WE CONQUERED the MONOLITH of Pico de Loro! (part 2)

Click here for part 1: Climbing Mount Palay-Palay (Pico de Loro).

Off to the Monolith!

Off to the monolith!

It was not in the plan that we'd go to the monolith. But some of the group just wanted to go at least at its base just to have a feel of it. It was mainly because of the people we saw at the base looked so cool from afar  (can you see the people chilling at the monolith from the photo above?). Some of the group just stayed behind and will wait at the parrot's beak. Miah stayed behind while me & Chris decided we'd go along with the group to the monolith. 

Stage One: Rocky Slope
The path to Pico de Loro monolith is more like wall sliding/climbing. We have to sit and crawl down 'cause it's too steep. We also have to move fast 'cause the wall we're sitting/holding on is hot to the touch. Tanghaling tapat kasi nung pumunta kami! After that is a narrow path with lots of thorny plants.

WE CONQUERED PICO DE LORO!! (my first mountain)

October 20, 2013

So... What does four inexperienced people with sedentary lifestyles (except for RJ) doing in Maragondon? What kind of spirit came to them when they thought about climbing Mount Palay-Palay aka Pico de Loro without any guide or proper gears? Heck, they don't even know how to get there.

So here's how they hatched their plan:

My colleague Chris was like I wanna go mountaineering. I was like, why don't you try it. Then he was like I don't have someone to come with. Then I was like, I have done some hiking when I was kid. And then he was like, TARA sa October 20! Di na pinapatagal to! Push na yan! HAHAHAHA. 

We only had 3-week preparation and we pushed the plan with little knowledge on what to expect. The final headcount was 4 out of 9 people who planned to join. I was kind of disheartened by the people who backed out. "PUSH NA YAN!" was our expression of the moment.

We met up at 7Eleven near SM Bacoor at 5am. Since there's no bus to Ternate that pass through SM Bacoor that early, we rode a baby bus to Marulas near a place called Zeus (9 pesos). Then we waited for a bus from Manila to Ternate that took the Cavitex route (55 pesos). I was still comprehending what we're gonna do that day, how we're gonna manage climbing an unfamiliar mountain with just the four of us. Little did we know that we're in the same bus as the people that we're gonna be with the whole day! Talk about serendipity.

Czar, Joubert, Joan, Aldrin, Chris, Coco, Sheila (not pictured)

Meet the angels that took us under their wings. They are so unbelievably friendly and considerate! They took care of us when we're hiking even if they don't have to. I don't want to imagine what would have happened to us if it weren't for them. They were also the ones who initiated socially by introducing their selves to us. Geez, I would be happy if I can have at least half of their social skills. I suck with socials.

So we started off by renting a jeep after we got off the bus for 700 pesos regardless of how many passengers. We paid 63 pesos per person since we're 11 people in the group. It's cheaper compared to riding a tricycle to DENR for 100 pesos per person.

Clueless on what to do around DENR, picture muna! My company: Krix (ang pasimuno ng lahat), Miah and RJ 

"May tuntunin po kasi"... An INC member's point of view why they didn't let Yolanda victims into their church

Remember the news about Iglesia ni Cristo members refusing to shelter people amidst Yolanda disaster? Well, some people say this is not true. But I've seen this on Facebook recently and I just have to share it here:

Let's say di nga talaga nangyari ang incident na ito. Pero with what this INC member was saying, if a storm like Yolanda hits this man's INC church, it is highly likely that they will follow suit or imitate this kind of behavior kasi ito ang "tuntunin" nila. It's unsettling when I think about it, really disturbing...

Hindi ko nilalahat ang mga INC (Iglesia Ni Cristo) but it takes a soulless, cold-hearted person para matanggap sa isip nila na okay lang ang ang ganitong behavior in the midst of a great disaster. Ang di ko matanggap ay ang pagsabi niya na "May tuntunin po kasi..." By the way he said it, it's like he indirectly confirmed that the INC really did it.

It hurts to think na nasikmura nilang gawin yon. I don't know about their teachings BUT somebody tell this guy about God's second most important teaching "Love your neighbor as yourself". Wag sana mag aktong Pariseo. I plead the man to stop condemning people and being self-righteous. Bago sana problemahin pag liligtas sa sarili nila, check their humanity first. Baka kasi nawawala na.

Matthew 25:41-46

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

God bless Santillan Peter.
God bless Iglesia ni Cristo.

God bless the Philippines.

BATTLE OF THE PROSE!

Me and RJ were chatting about random things. Then he shared to me a prose he randomly made. It's about a couple breaking up that he saw at a local McDonalds fastfood. What impressed me is he composed it then and there. And darn, he's good... Let me share it with you:

A beginning has an end. And then begins a new cycle.
A tear would fall and trace down the once folded by smile. 

