El Cuerpo Mi Gusto

 It has been more than a decade since Spanish telenovelas reached Philippine shores and became very very popular it ruled Pinoys’ daytime and even primetime viewing habit for several years. Who could forget the famed and legendary Thalia who first captured our hearts in the MariMar craze back in 1995? Few months later, and because of MariMar’s tremendous success, her other telenovelas started airing too. The likes of Maria Mercedes, Maria la del Barrio, Rosalinda, and Quincenera. And it didn’t stopped there, more and more latin soaps kept pouring in and invaded our country after that. The ones I remember watching were Alondra, Por Un Beso, La Traidora, Chabelita, Doble Cara, among others. The list would go on. Admit it, at one point or another, we were once a telenovela freak.

And now, after the Koreans/Chinese/Taiwanese replaced the Spaniards in changing our tv viewing, I thought that I am so over with those telenovelas. Or so I thought. You may now find it cheesy but my guilty pleasure is watching this Latin soap airing in AbsCbn titled El Cuerpo Del Deseo. I got interested in the story, not the usual ones you get to see nowadays or even before, that’s why I checked it out on its first day. Since I am usually home by 1pm and its timeslot is 345pm, I get to regularly watch it. And mind you, I am now hooked! And so are my mom and the twins haha! The story’s conflict is gripping you wouldn’t want to miss an episode. It will welcome you to an exceptional and enthralling world of lies and deceit. The characters were unforgettable and despite of the good story, there were also funny moments that will never fail to make you laugh. Indeed, spanish telenovelas has a way of capturing Filipino hearts. Anyway, here are some pictures I got online and some information I have searched in Wikipedia about this series:

    

El cuerpo del Deseo (The Body of Desire) is a Spanish-language telenovela produced by Telemundo and RTI Colombia. This limited-run series is about a man who comes back from the dead and discovers dark secrets about his beautiful ex-wife and daughter. It first aired in 2005 and was a smash hit on Telemundo.

 

Major characters

 Pedro Jose Donoso- a wealthy industrialist who,thinks he has everything he ever wanted. He has a gorgeous young wife, despite the age difference and opposition from his only daughter, Ángela.

 Salvador Cerinza – a farmer who lives a sad life with his stingy wife Cantalicia and their son Moncho. Then everything changes when he suffers a mysterious accident.

 Isabel Arroyo- a sensual, ambitious woman who loves her husband,Pedro Jose, at least on the surface.

 Andrés Corona – Pedro Jose’s right hand man and Isabel’s secret lover. Two-faced, astute and ruthless, he will do anything to take everything Pedro Jose’s owns.

 Ángela Donoso- the only daughter of Pedro Jose, who returns from abroad when she discovers his engagement to Isabel. She also has feelings for Andrés.

 

 

Story and production

The story features Pedro José Donoso (Andrés García), a wealthy old man in love with a gorgeous younger woman, Isabel Arroyo (Lorena Rojas). He dies suddenly, but returns to Earth through transmigration: (the passing of a soul into another body after death), in the body of Salvador Cerinza (Mario Cimarro), a handsome (yet poor) family man. Pedro José searches for everything he lost, uncovering secrets, truths and deceptions. Ultimately, he must set things straight and save those who truly loved him.

This melodrama about wealth, youth and power was filmed in Miami. It is a remake of Julio Jimenez’s En Cuerpo Ajeno (“In a Foreign Body”), a 1992 RTI Colombia serial. In 2006, NBC commissioned Cuban author Erick Hernandez Mora to write a follow-up novel, El deseo ajeno (Possessed By Desire), which was published by Simon & Schuster.

Universal Studios released an abridged 720-minute version of the saga on DVD in 2006. Telemundo announced an encore of the complete run beginning May 29, 2007 on its daytime lineup, but decided not to air it.

