro.

2. Visit Batanes.

3. See Mt. Mayon up close.

4. Swim with the whale sharks in Donsol.

5. Climb Mt. Pulag and be awed by its sea of clouds.

6. Dive, swim and explore Palawan’s underground river.

7. Hike and let the view of Mt. Pinatubo crater take your breath away. I've been to the megadike when I was a kid, will that count?

8. Party in your bikini in Boracay. Ok, not in my bikini but I went there to have some much needed R&R.

9. Surf’s up! Choose your wave—La Union, Zambales or Real, Quezon.

10. Missed out on the pristine beauty of Boracay 15 years ago? Visit Malapascua, Cebu.

11. Dive and see the rich marine life of Anilao, Batangas.

12. Travel back in time—go to Vigan.This is easy when you are en route to Pagudpud.

13. Let Bohol wow you with its many offerings—the Chocolate Hills, the tarsier, the Loboc River Cruise, old churches and the beach. I've been here twice already and I just have to say, I left my heart there. LOL

14. Go high! Drive to the Mountain Province of Sagada. Check out the caves, the hanging coffins and enjoy the laidback lifestyle.

15. Grab a Viaje del Sol map, visit Ugu Binyan’s pottery studio, eat at Kusina Salud and unwind at Casa San Pablo.

16. Spend an entire week up north. Take a road trip from Manila to Vigan, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Aparri and Isabela!

17. Try wakeboarding in Camsur.

18. Check out Malate, Old Manila and all their secret spots.

19. There are many reasons to love Davao. Kublai’s artworks, its proximity to the beach, the tasty pastil and juicy suha. And did I mention that it’s a smoke-free city?

20. Spend a weekend roughing it in Anawangin and Capones in Zambales.

21. Check out our colorful fiestas and document them with your camera. Ati-atihan, Dinagyang, Masskara, Sinulog, Higantes, Panagbenga and more.

22. Pick your own strawberries at the Strawberry Fields in La Trinidad, Benguet.

23. Go to Pampanga for sisig.

24. If it’s too hot in Manila, grab a few friends and take a quick trip to Tagaytay. This is just pitiful but I've never really been to Tagaytay. Ow, we only made a quick stop there for dinner and had an awesome view of the lake.

25. Enjoy a food trip in Iloilo. You’ll never go hungry in this city.

Je Suis Gourmand

 

Je Suis Gourmand

Address: G/F Net One Center, 26th St. cor 3rd Ave

Cuisine: French

French cuisine is almost exotic or unheard of here in the Philippines. And it doesn't really get that much attention unlike other international cuisine wherein you get a sit-down menu. The closest that I can think of with French cuisine is the choux pastry (cream puffs) and their breads (baguettes!). Of course, there's the ubiquitous Le Coeur de France in Shangri La Mall and Delifrance but then they are more of the boulangerie type. Hah! I can still remember some of the words I learned from my French classes.

I am fortunate enough to celebrate my 26th birthday in Je Suis Gourmand. I wanted to try something different and special for my birthday. I read numerous positive reviews on the menu of Je Suis Gourmand. Actually it was a battle between Ninyo's Fusion Cuisine (French-Japanese) and the Je Suis Gourmand. But in the end, Je Suis Gourmand won because we still have to try what French cuisine is about.

Je Suis Gourmand is a bit of a drive from Bonifacio High Street and I am totally clueless with its commuting directions.

BF and I were promptly ushered to our reserved table. The arrival of the courses we ordered were perfectly timed. It was like they've orchestrated everything down to perfection. They gave us enough time to enjoy each course and appreciate it after. The succeeding courses weren't hurriedly served.

We shared two main courses and a dessert.

They served the pan-seared foie gras in honey-balsamic sauce first. This one is not in the menu but you can request it from the staff and they'll prepare it for you. I haven't tried goose liver before, so I kinda lowered my expectations with this. But I've read rave stories about eating foie gras, about it being too sinful to eat. One bite and we were hook. BF claimed that this is his new favorite. The texture was impeccably smooth. And the taste wasn't strong like other animal liver. You wouldn't even notice that you've already finished the serving. Well, that's what happened to my foie gras.

The next course is the Grilled Prime Black Angus US Ribeye. The words black angus is more than enough to aptly describe this course. It was sooo good. Of course, we had it in medium rare. We finished this in minutes. Red wine could have been a perfect match to this course. Except that we didn't order one because I have a very low alcohol tolerance and might find myself nodding off to dreamland before desserts!

