Ascott - Makati

March 31

I was so supposed to encash my check that day only to find out after one freaking hour (the line was endless!) that I do not have with me the papers that the bank needed to have it encashed. I was so frustrated to have it encashed that day as I do not have plans of going to the bank on Friday because I will be on my birthday leave. I went out of the bank extremely annoyed to the bank and to myself. lol

I had lunch with my friends as soon as I got to the office. Still annoyed, out of frustration - I deliberately crushed the plastic cup of iced tea which eventually messed my food inside the plastic bag.

I thought I'll be having the worst day ever. Then my phone rang. I saw the caller ID and it was Ate Grace, my friend's sister. I answered the phone and she asked where I am. Curiously answering her question with "I'm in the office po. Why po?" Then she said "Girl, I'm here at Ascott Makati, the one that used to be Oakwood. What time is your out? Come over here, have an over night. Jay's coming too!" After hearing that, without batting an eyelash I said "Sure, I'll be there by 6pm"

I texted Ate Grace's brother, my friend - Joseph. And we agreed to meet at Glorietta 4 and we ended up having a quick errand 'coz we decided to cook Pasta and Nachos! We headed up to room 1505. We were greeted by Joseph's nephew, Icely!

- Icely -

- Icely, touring me around the 2 bedroom executive suite -

- The Master's bedroom. Yes, we got the spacious room -

- Toiletries -

- Joseph, playin' around -

- Doing the Nachos -

- My Birthday cake c/o Ate Grace and Jose -

I so enjoyed my stay that on the next day I decided to have it extended and held my birthday celebration right then and there. =)

Boracay Getaway Day 3

Day 3

Started our day with an appetizing breakfast! Located at the penthouse of Tan's Guesthouse.

- Breakfast, the most important meal of the day -

- Jaydee and Moi -

We got up early on our third day despite going to bed at 4am. We wanted to make use of our time in the island. After breakfast we changed into our swimming attire hoping that Ms. Sunshine will smile even just a bit.

- Not seeing little Ms. Sunshine at all -

The weather may not be nice, there were times that it was drizzling but it did not stop us to enjoy our day. Kennette and I decided to do skim boarding! lol

- Watching Kennette to skim board -

- Kennette, doing the pointy finger -

- Me, trying the board -

- Jaydee, checking her balance -

- Ooops!! -

- I'm skim boarding!! -

- Done with the skim boarding lessons -

It's not easy I tell you. You need balance and agility! Although, balance is not a problem for me since I took ballet lessons when I was a kid. I was more concerned on my agility because of my weight. lol It was a great experience though! I highly recommend it for people wanted to try new activities on the beach!

We finished just in time for lunch. We had our lunch at I luv backyard bbq grill
just a few steps away from Bite club grilled burgers where we had our lunch on our 2nd day. I forgot what I had but it's definitely a grilled pork. lol

- I Luv Backyard BBQ Grill -

- Jaydee, Moi and Kennette -

After lunch we went back to the beach for more swimming - it's our last day! C'mon! We went back to our room at 5pm only because the weather is being insubordinate! lol

- Moi and Val -

- A really bad weather on our last day -

I fell asleep probably because I was so tired from the whole day activity. lol
But my 3 friends went out to buy "pasalubongs" for our friends back in Manila.

- Pasalubong hunting -

- Jaydee -

They went back to our room just in time for our dinner at Shakey's located within Station 3. We were so full that we took a quick stroll from station 3 to station 1 and headed back to room. We have to be up early to catch our 1:00PM flight back to Manila.

- Dinner at Shakey's -

Boracay Getaway Day 2

Day 2

Yes. The entire time of our first night in the island is all about making fun of what happened to our friend. We are thankful that nothing serious happened which means we will not be going home... yet. lol

- Good Morning Boracay -

We went swimming after breakfast and agreed to have coffee. Our stay will not be complete without experiencing the Starbucks of Boracay which is located in Station 1.

- Jaydee, Kennette and Valerie -

After Starbucks, we went helmet diving for Php1500 divide it by 4 that is Php375 each. I always thought it would be an idealistic experience but not for me. I realized that I am not a fan of the ocean albeit my interest with the beach, ocean is a different thing. lol. I had a bad buoyancy that day, no matter how much I tried to flatten my feet at the bottom I still keep on floating. I can still remember the diver even tried to pull my feet down and planted it but still the same. I kept on vertically floating around, got tripped by some huge corals, be separated with my friends and found myself under the boat until I can no longer see my friends and even the divers! I would like to believe that my panic attack under the sea caused me to have short breath. That's when I did a sign language of "pull up" with the divers and they hurriedly pulled me up!