 

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I didn’t know it literally meant “Body of Desire”, and that we were three years late in airing it here in the Philippines. I tried watching some scenes on YouTube and I got more excited to see it. I so love watching Spanish language movies so probably I’d get hooked even more. Much more that I am now thinking of buying a dvd copy to finish it ahead of time, because I think some scenes were cut by ABS. Never had I been this so serious in watching a telenovela since La Viuda De Blanco , which had a 1-year run in ABC5 some 11 years ago? haha! I was in highschool when I followed it. This one has an incomparable story and amazing, haunting characters! It was also originally from Colombia, and I just found out that Telemundo also had its version of this telenovela year 2006. Which I think doesn’t come any closer to the original version, which I can tell just by looking at its pictures. Well, back to El Cuerpo, some further researching made me learn that it has 143 episodes which will probably run for almost a year. And that it was written by Julio Jimenez, the same one who wrote La Viuda de Blanco! Amazing! I hope to get a hold of a dvd copy very soon! Can’t wait to have a marathon. So, to end this entry, I’ll include video clips of El Cuerpo’s and La Viuda de Blanco’s intro part. Or in spanish, “Entrada”.

 

 

 

Muchos gracias, mi amigo!

 

See-Thee-Oh! part4

This conclusion of my CDO blog entries will probably be just a short one. Our fourth and last day was spent on travel back to Manila. We prepared early in the morning, woke up around 4am, took a shower and ate breakfast with my tito and cousins. We made a promise that we’ll go to the beach next time. I was a bit sad finally realizing it’s the last day of our vacation, eventually thinking how many years would it take to visit my birthplace again. This made me rant much more! While having our breakfast, my tito is giving his usual instructions to my cousins, for he will be working in Dubai for another year. His six children will again live the life on their own without him. As much as my tito hated to leave them without the aide of their mom, (who left them for another man, slip of tongue here) he is confident that my cousins will be able to carry out things responsibly. Anyway, so much for that drama thing. You wouldn’t want to know the whole story behind it.

As my statuesque and hunky cousin Mark (I refuse to call him by the nickname we fondly call him by, because he’s all grown up now) informed us that the cab is already waiting outside, we all checked our things and headed to where the taxi is, my heart growing heavier and heavier as the sight of it clearly zapped me into thinking it’s time to leave. We then gave each other a tight tight hug and a warm warm kiss as we all said goodbye. Tears began to well on my cousin Raine’s eyes, that’s why I right away went inside the cab to somehow control my own eyes in doing the same. I will really miss them all! (sighs)

When we arrived at the airport, it’s still closed. We waited in front then the guard instructed us to form a line. They opened the gate after 30minutes and after doing the usual stuff, we proceeded to the pre-departure area. First thing I did was to buy the pasalubongs my friends and officemates requested. Good thing most of the ones they want are available. If not, I’d be doomed! After spending a bit too much on the pasalubong, I went back to the waiting area and found myself bitten by the sleepy bug. Few more minutes and I’m off to Wonderland. When finally it’s time to board the plane, the sad feeling I had suddenly turned into depression. I WANT TO STAY! It’s like something’s holding me back. If only not for work, grrr! Or if only I can take a month or at least two weeks off. It’s just sad that I’ll be leaving in a gloomy kind of way.

Inside the plane, I was able to sleep the entire time. I woke up about 15 minutes before taking off, thoughts on my head shouting loudly saying the need for me to come back. I later formulated a plan to come back and probably stay there for a month. This will be possible, I think, if I don’t have my job anymore, perhaps. But I will really really would love to come back! And I will, I swear.

When we finally landed in Manila, the heat welcomed us right away. We are so totally back, whew! After claiming our baggage, we then said goodbye to my tito. He will just wait for his another flight which is to Hongkong, then to Dubai. After that, I somehow felt happy that despite the very short vacation, what’s important is that I got to see my cousins and relatives. Ika nga nila, “There’s always a next time!”

After roughly two hours and probably the most stressful traffic we’ve ever encountered, we made it to go home! I don’t want to discuss the disgusting cab ride we had in details because it will totally ruin this whole thing. Instead, I will just post the pasalubongs we bought as the last part of this blog entry.