We capped the dinner with a serving of dark chocolate and ginger souffle. I am a bit apprehensive when I read the word ginger, and boy was I wrong. The souffle had a light whiff of ginger that balanced the flavour brought by the dark chocolate. It was really good. I can't describe the taste but it was so good. You have to try it for yourself. We had fun eating this one because this is something entirely new to us.

All in all, it was a simple yet special dinner. The place was really romantic and a perfect dating place. The location of Je Suis Gourmand is not where you'd most likely bump into somebody you know. Well, that is mainly true in my case. Hehe I wish that BF and I can eat there again before they have their final run by yearend.

BRGR: The Burger Project

BRGR: The Burger Project
Address: 122-A Maginhawa Street, Teacher's Village Quezon City
Cuisine: American fastfood

Lately, Maginhawa has become a popular destination or spot for places to eat. Restaurants sprouted like mushrooms. Last week, we went to Pino Bar (and that's for another blog post) and we chanced upon a flyer of the The Burger Project. We always pass by The Burger Project but we're wary if it is any good because the number of people dining there was inconsistent. But then again, it was already past 9pm.

BRGR flyer

The Burger Project (or BRGR for short) can seat around 25 people inside and I think another 15 or so chairs are available for an al fresco dining experience. The place is well-lit and looks clean.

Each customer is given a clipboard with a checklist of items that you'd want to be included in your burger. It took me a long time to decide which to select from their choices because everything was so appetizing. Of course, I chose everything that can be added for free.

 

This is my personalized burger. Too bad, it would have been perfect except that they ran out of tomatoes. The mozzarella that I included made the burger yummier! The bun was huge and so is the patty. I think they also used 1/3 lb of meat here. And as usual, I ended up with a bloat-y belly after eating everything. Not to mention the mess I made after eating everything.

They also have pre-designed designer burgers that are aptly named like Western Bacon Melt, Tokyo Pop and French lick.

BF said that the burgers is almost at par with the angus burger of Charlie's Grind and Grill but Charlie's still tops his list. The pricetag is a bit higher than most angus burgers that we had tried, but the fact that it is near UP would mean that we will visit the place again.

Van Marley's

van Marley's
Address: 10-A Xavierville Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City
Cuisine: Dutch 

I asked a friend who went to study and finish his second Master's degree in Amsterdam about the typical Dutch food that he had. And apparently he subsisted mostly on eggs and noodles since his scholarship stipend is below the minimum wage. As he likes to put it, he's way below the poverty line.

So last night, BF and I heaved our butts to van Marley's. It is situated along Xavierville Avenue and is a bit of a travel from Katipunan. Basta, it is way further down the street from Ababu. I'm not sure if it is easily accessible since I am not familiar with the public transportation there. Tricycle, perhaps?

van Marley's only have a ramp in front of the restaurant as a parking space for their customers. But then, this could be the sidewalk that is common in QC. The place can sit around 20 people. We got there after my class, so we almost have the whole place. We also spied the van Marley's owners (cute, metrosexual looking guys! teehee) there. The whole place is dimly lit so you have this different vibe/aura of the restaurant. And walls were adorned with pictures like that of a canal common in Amsterdam.

We had Flying Dutch Wings (Php155) partnered with a Blue Cheese dip (L - Php40), Drunk Dori (Php135) with Turmeric Rice (Php30). And for desserts, combination of Whipped Berries Cream Cheese and Lemon Cream Cheese Dutchkins (Php127.50) with ice cream (Php12).

The Drunk Dori and Turmeric Rice came first. The fish was tasty and the flavor was further emphasized with cheese filling. It's like the fish version of the cordon bleu. And the good thing here is that it came in two slices so it was easy for BF and I to take a pick on which fish to eat. The rice was just plain good. I'm used to eating turmeric rice with kabab but this is not a Persian place so, I'll just hold off with my judgement. Before taking on the rice, the wait person informed us that it is more than one cup and advised us that we can order one serving of their Turmeric Rice and see how we would like it instead of ordering two servings of it.

The Flying Dutch Wings were hot. And just like any other buffalo wings, it went well with the blue cheese. We enjoyed nibbling on these and it was a good thing that the wings came after the fish because if not, we would not be able to appreciate the taste of the fish. The wings would easily overpower the dory.

