A Work-related Musing

An earlier than usual status meet was called for. And the project manager broke the news to us gently.

I don’t know if this is an answered prayer but aren’t answered prayers supposed to give us pure bliss? Well this one does not. For some odd reasons, there’s a drop of tear waiting to be freed at this very moment. I may be ranting here and there how demanding my tasks are but truth be told, I love being a part of BI. I’m happy here. The people makes all the hard work worth it. Now that the news is out, I get the impression that every time I feel immensely attached to a team at work, the project has to end. And the short notice doesn’t help. Wrapping things up in a few days is mental and emotional torture. Really.

And if there’s any consolation to this, it’s that spark of hope that I'll be transferring to a better work environment earlier than I had planned. Is this see you soon, A********?

* BI = Banking Infrastracture (the name of our team)

Max's Chicken All You Can... Again!

J and I were able to try Max's Chicken All-You-Can last year and whenever we eat at Max's thereafter, we could only wish that they bring back the promo. So when I saw a giant ad along Roxas Blvd. that it'll be back, I immediately messaged him that we set the soonest date to get our fill of sarap-to-the-bones chicken.

Promo runs from June 10 - July 10, 2011 from 6pm - 10pm.

Fast forward to last Sunday. On our way home, we thought of finally giving in to our craving. We headed to the Max's nearest us - Harrison Plaza - at around 6:30 and we already had to queue. We weren't very hungry so we didn't mind waiting for about 20 minutes to be seated. We immediately ordered 2 Chicken All-You-Can plates and a serving of rice. It was a lesson learned for us last year to just get half a cup each so as not to be full right away and enjoy the chicken more. Oh by the way, the CAYC meal comes with a glass of beverage of your choice, and you can upgrade to bottomless for an additional 28pesos. J got an upgrade and as always, he got a run for his money :-)

In no time, our food landed on our table. We didn't wait any longer, it's game on! ^_^

* Please excuse the poor quality of photos, I don't have my camera with me and had to use the iPod and my humble Nokia C3 to take 'em. *

The boyfriend and his first serving.

My plate.. Round 1! :) I'm a thigh part lover so I had to endure the chicken breast for starters.

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! *that's the sound of a bell, okay?! :P* Round 2! Yay, thigh part! Not to forget, the waiters in this branch are pretty much attentive to the customers' request for refills (although my heart still belongs to the Robinson's Place Manila crew from last year's experience :D)

I could barely finish this 3rd serving but I'm trying to outdo last year's record so I had a 4th one. At that point, I just had to give up or else, J had to carry me home (which I doubt he's capable of :P)

The heap of bones for all the chicken both of us had. Do you still have to ask if we got our tummies full? :-)

A picture of us while waiting for the bill.

All in all, we paid PhP 511 for the food mentioned above plus an order of fresh lumpia to go. Aaaaaaaand.. the icing on the cake: 20-peso money coupons for every PhP 200 spent! Love et! :)

J and I both had 4 quarters... yes, that translates to a whole chicken each! It was sooooooo sulit especially if you're like us with a big appetite.

Thumbs up for this year's Max's CAYC promo! Now it's your turn to give it a try! Hurry, 10 days left! :-D

Hoping that there's gonna be another one next year,

Cebu Getaway: SM Cebu and CNT Lechon

Our growling stomachs reminded us that it's almost 2pm already and we haven't had lunch yet. There's a McDonald's nearby and we could've eaten there if we want to but among our objectives is to experience Cebu's good food first hand. Thus, we're trying out CNT Lechon, located near SM City Cebu.  According to the ECP receptionist, from East Capitol Drive, we can take a 06H jeepney to get there. Yes, you read it right, 06H. One interesting stuff in Cebu is their public transport system. Jeepneys there use a 3-digit alphanumeric code to stand for their route.

Jeepneys in Cebu also aren't your typical Sarao-type. They are multi-cabs (like those shuttle rides in MOA, only bigger) that come in different colors. Too bad I wasn't able to capture them on the road because Jhay kept making saway that I keep the camera for safety purposes.

Signages in the Ayala Center Terminal

So we hailed a 06H bound for SM Cebu (note: the same route also passes by Ayala Center). The fare is 8:50, which I think is 1 kilometer more than the minimum. Travel time is 10-15 minutes.

SM Cebu is nothing different from the SM Malls that we have here.

Lots and lots of the province's delicacies at the SM Department Store.

There's this train roaming around the entire lower ground floor of SM. Do we also have this in Manila? I'm sure Haley would love to ride! :)

We immediately asked around for CNT Lechon and we were directed to go to the supermarket. I was skeptical but we went anyway and when we saw the tiny store, I knew it wasn't what my travel guides were talking about. Jhay was considering to just order and eat it somewhere else but I insisted we ask one more time if there's any other CNT Lechon in the area. Just when we're about to give up, this one lady guard became a guiding star. She gave Jhay some instructions and much to our delight, we found what we're looking for!