Piniato, barquillos de kasuy & mangosteen pastillas

boxes of uber yummy Pastel

and tabon-tabon for pop

And as a parting shot, here’s a collection of pictures I did on Imkimi which pretty much defined my CDO moments, as to how I enjoyed it.

‘Til my next vacation vacation entry!

Baby Laugh

I would like to share some videos I’ve found in YouTube of babies laughing. Some are probably a bit old, and some I have already watched. They’re so funny and lovable! That’s why I thought of making a post of the best ones I like. If you’re feeling sad and lonely, just check these videos out and it will surely make your day and ease your sadness away! Without further ado, here they are.

I know you laughed with them, too!

 

See-Thee-Oh! part3

I am not exactly sure if this would be the conclusion, because our fourth day is spent in travel on our way back to Manila, and I am not sure if I will still include that here as the last part. Anyway, let’s see how far can I go today on documenting our final CDO day.

I actually woke up kind of sad because we really can’t go to the beach with my relatives since my tito already declined. I would love to spend our last day on the beach though, but I guess I won’t push my luck any further. We’ll just spend our last night over at their place because we have the same flight with my tito, and Patag is much closer to the airport than Bugo which will take us about an hour. We don’t want to bother Bugo people early in the morning taking us to the airport. And I would really love to spend our last night with my relatives before going back to Manila. So, since we’ve already erase that plan on our list, we just went to the twins relatives place over at Tagoloan after breakfast. Sid told us that they will probably invite us to go swimming so we have to bring extra clothes. On our way to Tagoloan, I texted my father telling him where we’re headed to. To which he wittingly replied, “Tagoloan? Baluarte nating mga Valdehueza yan! Magtanong ka, maraming Valdehueza dyan. Kahit mag-hamon ka ng away, ok lang! haha!” I laughed out loud upon reading it. Why in the hell would I insinuate myself into trouble just because I am a Valdehueza! Crazy Pop!

When we arrived in Tagoloan, it was so hot! That is why the twins’ cousins right away thought of going swimming. After preparing some food and the stuff needed, we all headed to what they brag about as the coolest spring resort in the area. Our trip took about 30 minutes, and still, the heat is killing us! But when finally we got to the place, our grumpy faces immediately turned to beaming and grinning ones. The breeze alone is cold enough to make us smile. The twins and their cousins hurriedly swam and dipped themselves into the water. I rested for a while because the heat really got me. And when I finally plunged in, damn it was really cold! Really nice! But since my body temperature had probably gone to it’s extreme degree, the very cold spring water seemed just right. So right you wouldn’t want to make ahon haha! It felt really really good, I am so delighted! Here are some of our spring moments:

Queenhearts Springs Resort, Jasaan CDO

the twins and their cousins

me and the twins

mom and ting

Looks like fun, eh? It really is! Come lunch time, we enjoyed ourselves eating what Ting prepared for us. And since we haven’t done much swimming yet, or so we thought, we took the plunge again after resting for lunch. Just the mere sight of the place is indeed such a wonderful feeling of elation. And it would grow even more once you hit the water, it’s so refreshing! It’s like an overpowering force that will drive you into your ecstatic being. I always prefer going to the beach more than swimming, but if public pools were only this comforting and invigorating back in the city, I’d go swimming everyday! Here are some more glimpses of our springs escapades:

me, the sun, and the pool

mom, the twins and their cousins (before goin home)

But time really flies fast when you’re having fun, and the next thing we know it’s already 6pm and the dark is slowly creeping. It is already kind of late, so mom and I are now thinking how we can buy some stuff for pasalubong. We got so busy each day that we almost forgot we need to buy some! But we still have to go back to Bugo to pack, then to Patag for our last night, so we really can’t squeeze in time to buy. We then decided to buy tomorrow at the airport instead. A cousin of the twins picked us up around 7pm then dropped us off at Bugo.  Since it’s already our last night there, they prepared a special dinner for us set up at Sid’s spacious front yard. After taking a shower, resting a bit and packing our stuff, we had another yet superb round set of meal for dinner!