A smile that heals a broken past.

A beginning comes to an end. Two chapter that starts from a sad closure. 

The woman in front of me, teary eyes for tomorrow's darkness.
The man facing her, and his back blocking me.

The woman hides her sadness. 

The man hides his boredom.

I won't say how cruel the man is, as I'm worst than him before.
But this is their story. A story that comes to an end. 

The woman reminisce their happy moments...
... or wonder where have all that gone.

The man is quiet...

... or can't wait to have this conversation end.

If he would ask for my opinion, I would say to remain quiet.
Be a gentleman for the woman, at least for the last time.

No sugarcoating, no blaming.
Let her feel the pain, as she will one day be happy again.

Every story has an end.
Every one has an ideal end.
This is their story.
But this will end, as I stood up and walk away to their story.

I was really impressed about his writing that I became inspired making a prose myself. This is the result:

One's life is another one's nourishment
To prey on the weak is the norm of society
This is what I concluded when I witness a scene
A man dining in Jollibee gnawing on his lifeless fried chicken

Pwede na ba? :P

Flying Colors Butterfly Sanctuary - Bohol Countryside Tour

I always wanted to go to a butterfly sanctuary and our Bohol trip made it happen. One of our itineraries for our Bohol Countryside Tour by Kuya Dodong is a place called "Flying Colors Butterfly Sanctuary". It is not as large as I thought it would be (like a dome garden) but it has all the simple amenities that a butterfly garden should have. It's a big kubo-type facility (with bamboo floors and all) with a small but lovely garden at the back of it where the live butterflies are situated.

Entrance

We were greeted by a poor lizard (I dont know what type) at the entrance atop of a donation box. It was tied up by its waist so it won't go anywhere. I was only looking at it when our tour guide Kuya Lloyd grabbed the lizard and put it on my arm. I was too shocked to react that before my brain freaked out, I asked my papa to take pictures of us. After it, I calmly put it back on its place and took big breaths. Wooh. I'm really not fond of reptiles.

Oh hello there.

The Metal Mouth Chronicles

My Brace Experience Diary

Start: August 10, 2013
Day 0: Had my braces at UDC AsiaWorld Dental Clinic. So far, no pain felt other than the sharp wire that was poking my cheeks. Bought Oral-B orthodontic toothbrush and special floss from Watson for 350+ pesos. Too pricey :(

~I will make a review/experience about the clinic perhaps after I got my retainers. I don't want to put my honest thought about them and get blacklisted from their clinic because of it :P

Day 1: Eat like a lola. Lugaw/goto/sopas all day. Can't chew, can't bite. I cant even bite on breads.  So painful T_T

Day 2: Look at all the foods you can't eat! Woody's face on the picture is similar to mine. It was painful to see mama's cooking knowing that you can't eat them. Lomi and goto kept me alive.

Day 3: My colleague is surprised that my braces doesn't get in the way on how I talk. I think that's a good sign. The downside is the pain is getting worse to the point of me seriously considering taking pain meds for the first time in my life. The extra wires on the last bracket of my braces are now slashing my cheeks.

Bohol Countrside Tour - Sandugo Shrine and Baclayon Church

Late post! Really! My blog name should be properly named "Late blog posts 'cause Time doesn't wait for me!"

So yeah, we went to Bohol and availed Kuya Dodong's tour package (click here for my blog entry about Kuya Dodong's Bohol package details). If you're going to Bohol with these places on your itinerary, I suggest that you don't read this entry so you won't be spoiled what you'll find there. But if you're willing, I will eagerly share what we discovered and experienced :)

So here's our Day 1 itinerary of our 3-day Bohol tour. I will write about all of them if I get a chance. The places we went were:

• Sandugo Shrine (Blood Compact Site)
• Baclayon Church
• Xzootic Animal Park
• Flying Colors Butterfly Sanctuary
• Loboc River Cruise and Luncheon
• Tarsier Conservation Area
• Chocolate Hills
• Hanging Bridge

Sandugo Shrine (Blood Compact Site)

Our first stop is Sandugo Shrine which is near the airport in Tagbilaran City. It's a historical site where Datu Sikatuna and Miguel Lopez de Legaspi performed a Filipino tribal ritual as a symbol of friendship badass style: blood compact. There is nothing much exciting in the site though other than its historical significance and the beautiful scenery behind the shrine.

