Three Today

Our little one isn't so little anymore!

Today she turned 3 years old and she's getting more and more adorable!

Can she just stay like this forever? :)

Happy Birthday, Baching!

Ate loves you so much!

Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book

As I've said here, I haven't been reading books for the longest time so these are oldies but goodies :) I had a hard time choosing which among them is my ultimate favorite so I just picked them both! They're of different themes anyway ;-)

Day 22 - A picture of something you never leave the house without

 My beloved wallet and my trusty hanky!

Aaaaaand.. Since we're already talking about my wallet, lemme share to you narin the newest addition to its bulkiness.

I was so giddy last Thursday when mom told me that my Unified Multi-purpose Identification card has arrived. If you're wondering why an ID made me giddy, well, it's because I waited for it for 11 freakin' months! I applied for it December of last year and it's almost Christmas time again when it was delivered -- guess that says a lot about our government system/processes, yeah?

On a lighter note, this isn't called multi-purpose for nothing. Instead of issuing an SS ID alone, this UMID was released to be used for four different government agencies: SSS, GSIS, PhilHealth and PAG-IBIG Fund. Also, according to the letter that it came with, it also has a microchip that stores personal information and SSS data and provides a convenient and faster way of getting SSS benefits and privileges.

Now all I have to do is take good care of it if I don't wanna wait another year to get a replacement. Oh and I also have to stay single for a few more years so that I won't need to have my last name changed! Hahaha.

***

Updated on January 27, 2016.

I have removed photos of my UMID as it has been used in fraudulent activities. At first, I have been notified by concerned netizens that fake online sellers use it to lure people into buying their non-existent items. Then just recently, I have seen photos circulating in Twitter that this same ID has been used to bribe someone to spread false stories about Maine Mendoza, half of 2015's phenomenal loveteam AlDub. I am in no way connected to these people and for the record, this ID is now invalid and surrendered to SSS. If you chance upon these identity thieves, requesting you to leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail so I can take the necessary action. Thank you so much.

Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget

There was a typhoon on our scheduled trip to the shores of Puerto Galera October of last year. In fact, I almost called on all the saints I know during our ferry ride to the island. When we got there, the weather is still gloomy and in effect, the waves were extraordinarily strong. But what the heck, I and my college friends are definitely not passing on the chance to beach bum and enjoy the mini-reunion.

So despite the rain and the strong current, we played in the sand and walked a few steps into the water. We were taking pictures endlessly so we're facing the shore and in the middle of waddling and jumping and giggling with my maharot friends, a couple of huge waves ate me entirely! For a moment there I thought I was gonna die! I was panicking and struggling to stick my head out to the surface. I am certain that the water is just about waist-deep because I'm on bent knees and could feel the sand but the current kept pulling me down.

After what seemed like forever, the water calmed and I was able to get up to my feet. With sand all over my body (my mouth, even!), I walked back to my friends who were checking on me and at the same time trying to control their chuckles. After making sure that I'm okay, we all laughed about the incident but up until this moment, I'm still terrified by big, strong waves. Even the thought of it, or merely seeing pictures of it, send chills down my spine. I wish I could forget about it soon, or at least before we hit Boracay on June. (oooh, that rhymes! haha!)

Guess who's staying in for the week? :-)

Yep, J! ^_^

He recently made a career switch and now he's doing OJT in a government agency. He will be reporting for work in NAIA1 and because he lives way up north, he decided to just stay here. Less travel time for him, more time for me, everybody happy! :-)

I emptied a drawer full of stuff I keep for God-knows-why to make room for his clothes.
Wife for a week, eh? ^_^

So if I ever fail to blog in the next five days, you know why. ;-)

Blissful beyond words,

An Early New Year's Resolution

Okay, I was supposed to write about Ocean Adventure but I just had to take note of this random thought. Please bear with me :)

My friend Jaq shared with me this beautifully-written post (do yourself a favor and click the link! ^_^) and it sparked a lengthy conversation about reading.

And then I realized... where has my love for reading gone? I used to be head over heels with books, and now I don't even open an e-book, let alone a real one.