After dinner, it’s finally time to say goodbye to Bugo and its warm people. We’d love to stay much longer, but I only had two days off at work, then a dropped Wednesday schedule which will be used up tomorrow. They drove us to Gaisano where we took a cab going to Patag. And since it’s the last stretch of our CDO vacation, we have to make it worthwhile by having fun with my cousins and relatives! First up, videoke! haha! It’s not that I am bragging about it, but most of us in the family (even on my mom’s side) have a great singing voice. So we all had fun singing the night away having barrels of laughter. Then of course, the never ending photo op! This time I had to make sure I get to capture lots of Kodak moments, well Olympus moments in my case. Here are my favorite shots mom took of us:

Kulitan Moments with my cousins

Nice CDO smiles, a sort of a parting shot

It was so much fun! I guess those pictures say it all. It was a blast spending the last night of our vacation at our relatives’ place. Not only did we enjoyed singing together and the seemingly endless kwentuhans, we also got to experience that greatest sense of bliss for this whole thing of bonding after 6 years. That alone is sending us to our highest level of delight. At around 12 midnight, it’s already time to say goodbye to some of my titos, titas and cousins for they might still be sleeping next door when we leave early morning tomorrow. We kissed each other goodbye and gave a tight hug because we might count years for this to happen again. Now it’s time to sleep and rest our weary bodies, we might not wake up on time for our flight tomorrow and we wouldn’t want that to happen. As I close my eyes to deep slumber, I smiled thinking that I may not have the entire week to stay here, but it was indeed the most memorable vacation I ever had!

To be concluded…

See-Thee-Oh! part2

Again, I won’t be able to provide an “Ang Nakaraan..” section, so kindly refer to See-Thee-Oh part1 for a refresher. ;o)

Since I hit the bed a bit early last night, I woke up earlier than usual realizing I slept with my pants on haha! I then changed to my favorite pambahay then started checking out Sid’s place. First thing he told me is that we’re going to have our breakfast at the beach! Yey! Mom and the twins were already awake when I went back to our room and told them that we’ll go beachin’ and to get their butts off the bed. Without our knowledge, people from Beb’s side are already preparing for it and the next thing we know is that we’re all set to go! We then proceeded to their mini van and eagerly waited and enjoyed the 30-minute trip even if the heat was unbearable at that time. When we got to the place, I asked mom if she brought some cash for the resort entrance, but Sid told us not to worry because it’s only Php5.00 each! Nice! The twins just can’t help but give in to the call of the warm beach water! After a few moments, I also got myself wet! Haha, that didn’t quite sounded right but I know we all love to get ourselves wet at times hehe! Mom also joined us as we frolic under the sun, enjoying the water. Good thing there’s an area where trees abundantly gave us our much needed shade. It really did help because I forgot to put on some sunblock. Here are our beach moments:

And a shot of the view Jeremiah took:

We had so much fun staying at the shade the tree is giving us while we sat on the shore enjoying the waves hitting our beach-excited body. After the salty taste of water finally conquered our taste buds, the twins and I decided it’s time for breakfast. Mom was told that we’ll stay there for just a couple of hours, but since we’re all enjoying it, and some of the folks men are still having a drinking session, they all decided to stay until about 12noon. When we’re about to head back home, I felt sad realizing that I haven’t set a beach gathering for my cousins and relatives in Patag yet. I initially thought of inviting them but I think it would be awkward for them to be with Sid & Beb’s relatives, and it’s much of a short notice too. I just hope that we’ll still be able to squeeze in a plan later when we visit them anew. Back in Bugo, we then took a shower and prepared to go to Gaisano for we will buy our ticket going back to Manila. I remember Gaisano as the main shopping center back at the time I was last seen in CDO. When we got there, not a trace of it was reminiscent of the past, as it looked like a stranger to me. We then purchased our ticket at the nearest Cebu Pacific ticket office. The price has reached to almost Php3, 000.00 each for the first flight and that is the cheapest! We were thinking of getting the last flight of the so that we can maximize the time for our last day. But since it’s already the cheapest, the price gets even higher as the flight time ascends. To our dismay, we took the first flight. We’ll be flying back to Manila on Wednesday, 6:45am. After that, we bought some food for dinner, for we will visit Patag people again. Of course, the photo op continues hehe! We also visited my tita Jean and cousins Richard & Liza living several blocks from the Valdehueza clan compound. We didn’t get to visit them the first time we went to Patag that’s why tita Jean got surprised to see us, specially ate Liza. It was so nice to see them again, with her baby Gwyneth Shiloh.