- Going to the pick up point for helmet diving -

- Kennette, waiting for our boat ride -

But hey! My friends are having a good time under and I can't miss that! So I asked the divers if they have some diving weights to control my buoyancy and good thing they do! I went down again and true enough, the diving weights served its purpose! lol. I fed a school of fish with a piece of bread given by the divers. Although not as many as the one we saw when we went snorkeling in Panglao Bohol but I saw a "nemo-like" and "dory-like" fish! So I think that was pretty cool! The divers took some pictures but too bad the CD they gave us, well we think, is corrupted. lol

- After helmet diving -

Lunch time!! We saw this make-your-own-burger place, Bite Club Grilled Burgers. They have huge portions and plenty of sauces and toppings to choose from! So many that we had a hard time choosing which we think is good! lol. I had burgerella (burger with mozzarella) with grilled onions and potato wedges. Genuinely YUMMY!!!

- Burgerella -

We headed back to our room after a scrumptious meal! Took a nap. Went back to the beach for more tan! We seldom see Ms. Sunshine as there had been a typhoon on the Eastern Visayas, affecting the hemisphere of Kalibo Aklan.

The night will not be complete without an eat all you can dinner! I forgot the name but it's just somewhere in D'Mall. Dinner is not great but good. I find the place amusing especially the cashier. She is a european lady and she knows how to speak Filipino and Ilonggo! Beat that! Then off we go to hunt for a nifty place to hangout. We ended up at the Bom-Bom Bar situated right within Station 2 of Boracay! Generally, it has an alfresco setting, they have a really nice live music which makes it more convenient for people to have fun and party all throughout the night - and yes we did!

- Kennette, enjoying the food -

- Live reggae band at Bom-bom Bar situated within Station 2 of Boracay -

We went back to our room at 3am, tipsy but not wasted, tired but still in high spirit! lol

Boracay Getaway Day 1

Finally! Some time off to visit my blog. lol. Anyway, let me share with you my recent (though not ultimately recent - at all!) visit in Boracay with friends. A brief overview of Boracay - Boracay island is separated from Panay island in Visayas by a narrow strait. White Beach is the main tourism. It is about four kilometers long and is lined with resorts, hotels, lodging houses, restaurants, and other tourism-related businesses.

With the help of Cebu Pacific's promo fare, we were able to purchase a "not-so-bad" ticket to paradise from Jan 09 to Jan 12 2011. Although it was not my first time to see the place, I must admit that I had a bit of a blur memory of the island. I was obliged to do the itinerary as it's my friends first time to see the place and I intend to make the experience memorable for them.

- Terminal 3 -

First things first, the budget. First week of January is still peak season in Boracay. So, it was my duty to find a place economical and not too far from the happenings! I remember the place where we stayed back in 2007. It is located in station 2 near "D Mall", 30seconds away from the beach and it is near from everything! Tan's Guesthouse! My colleagues and I stayed there back in 2007 so I pretty much have an idea already. Ms. Net Sacapano of Tan's Guesthouse gave us a 3k per night stay multiply it by 3 we had 9k divide it by 4, each of us had to pay Php2250 for the entire stay which includes buffet breakfast! I would like to think that's not bad already considering it was peak season.

Day 1

We were scheduled to depart Manila for Kalibo at 5:35PM. The plane was running late so we officially took off at 6:05PM and arrived safe and sound in Kalibo Airport at 7:35PM! We have to be in Caticlan port before 9pm to catch the last boat ride to Cagban port. I have a contact already, and as soon as we set foot at the airport I saw my name on a piece of white board. The damage was Php1500 for the whole van divide it by 4, we each had to pay Php375 for one way exclusive ride to Caticlan port which is by the way, a 1 hour and 30 minutes drive from Kalibo airport.

From Caticlan port we each had to pay Php30 for a 10-15minute boat ride (normally, it's only Php20 at daytime), Php50 for the terminal fee and Php75 for the environmental fee which is one time charging - you no longer need to pay another Php75 going back to Caticlan port from Cagban port. From Cagban port we took a tricycle going to D Mall (Php25 per head) and from D Mall we went straight to Tan's Guesthouse. We officially arrived in Boracay at 9:30PM. Whew!

- Tan's Guesthouse -

And because we were so tired of the travel we agreed to eat somewhere that has a fast service rather than a restaurant in the area. What else to see but the ANDOK'S! 1 whole jumbo chicken, 1 order of chopsuey, 8 rice and a 1.5L coke! =P I will never forget the night we had dinner at Andok's. It was that night that my friend collapsed while we were having dinner. We remember her complaining that she feels dizzy but we just continued eating our dinner and somehow did not mind her. When suddenly she was mildly shaking, pale, about to fall off her chair - along the walking path of Boracay's D Mall and the pupil of her eyes is no longer visible! Like the symptoms of having a convulsion I must say. I was able to reach for her and my other friend quickly rushed to her side. I felt like I was so bad that I did not take it seriously at first, because the scenario somehow looks funny, although I know the severity of the situation. When she was able to contain herself after a minute that's when we all started laughing that even the couple on the other table who were watching us all through out the attack started laughing with us! Imagine that!!

- Jaydee, minutes before collapsing -

So, after the shaking and collapsing fiasco we took liberty of checking what was happening that night in the island and because it's weekend the bars and other establishments were alive!! Ugh! Too bad we were too tired to hang out. We get to see poi dancers though!

- Amazing Poi dancers of Boracay Island -

- Poi -