Since it was our first time to go to van Marley's, the wait person advised us to try a combination of the Dutchkins, so that we can get more options. Dutchkins were like mini pancakes with fillings inside. Perhaps, the name was derived from Dunkin Donut's munchkins. We chose the mixed berries and lemons combination since the other combination that she offered was a bit redundant, both having nutella in their filling. BF became partial with the lemon flavored Dutchkin while I to the mixed berries. But we still halved each flavor.

We were so bloated after eating everything that we ordered. Their servings were good for one, so ordering two main course and a dessert was a bit of a stretch for us. But we just had to try van Marley's Dutchkins because this is something new.

I am not sure if it is recommendable to travel all the way to van Marley's location in Xavierville since you can get an equally good buffalo wings and fish in other restaurants. But I think you should at least try the Dutchkins, if you're within the area. How often would you see a dutchkin in a menu, right?

Planners

In grade school, we called them Diary. In High school, we had organizers. During college, I don't know what they are called or if they ever existed, but I made my own monthly calendar. And a few years ago, with Starbucks and other glamour-coffeeshops mushrooming in the metro, it became the planner.They were dead useful to me.

I realised that I've been using planners for almost 20 years, now. Grade school diaries were used in lieu of homework notebooks and doubled as excuse letters (and I really get to use these sheets since I used to vomit and nosebleed frequently). Teachers would also make a note on my diary whenever I was late for school. And thank God, they did not feel the urge to write on mine about needing disciplinary actions! Haha

Organizers in high school were really used to the last sheet. It was also the time when "customizing" the organizer to your taste became vogue. I had mine decorated with post its. I loooove post its! Not the 3M brand because they were so expensive. We used to trade post its in school and put stick them in the dividers of the organizer. And since I was studying in a very special school for very special kids, my organizers were really "bugbog" since we had a lot of homeworks and quizzes and other activities in school.

Since there were fewer classes in college, I only saw the necessity of a planner in a monthly view, just like in MS Outlook. I'd just design a plain one using a spreadsheet and just fold it to fit my bag. The problem with it was that it was easily crumpled because of the absence of a hard front and back materials.

When I was in my previous work, I didn't see the need of a planner since everyday was redundant. But when BF and I started planning of returning to school late last year, we saw the need of using planners again. BF settled to a small weekly planner and I to a planner made by Belle de Jour. I got to actually used mine during the first half of the year. The thing with the BDJ planner was that it was heavy so I didn't really feel the urge to bring it to work. So I would just look at it in the morning, leave it at home and update it at night. I also didn't get to use much of the vouchers included in it since I don't really shop in the stores that were listed in the planner. I also realised that I prefer light-weight planners since I risk developing shoulder and back problems with a heavy one.

So last week, while buying some things at National Bookstore with BF, we chanced upon a very thin, datebook by Hallmark. We thought that we preferred this over most of the kind of planners available there because it was in the monthly view and we do not necessarily write in it everyday. So much for wasted untouched and unwritten pages. And the best part of the planner is, it was only 18.50 pesos!! I got the one with flowers and BF had the one with caricatures since flowers were too feminine raw. Ow, and it also comes with a sticker set!!! Talk about deal-makers!! I'm already excited to use my new planner!!

Overview of Technology Management & Technology-based Entrepreneurship

When first semester started rolling in, I asked Ate Jas for some tips regarding the classes that I will be taking. According to her, Drs. Posadas and Dayco have different teaching styles but both are very technical and detailed with their lectures. For this semester, however, both required a final exam and a case study to work on. Class participation and attendance, and a midterm exam were also needed for the Overview of Technology Management (TM 201) class. For Technology-based Entrepreneurship (TM 251), we were required to submit weekly reaction papers on the topics that will be discussed and half of the grade will come from the case study.

TM 201 is handled in an old-fashioned way. A bit too bookish, perhaps? Lectures where derived from the slides and class participation was graded with the number of questions/discussions shared by the student. The downside of this method is that some students tend to dawdle with their "questions", making the lecture unfinished or hanging come 9pm. It would be better if the class participation can be moderated, so that there will be equal airtime among students and nobody will have the monopoly on class discussions and become too one-sided. Both midterm and final exams were open-notes. (DocP even joked that we can refer to our notes and computers are allowed, but we cannot call a friend), and my hands suffered from these exams since you'd want to write everything you can write for the exam. I'd really recommend some warm-up writing exercises before the exam to prep the hands. As for the exams, you will survive by reading only his slides. Anyway the contents were lifted from his sources and not much were changed.