If you're wondering why I don't have photos of the shrine is because I did a mortifying stunt at that time. I was over-excited that I thought I can do anything I want. I was reminded that I am only a visitor and I must respect the people and the place that I visit. For the local people who saw me, I do apologize from the bottom of my heart. I learned my lesson. For the tourists who saw me, please do not imitate what I've shamelessly done.

Baclayon Church
Regarded as the second oldest church in the Philippines (oldest is San Agustin Church in Intramuros so they say), Baclayon Church is a significant part of Bohol. There were a lot of tourists when we got there, most of them are Japanese.

crowded  tourist vehicles. Ours is the blue one. Hehe.

The museum is the church's main attraction. Entrance fee is 25 pesos. Cheap, yes. The only thing is you can't take photos in the museum. But being a hard headed that I am, I still did :P I took a picture of my papa pointing at an antique drumset. The guard saw us and they made us delete the photo so save yourself from embarrassment and don't take photos. Haha.

TEVA Trail Challenge - Why the heck did I signed up??.. kidding :)

July 28, 2013

"Ano ba naman 'tong si Teva, ang hirap! Walang pasabi!"

A guy behind us exclaimed this. I can't blame him. We were trailing an uphill road when he said this and it was only the first hundred meters of the Teva Trail Challenge. So how did I end up there, you ask?

***

Well, my running idol/work colleague won an online raffle that entitled him a free registration for this Teva Trail Challenge. Unfortunately, he is already registered to Milo 42k run and the event is the same day as Teva's. So, he gave this up to another colleague of ours, RJ, whom tagged me to join him in this event. It was so thoughtful of him if it wasn't for the timing, FOUR DAYS BEFORE THE TRAIL RUN!

Apparently, I haven't ran for a very long time. The first, last and longest run that I attended was a 3k fun run of 7Eleven last January. I also don't have proper shoes for a trail run. But, heck yeah! I'm crazy enough to join him! I'm so badass that I purposely didn't do training (not even short runs or stretching) because what for, right? Besides, I decided to join two days before the event. What training can I possibly get with such a short time? I did it just for the experience and the thrill of zero preparedness. Ohhh yeah :)


> The day of the event:

We're at the ROX Bonifacio High Street before 3:00am and the buses are already lined up there to pickup the participants. I want to thank Sir Ian for being very accommodating by the time we got at the pickup place. He is quick to assist us and personally gave us our singlet and other things. My favorite was the Teva shoe USB flash drive. It has only 980MB memory but it was so cute that once he handed it, my day was already complete. I don't know if all the the participants got one. If not, then maybe we got one because we mistakenly took the special "media" bus. Hahhaha.

Teva shoes USB Flash Drive

Kuya Dodong Bohol Tour Service - Our Experience/Review

I heard about Kuya Dodong's tour package from a friend. They availed their service last 2011 and they only have positive words to describe their experience. It got me curious 'cause, first, who would name their tour company "Kuya Dodong"?

I availed sale tickets from ZestAir and searched for Bohol tour packages. Since "Kuya Dodong" is a peculiar name for a tour service, he's the first one I remembered to ask for a quote. I asked how much is his package for THREE PEOPLE (me, mama and papa). After two days, they replied. This is his email to us and how he quoted us for the tour:

**********

 Herewith tour rate with accommodation for your group tour on June 8-10,2013. It is 3d/2n. Please refer below your " FULL PACKED " itinerary. I require a deposit of P1,500.00 only. This is for reservation of your room accommodation.. 

    Hope to hear from you very soon,thanks.     

                           TO GOD BE THE GLORY.....

with regards,
kuya dodong

Akala niyo madaling mang-Friendzone???

AN OPEN LETTER TO SIR RAMON BAUTISTA for Tales from the Friendzone:

Dear Sir Ramon,

Tales from the Friendzonee.

Ako po'y may idudulog ngunit gusto ko lang sabihin sa inyo: ang dami niyong reklamo dahil naf-friendzone ang karamihan sa mga fans niyo. Pero natanong niyo na ba ang side ng friendzonee? Kung gaano kahirap mag-maintain ng friendship sa opposite sex? Akala mo mabait siya sayo dahil magkaibigan kayo, yun pala pino-prospect ka lang as syota. Mas lalo na pag akala mo special friendship ang meron kayo, nilalagyan na pala ng kakaibang kulay ang friendship na binibigay mo. Nakakalungkot kaya mawalan ng kaibigan dahil duon. Ang mas nakakalungkot, pano na kaming mga babaeng mas madaming lalaking kaibigan kesa sa babae :(

Ganito ang nangyari sakin. Madami akong lalaking kaibigan DATI. Siguro kasi maayos akong makisama sakanila. Minsan nga nakakalimutan ko ng babae ako pag kasama ko sila.