Tip #1: If you're going to the restaurant via the same 06H jeep, don't get too excited at the first sight of SM Cebu. Get off when you see CIFC building (top photo) -- that's in front of the second main entrance of the mall. Beside it is a yellow building that is CNT Lechon.

Tip#2: If you're inside the mall, look for McDonalds at the upper ground floor. Next to it is an exit and from there you'll see the yellow building just across the street (I took the top photo from there :D)

They have a spacious parking area at the ground floor while the dining area is at the second level. The reviews I found were saying that the place gets really crowded during lunch and dinner time thus taking forever for your order to be served but since we were there at a little past 2pm, we didn't have to queue in the counter and there were a lot of available seats. So yeah, plan your visit accordingly :)

Lots of seats for the dining public.

The counter where you order turo-turo style :)

We ordered 1/2 kilo lechon (Php 180, their store in the supermarket sells a kilo for 400+), 1 order of chopsuey (Php 40), 3 cups of rice (Php 12 each) and a 500ml bottle of Pepsi (Php 30) for a total of Php 286. So sulit!

As expected, the meat is very tender and the skin perfectly crispy! Note that CNT does not have the usual lechon sauce but they provide a dip which is (I think) a mixture of soy sauce and vinegar. For me, it's very flavorful on its own so there really isn't a need for dips and sauces. However, it gets kinda salty towards the end but I guess we just ate a little too much. Hahaha.

It was an artery-clogging meal but it's not everyday that we get to experience authentic Cebu Lechon so it's worth it. So when you visit the Queen City of the South, CNT Lechon is definitely a must-try!

Other posts from my Cebu Getaway Series:

Cebu Getaway: The Beginning
Cebu Getaway: East Capitol Pensionne
Cebu Getaway: Cebu City Tour
Cebu Getaway: Bantayan Island
Cebu Getaway: Kota Beach Resort
Cebu Getaway: Gran Tierra Suites
Cebu Getaway: Casa Verde
Cebu Getaway: Skywalk Extreme
Cebu Getaway: See you again, Cebu!

Twenty-three

I had a simple celebration at home for my 23rd birthday. I had a blast. My family's with me, Jhay's there beside me, there's good food, and yes, there's a Conti's cake! Yum yum! I can't ask for anything more! Oh.. I just wish my ladies were there to make it super awesome.

This is J's lovely present. I told you, wishlists are effective. I was able to tick off two today. I know there's more in the coming weeks, right girlfriends? :)

Thank you to everyone who made me feel special today. Hugs from me to you! ^_^

Lastly, thank you Lord for the beautiful life. I give all the glory back to You.

Cheers,

Cebu Getaway: East Capitol Pensionne

There are numerous hotels, inns and pension houses in Cebu. The challenge for us though is getting one that's clean, accessible and budget-friendly. Among our three considerations, the most important for me is the place's cleanliness (especially the bathroom!) so I've referred to reviews and blog posts to help me decide.

In my search for our first accommodation (June 5 -6), I came across East Capitol Pensionne. Budget is definitely a check because they offer Standard Rooms for only Php 800.00 with free breakfast for one person. So the next thing I looked for was traveler reviews. I went to TripAdvisor (I pretty much think the reviews there are reliable) and I found few but generally okay reviews. I called them, asked a couple of questions then finally decided to book the place for a night.

Upon arrival at the airport, we got in a cab and asked the driver to bring us to ECP. It's not along the main road but is still accessible for public transport. It's near the Cebu City Capitol and a McDonald's branch, and a few minutes away from Ayala Center. Cab fare from airport to ECP was Php 211.50.

Photo from their website

When we got off the taxi, Jhay was surprised that the place is quite small but the key is to manage expectations. We paid 800 bucks so I didn't expect too much -- just a decent place to leave our things in and sleep after a tiring city tour. But in fairness, the reception area is quaint and classy.

We took our key and headed to our room located in the second floor. The door flung open and that's when we felt that we're on a budget accommodation. LOL.

The room is really small. It had a single bed when I expected a double (my bad because I didn't notice the picture in their website). Good thing J & I snuggle tightly when asleep so we didn't mind having little space. The mattress is quite comfortable and the sheets are just okay. The bathroom is also cramped but it's clean so I'm satisfied. It has a heater, too, and the water pressure is strong (J enjoyed :D).

The room has a small TV, a telephone, a dresser and a cabinet that kinda looks (and smells) old. Airconditioning is sufficient so we had a comfortable sleep. The room also has an automatic switch, so high-tech for a little pension house! :)

That's the key and the switch control at the top-right corner :)

The receptionists aren't the warmest but they are reliable. They assisted us with directions and during check-out, you won't have a hard time finding a cab because they have contacts. The only cons is that they serve breakfast at a fixed time - 7AM - so we weren't able to avail our free meal as we had to leave for Bantayan Island a little past 5 in the morning.