TM 251, on the other hand, is more of a story-telling session about the experiences of DocP and his friends on starting and running a business. I heard lots of industry gossips, or in the case, industry facts. Some of the stories were told a number of times, so, more or less by the end of the semester, you have memorized these by heart. As for the reaction papers required for the class, I jibber-jabbered my way by writing something related to the reading material required for that week.The case study required for the class is another story since a paper and a presentation were required, and some groups were really grilled during the Q&A part of the presentation. We were lucky that he only asked us what was our prognosis on the company we worked on. There was also a bit of misunderstanding for the final exam because we were given the impression that it will also be open books, only to find out that it will not be open notes during the exam. Good thing that we were forewarned about this by the TM204 class. The questions were answerable as long as you have a copy of the slides DocD used throughout the semester.

I'd say that I learned a lot from these two subjects since I really have no background whatsoever on management and entrepreneurial topics. Good thing, I got good scores this semester and made me still eligible to graduate after 2.5 years. Yes! Just two and a half years and I will get my first masters degree :)

Christmas Wishlist

I made this list for my wonderful, wonderful friends because I know the kind of stress they have to go through when they think of me during this season *grin*

- Reese' peanut butter cups

- assorted hair accessories (hair clips, head band), please no butterfly clips

- Eat, Pray, Love book

- Neil Gaiman comics/novels

- HP1/2/7 books

- Bath and Body Works hand lotion (any scent)

- Clarity GCs

- old horror Pinoy flicks (80s, i.e. Halimaw sa Banga, Shake, Rattle and Roll)

- Gloria Romero's old films (60s, 70s)

- prayers

- and World Peace

Impromptu Shopping

I was supposed to buy only paper boxes for my notes when I went to Trinoma/SM North. National Bookstore of both malls were out of stock of the boxes I am looking for. After looking in SM, I threaded back to Trinoma to buy some groceries for Mama and went through the shortcut. And from afar I saw big cutout letters of the word SALE pasted in the Kamiseta display. And the word SALE just short-circuits my brain. So I ended up with the following loot from the store:

- Candy colored shirt - I loooove the colors of this shirt. I just have to have it when I saw it. It was so yummy-looking. The colors in the shirt reminds me of cotton candy.

- green floral skirt with sequins in the waist band - scored this one for only 100pesos. It was originally marked at 1299pesos. I wonder how many years behind is this skirt in terms of fashion. Mama commented that the price was ukay-ukay cheap.

And, Giordano which is just across Kamiseta, is also on SALE.

- beige jacket - i've been looking for a casual looking office jacket and this seemed to be what i've been looking for. It doesn't have the corporate cut but it will do.

- yellow polo shirt - to increase my yellow wardrobe. LOL

- white t-shirt with green print - this will go well with the green skirt I bought from Kamiseta.

NOTE: Pictures were taken using my E63.

Bohol - Day 1

BF and I took the earliest flight to Tagbilaran via PAL and arrived 20 minutes earlier than scheduled. So we took wiwi break first before meeting with our designated driver for the day. Good thing, Rikrik (driver) arrived 30 minutes before our flight and was already in the parking lot to meet us. BF was lamenting with the kind of car that we will be used to service us. Good thing that Rikrik used an almost new Vios for us. :)

Rikrik chatted how fast one can get around Tagbilaran and before we knew it we're already in the first stop of the tour. 

 

Blood Compact Site

Rikrik told us that this is not the actual Blood Compact Site and that the original location was found after extensive research and digging. Contrary to what we know, the blood wasn't derived from the wrist, but from the chest. Good thing they didn't hit the aorta or something or else much blood would have been spilled.

Next stop is the Baclayon Church.

Baclayon Church

We didn't get to tour the museum beside the church since we were too early. I didn't anticipate this downside since I wasn't aware of the museum's existence. Hmm, maybe we'll tour the museum when we get another opportunity to return to Bohol. 

There were some nature's art in the outside walls of the church. There's an image of Padre Pio in the church's wall and a Mother and Child in wall adjacent to it. We didn't take a picture of the Mother and Child since it wasn't complete yet. 