with cousins Eula, Jessa, Faith & Gift, tito Mandy, tita Zenia & kuya Bebot

with cousin Chad, tita Jean & baby Shiloh

with the still sexy after giving birth, ate Liza

back at tito Dong’s place for dinner, with cousins Faith, Raine & Pam

After almost 2 hours of catching up with tita Jean and ate Liza, we headed back to my tito Dong’s place where dinner is waiting for us (picture above). We again stuffed our tummies with good food! I had a great time having dinner with my cousins while catching up yet again. But since it was a bit late, we had to go back to Bugo (sad!). Tita Zenia expressed her interest to go to the beach with us the next day! Mom agreed, but tito Dong didn’t (sighed) because he still has some stuff to attend to. We can actually go swimming at a relative’s resort in Tagoloan for free, but too bad the place is under repair! Talk about bad timing! (sigh again) Anyway, we still have one day left to spend with them anyway.  Back in Bugo, we’re all exhausted with all the trips we had, that what we all long for is a nice warm shower before going to sleep. After doing so, the twins still got the energy for some photo op haha! Here’s our room at Sid’s place, with Jeremiah already fast asleep:

and a shot with Joshua before sleeping

So needless to say, it was another packed CDO day for all of us! Two more days left, and we need to make the most out of it. After that wacky shot of me and Joshua, we literally signed off as the remaining bodily energy we had logged off our system.

To be continued…

Bow & Wow! for David Cook

      

It has been a while since I’ve blogged about American Idol. What triggered me to do so was because of, yes, David Cook! I admit I’m not a fan of his, although I loved his audition, but I think I am becoming one now haha! I know I rooted for Archuleta and Malubay on my previous blog, but c’mon, it is obviously David Cook who deserves to win this year! If there is an Idol finalist who truly defined himself in each performance since the start of the competition, it really is Mr. Cook indeed. From his solid versions of Hello, Eleonor Rigby, Daytripper, and Billie Jean, you can almost feel the finale just knockin on his door. And now he has stoled the show yet again by his amazing and unbelievable version of Mariah Carey’s Always Be My Baby! This has got to be his best performance for me. He’s getting better and better each week, though his last one (Innocent) was a bit predictable and safe, not the usual him that we know of. And mind you, after he sang the Mariah song, I got teary eyed the same time he’s in tears! The first time an artist/performer, specially in Idol, touched me so deeply. I so hate him for doing that to me haha! That is why I am beginning to love him, admittingly professing the want for him to be the next American Idol!

 

And now for the rant part. Last week’s results was a big Idol shocker as Michael Johns got axed in the show. He is one this season’s front runner same with Carly Smithson and David Archuleta. Carly’s losing it though, giving performances unfelt by the judges and the voting public too I assume, making her a bottom three favorite for quite some time now. And she’s beginning to irritate me! Archuleta, on the other hand, seems to be playing it safe but still manages to pull it off either because of his great voice or great charm. Really works for him most of the time.

  

                       

Anyway, I still hope David Cook wins! hehe.. But it is still an unpredictable show, so expect the worse, so to speak. Just please don’t make the other Cook stay much longer!

