I Blog, Therefore I Am.

I've been busy in the last week thus the lack of post. I'm drafting some entries and will hopefully get to post them in the coming days. For the meantime, here's some movie update.

My high school friends and I decided to form a movie critique club where we will discuss and rate various movies of our choice based on themes through Twitter (courtesy of Twitlonger). The idea of the club was conceptualized because of our many discussions, theories, and hunches about Inception (arguably the best movie of the year). We will be starting with the first movie this week with the "All-Time Favorites" theme. I was tasked to go first so I chose The American President. I really really love that Annette Benning and Michael Douglas starer from 1995. It's a story about a sitting US President, a widower, who fell in love with a lobbyist. It's a very good romantic comedy so try to catch it if you haven't seen it yet.

One of the movies I suggested (for the Septemeber round) is an upcoming one starring Katie Holmes (post-Suri), called The Romantics. Showing of the movie is on September 10 in the US. According to IMDb, the story is about seven close friends who were reunited for the wedding of two of their friends. Problems arises because the bride and the maid of honor have had a long rivalry over the groom. Katie plays the Maid of Honor and Anna Paquin plays the bride. The guy in the middle is Josh Duhamel.

Here's the trailer:



It was actually Witt24 who suggested this movie to me. :) Can't wait to watch it!

I went to four different Metro Manila malls last Tuesday for a special project that I am doing for work. I started at Robinson's Place Manila and ended the day at SM Megamall. I was obviously dead tired from all the walking and working so I immediately scouted for some post-work relaxation and pampering to beat the day's stress away.




I was initially planning on getting a full body massage but was instead drawn to the Body Scrub treatment of Flawless Face and Body Clinic. I've been trying their various services in the past few months and I've always been curious about their scrub treatments.

I like the Flawless clinic at SM Megamall because it was really huge and fancy compared to the other branches I've been. It also has an elegantly designed lobby (in pink of course) with an impressive showcase and line-up of their popular in-house products.

The boyfriend and I went to SM Mall of Asia for some errand and shopping last Saturday. It was truly a tiring week for me so I asked him if we can have some foot pampering at Beauty & Butter. I was just at Beauty & Butter the Saturday before but I would like to be spoiled and experience again their good service.




It was packed with customers when we got there so we were asked to wait for a couple of minutes. Joy, the Butterfly (Receptionist), graciously offered us to play and tinker with their new iPad while we wait. The boyfriend gladly stayed after learning that he can play with the iPad and even told me that he will also get some foot spa for himself. Beauty & Butter's free iPad use is really handy when you need it! *wink*

My parents and I went to SMX Convention Center last Saturday for an expo. We were so tired from all the walking so we decided to treat and relax ourselves at Beauty & Butter, a new pampering destination for nails, face and body, at nearby SM Mall of Asia.

It's a good thing that we tried Beauty & Butter. I honestly fell instantly in love with the place. I've been to a lot of pampering spa and salon shops and there's nothing quite like it. I had Foot Spa with Pedicure and my parents had Anti-Aging Facials which is creatively called  "Those Were The Days". It was supposed to be just my mom and I but my dad also went along with us.

To make it easy for you,  dear blog readers, I listed down the top reasons why I love Beauty & Butter and why you should also check it out for yourselves.

1. Funky, retro and all that stuff.
I like the store concept behind Beauty & Butter. It's a very young, vibrant and retro place without being tacky. The marketing geniuses behind the store splendidly developed a fun place where one is easily relieved and relaxed just by entering it. It's a very well-thought of creative salon down to the naming convention of the services offered (eg. "Striptease" for wax services and "Baby Calm Down" for facial for sensitive skin).



Beauty & Butter at SM Mall of Asia

A lot of people ask what is the camera I use for this blog. Its actually just a simple DSLR entry-level Canon EOS 1000D (or otherwise known as Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS in the United States). I bought it in December 2008 as a well-deserved Christmas gift to myself.





I'm not really into the whole photography thing as others perceived. Not all DSLR owners are, actually. I bought a nice camera because I just want to have more-than-average-looking photos on my blogs,  Social Networking Sites and scrapbooks. Photography is just one of my many interests, but not one  of my hobbies. :) A cousin even told me that I use my DSLR like I use a regular point and shoot digicam; since I don't maximize the full potential of the manual settings.

When I was about to buy my Canon camera in 2008, a lot of my friends and colleagues are convincing me to get a Nikon instead. They said that it would be easier for me to borrow lenses and other camera accessories since most of them are Nikon owners.  I still chose Canon over Nikon primarily because of the picture and color resolution it gives. I find Nikon shots too bright and overly saturated compared to the more subdued Canon photos. Some may argue that this can be adjusted through the settings or even Photoshop, but I still find the photos too striking for my taste. Plus, I've always been loyal to Canon cameras so it was really a no-brainer and a non-choice. My first digital camera was a Canon Digital IXUS 60 (Canon Powershot SD600) and I loved it so much until it expired after years of everyday use. It indeed served me well.