Hair Blessing Rebond by Tony and Jackey - My Experience and Review

3/4/2013

I noticed myself tying my hair on a ponytail more often lately. For me, that's a sign that I need a new hairstyle. And then, I came across this deal from Metrodeal.com with Tony and Jackey's hair service. Deal is inclusive with:

• hair blessing rebond/digital perm
• hair keratin
• haircut
• 1k worth of gift check

For more info of the deal, click here.

I chose the Tony and Jackey SM Dasma branch. I tried the SM Bacoor branch twice already, and twice they disappointed me. Also, SM Bacoor branch only has 1 Korean and 3 Filipino stylists. SM Dasma has 3 Korean stylists (not that I'm being racist with my own Filipino people. It's called Korean salon for a reason).  I called them first to confirm if a Korean stylist would be there the day I visit the salon.

I printed out the voucher from MetroDeal and showed it to the salon receptionist. After minutes of verification, they finally accepted it and accommodated me into the salon. I love that they have lockers for their client's bags. SM Bacoor branch doesn't have one.

This is the only photo that I took of their salon

Is MetroDeal Legit?

I noticed myself tying my hair on a ponytail more often lately. For me, that's a sign that I need a new hairstyle. And then, I came across this deal from Metrodeal.com with Tony and Jackey's hair service. Here's the deal's details:

Highlights and Fine print of the deal. Not that you cant read it, right?

I really thought this one out if I should avail it or not. 4.9k for your hair? This would be the most expensive splurge for my hair if ever.

PXC Live MMA Action 2013 (Very late post)

*Geez, I can't believe this post has been sitting in my draft for weeks now.

February 16, 2013

Another one of my bucket list tipped off: Watch MMA Live!

Just last month, I tipped off another one of my bucket list which is attending a fun run. And now this? Why not make this a monthly habit? Haha.

Anyway, my colleague Rocel Jan (he prefers to be called RJ, go figure) asked me to tag along. I wasn't sure what to expect on an MMA event. I was imagining there would be a great deal of guys with bulging biceps will roam around the event. He also told me there would be free bottle of San Mig Strong Ice Beer. I don't drink so I asked if I can just take the bottle home. RJ laughed, saying bottles are not allowed since it can be thrown around if a fight breaks out. *gulp*

Here's my outfit for the event. Yeah, I'm going against the current by not looking cool and just be plain dorky.

We got the Lower Box section which costs 669.50 pesos. My friend said that the price is pretty low. Still... 

Run800 - 7Eleven Run (late post)

01/20/2013

Running a marathon is part of my bucket list. And since I'm such a frail little klutz, I decided I just go at least for a fun run. Here came Run800 by 7Eleven.

I was inspired by a co-worker Billie Jacob (known in the running world as Bajorky Niceman) who was a former chain smoker converted into a marathon man. I thought if he can do it, MAYBE I can. I listed myself for a 3-kilometer run. And after Run800's months of delays (I nearly tried to get a refund), the event pushed on.

I woke up 3:00 am (I forgot to mention that mama treated me with Les Miserables movie the night before. Because of that, I lacked sleep for the run. haha). I came from Cavite so when the jeep passed the Coastal Road, I saw runners for 21 kilometers already trailing the highway. I got pumped up and excited when I saw them. At the same time, I got nervous. This is a physical challenge and there's no shortcut on doing this. A CHALLENGE! Ahh... That's what I liked about this.

I came alone to the venue and joined by my bestfriend Jovy (running for 10k. Strong!) and her boyfriend Wally. She was late and got left by her batch. But she proceeded anyway. While waiting for my batch, I asked Wally to take a picture of me. Here's one:

sans make up

Catwoman Shades (✪㉨✪)

Shades from SM Department store.

I liked how unique this is. The moment I saw this, I immediately bought it.

(✪㉨✪)

Let go and let God

I had an accident last December 2012 [blog entry for the incident].

For the first time in a long time, I literally "Let go and let God".

I conditioned my mind. If I am going to do this, it should be wholeheartedly and not only false feeling of "kabaitan". I should do this first by forgiving the old man. The second thing is trusting God; that from that moment on it would be for the better. The third thing is to forget about this incident and not worry on where the old man will use the money.

Part of the reason I am doing this is I don't want to have anyone to have hard feelings on me. I take curses seriously. I was afraid he might curse me for being cold-hearted and unforgiving with his situation. Even if I want to, I can't force forgiveness. I was too upset about what happened. This should serve as a lesson.

I'm living under grace. I should extend grace to others too.