 

See-Thee-Oh! part1

Cagayan De Oro is geographically located in the island of Mindanao between the central coastline of Macajalar Bay and the naturally rich plateaus and mountains of Bukidnon and Lanao del Norte to the South. It is bounded by two municipalities of Misamis Oriental: Tagoloan and Opol on the east and west respectively. The city has a total land area of 488.86 square kilometers, representing 13.7% of the entire Misamis Oriental. It has about 25 kilometers of coastline and a fine deep water harbor with Macajalar Bay. It has now been coined with terms such as The Gateway to Northern Mindanao, ICT Goldmine of the Philippines, City of white water rafting & river trekking, and of course The City of Golden Friendship. - from yahoosearch.com & cagayandeoro.gov.ph

The description I have provided may not suffice the actual beauty and richness of Cagayan de Oro, but I am a bit lost for ideas on how to start this blog entry. It has been four days since we came back and I haven’t started the first part so I thought of like a traveler’s approach haha! Anyway, as I have discussed in my Multiply, the CDO trip was a bit of unplanned. The main reason why we flew last Sunday is for Heart’s (Sidney’s baby) dedication. He’s really eager to make me, mom and the twins attend that momentous event, because he and his wife has long been waiting for a baby. Problem is, I am having some budget constraints and since it was short notice, I was not able to file for a leave. But Sidney was actually planning to ask for some financial assistance to his and the twins dad (Kuya Tony) working in the US. Thank God Kuya Tony willingly obliged although he was hesitant at first. That’s why I right away fixed my schedule for the following week. Good thing I was given a Monday off, then I just traded a Tuesday off to make it two consecutive days (thanks to Mavic & Raech for letting me have their days off!). I also dropped my Wednesday to make sure I will have around four days in the city of golden friendship.

At the eve of our flight, I’m having mix feelings because the last time I went there was when I was, I think, 6 years old! Why it took me almost 20 years to go back and visit my birthplace, please don’t make me enumerate reasons I wouldn’t dare think of. I can’t even remember the last still image playing in my head when I think of CDO. That is why I am so excited! It must’ve changed a lot! And I probably, well surely, won’t recognize it anymore. Aside from the baby’s dedication, the main event for me is that I’d get reunited with my cousins and relatives whom I haven’t seen in ages! Too bad our dear lola is not around anymore, it would be more memorable if I’m going to see her there alive. Well, so much for that emote mode hehe! I actually didn’t get to sleep at all the night before our trip, you can tell I am that excited! Mom and the twins took a nap and they woke up around 1:30am. After checking our baggage and all the things needed, we headed to the airport arriving there two hours earlier our 4:45am flight, the first flight of the day.

To our surprise, even if we’re a couple of hours early, there are already number of people waiting to check-in. The counters opened at exactly 3am, then we proceeded to the pre-departure area after checking-in our luggage and paying for the terminal fee, which costs us Php800. We boarded the plane 4:15am, and this time I am really really excited! Thinking that I will be stepping on the land of my father’s clan in just about two more hours. And will finally get to see the city which I only get to write the name on the Birthplace section of my resume. The plane took off 4:45am and I just couldn’t contain the happiness I’m feeling. But despite of that, I of course didn’t forget to take snap shots of us and the beautiful views just outside the plane’s window. Too bad I didn’t get to take pictures of the mountain area of CDO when we’re about to land!

our arrival:

We arrived 10 minutes earlier the supposed arrival time. And when we finally landed and set foot on the golden city, it was such a nice feeling! The cold morning breeze and the warm ray of the sun gently touched our pollution-immune Manila skin, as if they were gladly welcoming us to the city. I was expecting a band and an entire barangay to do it, taking pictures of us, announcing our arrival on big loud speakers, giving us a royal treatment with all those sampaguita garlands around our neck. But instead, bisaya-speaking natives were the first ones to greet us asking if we need someone to carry our baggage or if we already have a cab or a van to rent. But since we already had someone with a car to pick us up, we just politely turned their offers down. While waiting for our luggage, I called a cousin of mine informing her that we just arrived. She got surprised, as I intended not to inform them that we’re coming. I told them we’ll drop by their place later, which made me much much more excited! After a while, we proceeded outside where Sidney and his father-in-law is waiting for us with their Adventure. On our way to Bugo where they reside, I just couldn’t stop smiling as I am now looking at the nice views and now in the city where I was born some 20plus years ago. After roughly an hour, we arrived in Bugo where we’ll stay for the rest of our CDO vacation. Humbly we were welcomed to Sidney’s place by his wife, then we had breakfast after settling our things in our assigned room. It was actually becoming humid in the place, but still we managed to rest a bit and sleep our heads off.