Padre Pio

There's a goosebumps-y feeling while inside the church. It must be the temperature or the feeling of being someplace really historic. The paintings inside of the church were amazing. It's similar to the painting done by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, but on a smaller scale. The wood and coral etc used in the construction of the church are still there. I wonder, what could the walls divulge if only they can speak. The only new thing with the church is the roof. It's Coat saver, Father.

Across the church is the Baclayon wharf where Cesar Montano proposed to Sunshine Cruz. Rikrik also mentioned that CM and his son Angelo used to swim a lot in the wharf. He even had a basketball court built nearby since CM was really into sports. Their house is also situated near the church but is hidden from view.

After Baclayon, we visited the Python Sanctuary. There was already a group ahead of us - a bunch of pre-schoolers having a field trip. BF wanted to skip this part since he has a ophidophobia. Good thing, he was sport enough to continue with the visit. According to Rikrik, the python eats 60kgs of meat every week and recently celebrated its 14th birthday. And since were early, we didn't get to see Marimar, the resident comedian in the area. We were supposed to buy from the souvenir shop in the sanctuary but since we were, again, too early, the shop was still closed. 

Python Sanctuary

We passed by the original Sandugo site. It was still under construction so we were just quick with the pictures. They say that the landmark of the original Sandugo site was the well used in the event.

Sandugo landmark

Balon landmark in the Sandugo event

We then went to see some of our long-lost relatives - the tarsiers. It is a good thing that they're not shy with people posing with them. We were careful not to use flash when taking our pictures so that we do not excite and blind them. We even spotted a tarsier that sports a smiling look.

Smiling tarsier

 
The sanctuary also plays host to a couple of flying lemurs. BF and I already saw some flying lemurs (and in action too!) during a trip in Singapore. The caretaker shared that this animal is low-maintenance since they only rely on langka leaves for sustenance. The enclosure for this animal is a bit small so we're not sure if they can stretch their flaps and do some exercise.

Flying lemur

Just a thought, when do tarsiers take their rest if they're nocturnals? Are they like employees working on different shifts?



We then went to see some butterflies in the Butterfly Sanctuary. This stopover would very well cater to pre-school students since the place is very educational. We learned about androgynous butterflies (having qualities of both male and female butterflies) and the difference between a moth and a butterfly. Bet, you didn't know that the opposite term for nocturnal is diurnal? After learning about the butterfly's life cycle, we proceeded to an enclosure that houses a number of butterflies. We lingered inside since we were so awed with the butterflies flitting around.

Baklang butterfly

The sun was already high, by the time we reached the viewing point for the Chocolate Hills. We remembered seeing pictures of friends having nice souvenir photos at the top of the hills so I wondered where this attraction is situated. Little did we know that the chocolate hills in the pictures was just a picture in a tarpaulin. And tourists do some jump shots for the souvenir. It was a tourist trap and we fell for it. LOL It was fun though, having our couple pics taken.

We climbed all the way to the top, taking a few breaks in some viewing points to look at the hills. I have to remind myself to bring an umbrella whenever we return here. The view was great at the top except for the sun. The air was so refreshing that I gulped as much air as I can since this is not available in the city.

Chocolate Hills

During grade school, you would only see these majestic land formations in books. It was so amazing that I got the opportunity to see these hills for real.

We then went to walk along the Hanging Bridge. It was sooo scary.There was a kid who was used to walking across the bridge and got a bit of annoyed since we (tourists) were taking such a long time to cross the bridge and that when he passed the bridge shaked so hard. I really had to hold on to the bridge to balance myself. Below the bridge was a river and kids were playing and swimming in it. 

Hanging Bridge

At the other side of the bridge are tourist shops where we bought packs of peanut kisses and shirts to bring home. Buco King, the person who peels off coconut skin using his teeth was also there. You have to pay 100pesos for him to show his stuff and being the cheapskate that I am, I waited until someone took the bait. LOL We also bought some buco juice from his stall since we were still parched from the climb in the previous stop.

We realized that the pasalubongs will not fit in our hand-carry luggage, so we bought a used box, packaging tape and pentel pen to create a make-shift box. LOL The destination was written on our e-ticket (MNL-TAG). The finished box looked so funny because it was taped all over and I didn't bother cutting the paper where the BF's name was written. We even made a make-shift strap so that it'll be easier to carry.