Here are some of my favorite Boracay photos using a Canon EOS 1000D with 18-55mm lens:




Boracay Lantern Along Station 2



Boracay Boats On Break



Aria's Aglio, Olio, e Peperoncino from Aria Boracay


Next on the agenda is to save for a new Canon macro lens.  I'm really fascinated with food styling & photography and it's something I want to learn more about. I've been practicing, eating out a lot lately  (yikes!), and even started a new blog so I can document all the food photo adventures. Let's see how it will go.

There's a lot of specials, promotions and memorabilia in celebration of the upcoming inauguration on June 30 of our 15th President, Noynoy Aquino. One of them, and the most enticing I've read and seen so far, is the Php 15.00 ($0.32) Domestic Travel Ticket Sale of Cebu Pacific. It's not yet announced publicly - as of this writing - but their official Twitter account already made the announcement hours ago. Travelers can already book and avail discounted tickets through the Cebu Pacific Air website.


Photo Courtesy of Ariel2009's Flickr

I tried it myself and I was able to book for a trip to Puerto Princesa on November 2010 for 3 days. I only paid Php 158.80 ($3.45) for a round trip ticket including taxes and surcharges. I also tried to book myself for an International Flight and got a Php 3,793 ($80.70) fare, also on November, for a Manila-Singapore-Manila route.

Here are some tips: Cebu Pacific usually announce their sales and  promotions a day ahead through their official Facebook or Twitter accounts. I also noticed that they primarily have seat sale promos before the end of the month. Duration for this particular promo is until June 30 for October to November 30 , 2010 travel dates.

On a personal note, I can't wait to go to Puerto Princesa and experience the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. Filipinos should really visit the Underground River NOW before it become very expensive and popular due to the New 7 Wonders of Nature recognition that it's expected to get by next year.

It was a very busy and stressful week at work so I was not surprised when I woke up with two annoying zits on my left cheek. I rarely get pimples nowadays so I figured that work stress is truly taking a toll on me. So I did what any sane woman would do, I booked myself a facial! I left work early tonight and had a relaxing and rejuvenating night to beat the stress away. I am not really a "girly" girl but I always give time to pampering myself by regularly getting facials, foot spas and massages.



Flawless Face and Beauty Clinic
Petron Bel-Aire Square

I went this evening to Flawless Face and Body Clinic at their Petron Bel-Aire Square branch along Makati Ave. It was the nearest branch from my office and I love that it has extended service hours up to 10:00 pm. It's perfect for women like me who cannot leave the office early. I chose Flawless because it's different from the other beauty services that abounds the metro. It's more of a medical clinic than a beauty salon or spa. For one, they call their clients as "patients" instead of customers. They also have in-house doctors whom you can consult first before availing any of the offered face, body or medical services. This is a plus for me because I'm quite iffy to try anything (even a simple cleansing facial) without a consult from a Dermatologist.

As a break from all the election talks and to celebrate a very tiring but fulfilling week at work, the boyfriend and I went to The Ultimate Taste Test 4.0 event of one of our favorite blogs, Our Awesome Planet. The event, on its 4th offering, was a gathering of the foodie community and up-and-coming food suppliers and their 'winning' dishes.

There were more than 50 food suppliers who gave portions and samples to the hundreds of foodies who attended. The foodies in return served as amateur "food critiques" for the night and rated the dishes. Food suppliers who will get high ratings will be featured in Anton's Our Awesome Planet blog.

The event started at 7:00 pm and it ended 10:00 pm. Though we were prompt, the registration lines at NBC Tent were already long when we arrived. It reminded me of the long election queue we had just last Monday.



The event is actually a very good venue to discover good and affordable food and restaurants in Manila. We only paid P200 ($4.43) each and we were able to taste and experience more than 20 different food choices and variants. It was truly a money well spent. We were stuffed from all the appetizers, main courses and desserts we had.

I love bang-for-your-buck shopping. I fulfilled my two budget shopping wishes last night and I am so happy about it! Wasteland Wonderland, indeed!

UNIVERSAL RECORDS CD SALE
Our operations in Quezon City are just floors away from the Universal Records HQ. I noticed a few months ago some Big CD Weekend Sale announcement of Universal. I got curious because it says that they sell Buy One, Take Ones and some CDs are even 90% off. What a steal!