After a couple of hours, I just couldn’t wait to go to Patag where my cousins and relatives are. Since the twins are still asleep, mom & I were the only ones to go. It was another about-an-hour travel by jeep and by a cab. I was a bit surprised that jeepneys there are more like the ones here, specially the Patok ones! They’re fast! And the cab drivers were all nice, and never ask for additional payment. They will even give you your change! When finally mom & I are slowly approaching our relatives place, it’s as if my heart is jumping out for joy! It did jumped even more the moment I saw all my cousins and relatives! They were sort of having a party when we arrived, dancing with loud music! As if the whole compound is already aware that we’re coming. It was so much fun! We hugged and kissed each other like we haven’t seen each other for 20years! And then the seemingly endless kumustahan and catching up starts. Which is why we didn’t get to take much pictures as much as I wanted to. Well, it’s just the first day anyway, there’s still three more. Here are the first two shots we had:

with my cousin Raine & baby Notnot

with tito Dong, cousins Faith, Eula & Raine

My tito prepared a sumptuous lunch and we can’t help but give in, even if I am on a diet haha! I tend not to practice it the entire CDO stay anyway. As much as I wanted to stay longer and sing more with their awesome videoke player, we had to go back to Bugo for the baby’s dedication. Mom will also try to help in the preparation, and I am actually one of the ninongs. So we said goodbye to each other for the meantime, me promising them that I’ll be back tomorrow. Around 5pm, people in Bugo were all busy preparing for the christening. And may I just say that the dedication was more like a girl’s debut! They really worked hard for it because of the much awaited angel. Here are some of its highlights:

proud parents Bebs & Sidney                                                                                       with the lola hahaha!

the princess cake

the uber yummy cake!!

And yes, that night was flooded with food! Goodness, we really stuffed our tummies with yummy and mouth-watering CDO delights! Thank God no one became the restroom’s frequent visitor. I guess this is really how it is when you celebrate in provinces. So after the extremely fun and full night, I got sleepy very early because I didn’t get to sleep very well earlier unlike the twins. And as much as I wanted to stay longer for the night and help in cleaning up, the next thing I know I was snoring my butt off! It was indeed a jam-packed first CDO day!

To be continued….

Returned

I am finally back here in Manila after four days of vacation.  A vacation which will probably be the most remembered one because after about 18 years, I get to come back and visit my birthplace.  The City of Golden Friendship, Cagayan De Oro City!!  I sooo enjoyed it! This blog entry is just a primer so to speak, more like an introduction, because I am still thinking on how to discuss our entire four-day stay there in details.  And I am still elated and need to compose my thoughts.  I will just probably give you some images I got online which can somehow entice you to pay a visit to this amazing city where I was born, and will start the official CDO entry once I’m done gathering ideas on how to present it.

Cagayan De Oro is now famous with whitewater rafting

CDO’s bay area

So come and visit Cagayan De Oro! Tsada kaayo!

Galera getaway, part 3

This most awaited conclusion has long been overdue! It’s because I am still waiting for some pictures from my friends but they haven’t uploaded it.  Anyway, I will just probably edit these 3-part entry once I get a hold of those pics.  Calling the Koalas out there!