I used to cry a river reading the works of Sparks (sadly I failed to see him when he visited the country last month), took note of the codes in Dan Brown's sci-fi, memorized lines from Albom and Coelho and stayed up to finish Harry Potter even if I have a 7AM class the next day. I can still recall Francis Kong's lessons on life in The Early Bird Catches the Worm but the Second Mouse Gets the Cheese. Even Bob Ong, demmet!

Then I remember when I have yet to land my first job, I was already computing where my soon-to-be salary would go. I told myself that every month I would set aside a part of it to buy paperbacks. I've been working for quite some time now and had I fulfilled my plan, I would have had 27 books in my (now dusty) bookshelf. Sigh.

Heeeeence... a light bulb moment!

Even if we're 2 months away from the new year, I am writing my resolution for 2012!!!

*drum roll please*

If I fail on the "Lose Weight" mantra year after year, then at least I should be able to keep up with this easier goal, right? :D

With a new-found longing for January 1,

Subic Trip with J's Family: Our Homestay

After 3 hours on the road and 4 hours getting up-close and personal with the animals in Zoobic Safari, we all felt that we deserve a nice and comfy place to stay the night. Good thing Tita Meg doesn't settle for less :-) She passed up on the tram tour to look for a homestay for our group of 16 and this is what she found:

photo credit

Forest View Residences is a US-style residential village in El Kabayo Road, Subic. They offer the units to families and big groups who are in the city for short trips or longer stays alike.

Much like your usual village, the place is private and security is tight.

You'll find here the peace and quiet you're looking for when in a vacation.

This is the unit that Tita Meg got for us :-)

Hotels in Subic range from PhP3500 - PhP 5000 per night, with strict number of guests per room. This one costs Php 6500 per night and can fit all of us so it's definitely sulit!

It's pretty spacious and looks modern (Thank God! I most certainly don't want a creepy-looking vacation house on October 31st. Haha!). The furniture and fixtures seem new as well. Let me tour you around :-)

There's a huge sofa and a 32" LCD TV in the living room. Sorry for the not-so-good angle. I don't want them to wonder why I even have to take a photo of the place. Hahaha.

The Dining table is huge and classy, too -- minus the plastic covers, that is!

But I understand that they just wanna keep the fabric clean :P

The kitchen is complete with the basic appliances you'll need to prepare quick meals. On the opposite side is a large sink and another counter.

Now on with the bedrooms...

The master's bedroom. It has its own bathroom with a dedicated shower area.

And then 2 rooms like this. This is where we stayed, along with J's mom, and the family of his bro. We brought with us an airbed which we put in the center. All rooms have A/C units, by the way.

This is the common toilet and bath. Not seen in the picture is a bathtub (sosyal!) and a water heater. It's equipped with a bidet as well. On the other side is the vanity counter and sink. Water pressure is strong also.

I generally liked the place but here are a few pros and cons that you may wanna know if you're considering renting it:

Pros:

   - Fully-furnished, with high-end interior pieces.

   - Beds are comfy and A/C is working well so we had a good sleep.

   - Very homey, and there's a lot of open space, which I love (and the kids, too, I think -- cause they enjoyed running around :D)

   - There's a swimming pool near the admin office, if you wanna take a dip. Too bad we don't have a lot of time (and I didn't have a swimsuit too! Haha!)

Cons:

   - The place is kinda far from the main road. If you have you own car, this won't be a problem. Otherwise, I don't think I saw public transport in the area.

   - When I pulled the comforter (the blue one in the picture above), there's a dead cockroach in there! It was disgusting, yeah, so we just didn't take the comforter off. We used our own blanket when it got too cold in the middle of the night.

Overall, we had a pleasant stay. The cockroach could be an isolated case, so I'd still recommend the place :-)

Forest View Residences
El Kabayo Road, Subic Bay Freeport Zone

Rates and reservation details are here, here and here.

P.S. I almost forgot, the power went out at midnight but it went back after around 30 minutes. I'm not sure if it was just a technical problem, or the house's way of saying "Happy Halloween!" Hahaha!