We had lunch at the Loboc River Cruise and the food was just so-so. I didn't bother going for seconds for the fruits since I might get sea sick. We were entertained by the in-house singers and the Loboc choir in one of the stops in the cruise. The ride was really romantic. We wondered if it'll be more romantic if we took the cruise at night when the river was lit.

Loboc River Cruise

There were two stops remaining after lunch. The Hinagdanan Cave and Bohol Bee Farm. Both locations are situated in the Panglao Island.


In the Hinagdanan Cave, we were guided by a local ngongo who knows how to use our camera better than we do. He even knows about the ISO setting to be used in dark places! LOL Since he is a seasoned guide in the area, he would direct us to stand in spots where we would get the best shots. And I couldn't believe that the sights in the cave after taking the pictures.The tour felt a bit hurried though and that the information was rushed.

Inside the Cave

The temperature dropped a couple of degrees inside the cave. The water must have cooled the place. The place also smelled funny, but this might be because of the bat droppings. 

The guide said that the deepest part of the pool measured 10 feet. I was enticed to take a dip in the pool but changed my mind because it was so dark.

The drawings in the cave looked fake to me. (Disclaimer: This is just my opinion.) Because the paintings were different from the usual cave drawings one sees in museums. One of the pictures looked like a Sanskrit deity. I am not sure if the place has been authenticated by historians, etc.

Paintings inside the Cave

Outside the cave were shops selling shirts and other souvenir items. I think, shirts are cheapest in this place. We were able to score shirts for 99pesos here whereas the same shirt was sold at 120pesos at the Hanging Bridge. I no longer bought key chains and purses since I still have some from Singapore and such a pity that they are not being used.

The last stop of the tour was the Bohol Bee Farm. We opted not to avail of the tour of the place since Rikrik warned us that they do not have protective gears for tourists when touring the bee farm. We just went to take a look at the store. There were food samples so we helped ourselves on these to help us decide which to buy. I ended up buying a box of tableya to try at home.

Bohol Bee Farm

BBF's ice cream is not that creamy and we're not sure what kind of milk was used since it has sherbet-like feel to the tongue. The malunggay flavored ice cream tasted like.. malunggay leaves. LOL I'm not sure what to make out of it. We were surprised that for 40pesos, you get two scoops of ice cream, so we tried mango, durian and ube. I think they tasted OK. But what really stood out was the cone that was used. I am not sure what it is made of but the taste was really interesting.


It was still pretty early when we finished the tour so Rikrik dropped us off at Dumaluan Beach Resort. I thought I was having a deja vu when we were about to enter the boundary of DBR and then I realised that it was the same place that I went with my labmates, four years ago.

Note: Bohol is abundant with old churches particularly those from the Spanish period. They really looked interesting and picturesque. We did not stop on these since seeing and having our picture taken in one is enough.

Note: Kuya Tatsky's contact information:

• Jesser "Tatsky" Cubero
• email:  jessercubero@yahoo.com
• Globe: 0915-794-5556
• Sun: 0922-367-1051
• Smart: 0912-747-2737

Note: Kuya Tatsky's wife arranged our accommodations at Dumaluan Beach Resort.

Yay/Nay for AirPhilExpress

I already posted this yay/nay thingie of AirPhilExpress in femalenetwork.com/girltalk.

So, BF and I were really stressed these past few months and both were itching to go somewhere really nice and relaxing for the semester break. So last month, we decided that we'll go to Bohol. It'll be nice to see Bohol again and get a whiff of fresh air. It'll be his first time to go there, though.

We booked a different airline per segment of the trip because we it is cheaper that way. So, we will be flying in via PAL and out via AirPhilExpress. Booking with AirPhilExpress was easy, we received the confirmation email right away. With PAL, we encountered numerous payment timeouts before we became successful.

So I called up Kuya Tatsky (09223671051) and Ate Kathy (09238440241) to book us a room in Dumaluan Beach Resort and a countryside tour since we will only be in the island for roughly 30 hours tops.

Then two weeks before the flight, BF received an SMS from AirPhil regarding the change in our flight schedule. The aircraft will be leaving 3 hours earlier than the original. We were both pissed because it was already the finals season and then this.


So I called AirPhilExpress to ask if they can move our flight to a later date and waive the rebooking fee. And guess what? They complied! Haha I thought I would have to resort to a sob story or something. They were able to confirm everything within the day. Thank God they were able to fix everything right away because I still have to modify our plans and reservations.