The sun was at its peak when we’re waiting for our boat to arrive.  Much to our delight, a fruit shake stand is just behind that’s why we gave in to its call.  Armed with our shades and our ever cool it-will-make-you-say-aaaahh fruit shake, we headed to the boat as it honked more louder.  And when finally my steps inched closer to the “doomed” vessel, my heart grew heavier realizing that I will be leaving the beautiful paradise island.  Two days is definitely not enough, and as much as I wanted to stay, I won’t enjoy it alone anyway.  But it was indeed the most exciting two days of my life! And since it is already time to leave, and I will be ranting in the next part of this blog, I’d like to include this amazing photo from a friend as a parting Galera shot:

Sunset at Galera

As the boat’s engine signaled that we’re leaving, someone shouted “Welcome to Doomsday!” Something you wouldn’t wanna hear while you’re on a trip. He’s probably one of the many who suffered from diziness back on our first boat trip.  As we sailed away, my eyes feasted no more as the image of Galera became smaller and smaller until I can’t see it anymore. At that same moment, I sighed asking myself when can I come back to the beacher’s haven. Afterwards, number of people started to feel dizzy. As much as I wanted to avoid it by pretending to be sleepy and thinking of happy thoughts, not enough pixie dust can stop it. It had to happen, this time I really am experiencing headache in its utmost extent! Everytime the boat tries to avoid a big wave, it’s like my heart would jump off my chest as the lookout give a hand signal to the driver to stop. It was crazy! I’m sweating, I feel giddy, having a terrible headache, scared of what might happen to us in the boat, feeling like what they say “parang hinahalukay ang sikmura”, all at the same time! Definitely a bad place to be in.  These are the times when you wish you can escape a certain moment, hoping time would run fast because it’s slowly killing you.  It’s really the most dreadful and long hour and a half yet again! Thanks to Katinko , it somehow lessen the pain we felt.  We’re like drug addicts sniffing its menthol scent, but it really did helped us! After quite a while, and after few bags of puke from my friends, the view of the port finally became visible. Excited like a child, I spent the few minutes of our seemingly endless voyage standing.  And when the boat reached the dock, it made a bouncing motion because of the waves.  Standing and getting ready to get off our favorite ride, I felt the most uneasy feeling ever! Like something inside me wanted to go out and burst! And before I knew it, I am already throwing up! Good thing I managed to let it all out facing the boat’s window, minus the picturesque view as opposed to the fishes feasting on what they probably considered a dinner from heaven, more like “hulog ng langit”. Sorry if it made you go eeeewww! hahaha..

Because of the aftermath, I found it really hard to make it through that yet again bouncy step from the boat to the dock.  I nearly fainted when I tried to reach and eventually carry my luggage and some other stuff.  Thanks to the helpful manongs from the boat, they helped me cross the step and carry some of my things.  When finally all of us had crossed the small bridge, time for photo op again! haha! This time a Koala team picture, because we didn’t get to have one in the island.

Spot the difference haha

After the photo op, we then made our way to the bus station. We rest a bit and stopped for a merienda.  Good thing we did, after that boat ride which made me swear not to take that same route again next time. Feeling full again after munching those burgers and not leaving a single drop on the soda bottle, off we took the bus to Cubao.  It’s almost full but thank God we all fit in hehe! At last, we’re now at the bus, the boat nightmare has now ended. And so the photo op continues hehe..

The bus trip went well, we all get to take a nap and no one throwed up haha! It was quiet for around two hours, and when we’re already in the city, most of us prepared our things as we said goodbye to each other and to those who dropped off along the way.  We all went home with smile on our faces! And to finally cap off this Galera saga hehe, here are the pasalubongs I bought for my family and some friends who asked for one haha!

The usual sweets, of course

Stuffed crab for mama

T-shirts for the twins, papa, and Vicky

A swimwear for my pareng Nhinz

A necklace for Dema

and cellphone thingies with our names on it

So there, finally! haha! That’s how I enjoyed my Galera getaway. Hopefully I can come back soon! Before I forget, you can check out all the pictures on my Friendster profile. Just click the link here on my blog page and go to the Albums.  So, let’s all enjoy the summer! I’m so happy I get to spend the first summer month with a