I returned the 1,000 pesos initial payment he gave me that he said came from his grandchildren's "pamasko". When I learned about it, I never dared touch it. I also did not accepted his final payment of 1,000 pesos. I just held his wrinkly hands and told him I forgive him. I forgot to ask that he forgive me too. After that, my burden and heart became light.

I thanked God after 'cause I know I did the best decision after a long succession of bad ones. I know He's happy of what I did. Peace consumed me and I prayed this is the first of many good decisions I will do in the future. So help me :)

My First Major International Order Part 2 : Customs Taxes

**Link for FIRST PART

So I was derping around the house when a sudden phone call came. It's from a DHL Clearance Support  Agent named Clarissa telling me that the package just arrived in Manila and was appraised by customs. And guess how much my tax was? 

Php 7,207.60 !!!

Okay. So why and what on earth happened with my package that it garnered ridiculously high taxes? Well, let me get some things straight first:

1. When ordering from ASU Cheap Jewelry, you have the option to appoint how much ASU will put on your "commercial invoice". Meaning, you can choose the declared value of your package so you won't be taxed too much. My original items are worth $100 and I asked them to declare the value as $50. This thing really didn't help with the tax as what you are reading now.
2. Another thing when ordering with ASU is you can ask them how to describe your item's package. Of course, I made some research first on how to lower your tax to none at all. One is describe your package as a gift or personal use. So I asked ASU to describe my package as "personal use and gifts". Man, I was so wrong about this one.

What happened was the package were described by ASU as effin' "GIFT FASHION NECKLACES 97 PCS". I asked ASU why. They said it was to clear my package from Hong Kong customs. So the good Philippine customs appraised the package with effin' 97 PIECES OF FASHION NECKLACES WORTH $3 EACH!! 

But still, my package only weighed more or less 3.60 kilos. If it was 97 pieces of necklace jewelries, it won't weigh that light! So, I was part to blame right? Yeah, maybe 1/37th part of it. But nothing beats what ASU did to murder my package (and partly, customs).

This is how they taxed me:

Logo Quiz Philippines Answers (UPDATED up to level 16)

Another late post

**SPOILER. I suggest you give the game a try first before looking for the answers. Here's the [link].


I was trying to answer Android's "Logo Quiz Philippines". I still haven't finished it yet so if you know one of the answers, please comment on this blog. It is not case sensitive so you really don't have to capitalize the letters. So here goes some of my answers:

Level 1

• Jollibee - Metrobank - Petron 
• UCPB - Philippine Airlines - Yellow Cab
• Globe - PNB - Cebu Pacific
• Andoks - BDO - Meralco
• CD-R King - Caltex - Unioil
• PLDT - Chowking - Seaoil
• Magnolia - Red Horse - Smart
• Sun - Gerry's Grill - San Mig Light

Level 2

• Greenwich - Megaworld - ABS-CBN
• Penshoppe - Knorr - Shell
• Unionbank - China Bank - BPI
• RCBC - Shakey's - National Bookstore
• Ayala Land - GMA - Allied Bank
• Purefoods - PBA - SM
• Condura - TV5 - Kamiseta
• Bench - Lucky Me - Robinsons

Level 3 

• Power Mac Center - LBC - Ayala Malls
• The Old Spaghetti -UAAP - Mang Inasal
• PC Express - Folded and Hung - Abenson
• Century Tuna - Ink for Less - Enchanted Kingdom
• Teriyaki Boy - Zest Air - Pancake House
• Datu Puti - Puregold - Mercury Drug
• Congo Grille - Silver Swan - Gonuts Donuts
• Sky Flakes - Alaska - Philam Life

My First Major International Order Part 1 : Asu Cheap Jewelry

My creative writing juices are not flowing right now but this has been long overdue so I should write it soon. I apologize in advance for the lack of intelligent descriptions if you ever read this.

So!

I own an awesome online shop on Facebook and I was thinking of things that I can add on my shop to sell. Well, accessories are in demand right now so I tried to buy some from Divisoria. At first, it was okay. But I want to explore my options so I decided to try "Asu Cheap Jewelry"

What can I say about them? Well, first of all, although their items seemed like from Korea, they are in fact from mainland China.

Choose your Poison

"Choose your poison."

My colleague came at our team building carrying this sinister looking bottle (one on the right obviously). It looked like it was smuggled from Snape's forbidden potion cupboard. It has ginseng root and two snakes intertwined with each other. No one dared to drink it. Gusto pa daw nila mabuhay. Hahahha.

It's a nice ice breaker for the team though.

The label on the bottle said:

Real specialty from Vietnam
Snake wine (one unit)
Usage: rheumatism, lumbago, sweat of limbs
Dosage: Twice a day each a small cup before meal.