I am not sure if I will be flying with AirPhilExpress next time though because of this incident. Hehe

first semester

Wow, look how time flies. First semester is almost over. 

Had my first final exam for my Master's degree yesterday. It was awfully loooong. Seriously, the allocated 2 hours and the 30minutes extension weren't enough. I even didn't have time to sleep during the exam. Haha

Almost everybody brought their laptops for the exam, except for me and Karol. We were so old school. Armed with our hardcopies during the exam. It would have been easier to browse through slides and use the Find function BUT I like seeing many slides at the same time. And I don't know how am I supposed to write on my yellow paper with a laptop propped on the desk. We both were contemplating to purchase a netbook just for the exam but then my innate cheapskate got the better hold of me. HAHAHA What good would a netbook do to me if I still have a good laptop. 

I looooove Shobe. She's been with me since 2008Q1 and is still functioning pretty good. Less than 20 blue screens, I think. I just can't bring it during exams because it's huge. I don't want to lug it around because I'm paranoid that it might not be up for travel/commuting. And there is the fear that I will get mugged. Haha I'm such a scaredy-cat.

I just hope I get a decent final exam' score to make up for that dismal midterm exam. Here's to the remaining 5 semesters of graduate school! Cheers!

swamped

I am totally swamped with things to do until early December. There's this special project that I have on top of my normal workload. I'm not sure how it can possibly affect my performance in the usual shift since I'm still trying to familiarize myself with the business process.

Then there's the case study presentation, two saturdays from now, finals exam the following saturday and another finals exam, saturday after that. Then there's the paper on the presentation, another case study and the business plan.

On top of these two (work and school), I have to prepare myself for the Japanese evaluation exam on December, and I've only memorized half of the grammar list required in my level. And I haven't touched the grammar part yet. Aargh! Talk about major major nosebleed.

I am not complaining, I just need some space to visualize the things I need to do. Hehe

I M

64th monthsary

My earlier entry got deleted so I'm re-doing my entry again.

Today marks our 64th monthsary. We don't really celebrate monthsaries like most couples. We go out when we can but not really make a fuss out of it. There were monthsaries when we were more than 80kms apart, and days, like today, that both are swamped with work and school.

We try to make up for it on days that we can. Sometimes, we just don't and treat it like just any other day. There are also no big productions every month to remind us that we are in a relationship. In most cases, we only have a simple SMS greeting.

I guess, this is our way of celebrating monthsaries. For us, remembering is more than enough.

Happy monthsary hon...

Despicable Me

We FINALLY got to see the movie last night. FINALLY! After hearing and reading rave reviews of the movie, we FINALLY got to see it. Did I just use the word finally three times? Ok, let's backtrack a bit. The most recent movie we watched prior to this, was Inception and it was last month, I think. So that makes brings our movie average to once a month! Haha a big increase from the previous, every other month frequency.

The movie is already on its third week and yet the movie house was almost full with moviegoers. We weren't expecting a crowd and there was actually a queue to the entrance of the movie house by the time we got there.

It IS a kiddie movie with lots of cutie stuff and lines. I think it is a bit for girls since the protagonists were girls. Plus the fact that it had lots of Awww moments that will make you feel all squishy inside. It also had geeky lines like "vector because it has both direction and magnitude" courtesy of Vector. Of course, the movie wouldn't be complete if it has no funny moments. One particular scene that BF kept on laughing was when the shark kept bumping the floor upon seeing Gru and his minions dangling from the ceiling and when the minion was photocopying his butt.

All in all, I think, the movie was OK. I don't think that there will be a sequel of it. It is definitely not of Toy Story caliber, just a typical feel-good movie. Not really stand out, I think. You know those movies you will go and see and forget about later. Save for a couple or so tag lines and funny scenes. BF also thought that the movie was just OK, nothing spectacular.

BF was actually a bit worried that he'd fall asleep during the screening since he was tired from his classes, especially that he still has gargantuan cases to read and analyze and his finals weeks are fast approaching.

Oh and BF treated me to a Starbucks tea :D Bliss.

First post

So, I'm here again in blogosphere.

Why write again?

Hmm.. Lately, I've been thinking of an outlet for what I (as an individual) and we (with BF, as a couple) are going through during BF's law study. Maybe, I also wanted to put my stories into something more tangible. Oh, and also the reason that I've used again and again. I badly need to practice my English.

Welcome to my world!