Overall, I have to say that I got my money's worth. If you're a backpacker and would spend most pf the day going around the city, East Capitol Pensionne is a good choice.

East Capitol Pensionne

D.S. Regner Building, 92 C. East Capitol Road, Cebu City

Landline: (032) 255-1210 / Mobile: 0927-9797428

http://www.eastcapitolpensionne.com

Other posts from my Cebu Getaway Series:

Cebu Getaway: The Beginning

Cebu Getaway: SM Cebu and CNT Lechon

Cebu Getaway: Cebu City Tour

Cebu Getaway: Bantayan Island

Cebu Getaway: Kota Beach Resort

Cebu Getaway: Gran Tierra Suites

Cebu Getaway: Casa Verde

Cebu Getaway: Skywalk Extreme

Cebu Getaway: See you again, Cebu!

Cebu Getaway: The Beginning

Last year we celebrated our anniversary in Tagaytay. It was really special because it's our first out-of-town trip just the two of us. But since we want to outdo ourselves by making each anniv celebration more special than the last, we planned to go somewhere farther for our sixth year -- hence, the Cebu Getaway.

The trip was around four months in the making. I searched a hundred websites for the places to visit, itinerary and budget. I consulted quite a number of friends when my options got messed up. Jhay and I had to sit down and really sort things out because I keep changing my mind. Getting to "the day" was definitely not a walk in the park but as they say, if things are meant to be, the universe will conspire. And it did! The next thing we knew, we were at the airport, waiting for our turn to check in our bags :-)

Cebu Pacific check-in counters at the NAIA terminal 3.

The boyfriend patiently enduring my being a photo freak :-)

Our bags weighed 11.7 kgs excluding hand-carry (the green one, where we put all our valuables) -- meaning there's still room for pasalubong when we return :D

After paying the Php200 terminal fee (per head), we're ready to board flight 5J-553 ^_^

But we decided to grab a quick bite first at a Red Ribbon stall. My gosh, prices skyrocket in airports! The banana cake slice costs Php35 while the coke in can is at Php50.

Then we proceeded to the waiting area. Oooops, both of us wearing red is just a coincidence. Really! :P

We were at the waiting area an hour earlier than the boarding time so we had a lot of time to burn. The boyfriend, as usual, is contented with his earphones plugged. Me? Just reading the travel guides I printed and then glancing once in a while at my shoes! Please bear with me, it was my first time wearing it. Hahaha.

Our flight is at 10:10AM and at exactly 9:40, we were asked to board! Yipee! We're on time!

I told you, the weather is great!

Our first plane ride together! ♥♥♥

We went through the safety SOPs and in-flight advertisements. I was checking my watch in between, intently waiting for the plane to take-off but at 10:10am, the captain announced that there will be a delay in our flight :( 

5, 10, 15 minutes passed and we're still on the ground. I admit I'm getting impatient, good thing the English-speaking boy seated next to us kept me entertained. J and I found ourselves silently giggling at his curious questions. The best one for me is when he asked his dad what pressure is and the daddy can't quite explain the way the kid would understand. But the mommy was able to answer with flying colors! Talk about girl power! :P

After a 30-minute delay, we're finally taking off! Thanks heavens! ^_^

Up, up and away! I'm seated by the window so I was able to closely watch our ascent.

The estimated travel time is 1 hour and 15 minutes. It was a smooth flight and at 11:45AM, we're officially in Cebu! ^_^ Of course, we took pictures at the grounds (despite the advisory to refrain from it). It's my first time to ride a plane so no one can stop me from capturing memories. Haha!

 

 

We took our bags then asked around for the cab terminal. What I've read in blogs and forums is right. If you wanna take a white metered cab (instead of the yellow airport taxis), just go to the arrival exit, walk a few steps to your right then go up a plight of stairs across the street. There you'll see a queue of regular taxis waiting to take you to your destination.

An evidence of the Sto. Nino devotion this side of the country.

I can't take the smile off my face especially as we passed by bridge connecting Mactan Island to Cebu City. Man, we really are in Cebu already!

We got to the city proper in no time and all of us were on the lookout for East Capitol Pensionne, our first accommodation. One last right turn and the driver pulled over.

This is it. Let the Cebu Adventure begin! :-)

Other posts from my Cebu Getaway Series:

Cebu Getaway: East Capitol Pensionne
Cebu Getaway: SM Cebu and CNT Lechon
Cebu Getaway: Cebu City Tour
Cebu Getaway: Bantayan Island
Cebu Getaway: Kota Beach Resort
Cebu Getaway: Gran Tierra Suites
Cebu Getaway: Casa Verde
Cebu Getaway: Skywalk Extreme
Cebu Getaway: See you again, Cebu!