Fortunately, I had a meeting yesterday with some of our Call Center leads and it coincided with one these famous CD Sales. I made sure that all my meetings and commitments are done by 6:30pm so I can browse and buy to my heart's desire. The sale usually starts at 9:00 am and ends at 7:00 pm.



I was able to buy two Jazz compilations, one Hale album, and an OPM love song compilation (Yeah, I am all for cheesiness) for only P200! That's basically P50 per CD. The cheapest they have there are the P2 casette tapes and the P40 Country Music CDs. They also have P100 or P200 Buy One, Take One CDs. It's really a joy to go there if you're a music lover or collector.

Universal Records
Universal Towers, Quezon Ave., Quezon City
(Just above Smart Wireless Center)
Remaining Sale Dates: May 31, June 5, 6 & 7

~*oOo*~

SAIZEN (DAISO) JAPANESE STORE
I've been hearing and reading about the Saizen Store at Robinson's Galleria in the last couple of months. Saizen is a Japanese Discount Shop brought by the original Daiso All For 100 Yen Shop of Japan. It's a dry goods shop where you can buy everything for P85! The one you see all over the malls - Japan Home Depot or something - is a fake one. THIS is the real deal.


My Loot! Not much but I'll be back again!

I am a sucker for stores like this. I love the thrill of buying seemingly unnecessary things at a budget price. The stuff in the store are all made in Japan (obviously) and are usually specially made for the Daiso/Saizen stores. They have everything from Housewares, Cosmetics to Office Supplies.



I love the row of plastic containers and the Japanese bowls and plates are just perfect for my brother & sis-in-law who loves Japanses cooking. I initially bought them a rolling container to perfect their maki-making.



My favorite sections: Office Supplies & Notebooks! I was able to buy two File Folders (I love filing!) and will come back for the Colored Staple Wires and the Cushion Notepads.



They also have all kinds of CD/DVD racks and cases; and there was also a row for all types of laptop sleeves. I was able to buy a small blue one for our HP Mini Note.



I love the Saizen shop and I can't wait to go back. This is going to be an ideal Christmas Shopping store. There's truly something for everyone!

Saizen / Daiso Japanese Store
East Wing, Robinson's Galleria
Ortigas, Pasig

Slumdog Millionaire may be the slammin' winner of this year's 81st Oscar's; and Kate Winslet may be the most deserving winner of the night (it's about time after her numerous nominations beginning with Sense & Sensibility and Titanic), but it was the wedding-inspired gowns of several celebrities that almost stole the spotlight.

Whether it's ballgown, vintage or minimalist, these celebrities channeled their inner brides with fabulous made-for-altar outfits. Two were stunning stand-outs but there were also a couple of disastrous ones. This year's favorite Oscar's fashion proved that you don't have to be a bride to wear white (or off-white or beige or ecru). Bring it on!

Who's your favorite bridezilla?


Best Supporting Actress Penelope Cruz in vintage Pierre Balmain



Sarah Jessica Parker in Dior
(Carrie Bradshaw will be proud of this gown! Except for the overly
exposed bosom of SJP that's not so obvious on this photo. Try this one.)



Marisa Tomei in Versace



Jennifer Aniston in Valentino
(This is a late addition to my entry. Can't find a photo of her earlier.
Love her simple outfit! Love her! Jolie-Pitts, who?)




Melissa George in Dolce & Gabbana
(Hello, Sadie! You are missed at Grey's Anatomy!)



Taraji P. Henson in Roberto Cavalli



Anne Hathaway in Armani Prive




Miley Cyrus in Zuhair Murad


Here are some more favorites in different colors and styles:


Angelina Jolie and Evan Rachel Wood both in Ellie Saab



Alicia Keys in Armani and Best Actress Kate Winslet in Yves Saint Laurent by Stefano Pilati

I have mixed feelings about Kate's gown with all that black lace in the lower portion. But the mix of blue and black colors made the outfit dramatic and it compensated for the weird laces.

Photo Credit: Yahoo! Movies

I was really fascinated by Time Magazine's Top 10 of Everything for 2008 and I think that it would be cool to do one for myself as a year-ender. "Ten of everything" would be too much for me so I am just limiting my list to my ultimate "tops" and favorite things.

TOP PEOPLE

Family
In sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, until death do us part. Enough said.





Forces Girlfriends + Jako
We've been through a lot this year - travels, dinners, quarrels, success, misunderstandings, profound e-mails, unions, engagements, singleness, happiness and broken hearts. Despite everything we've gone through we realized that we all love each other at the end of the day! :)



My CLRD Angels
The year will not be as sweet if not for my dear Marj and Kathy. We worked very hard and delivered a lot of projects that helped build subscribers' loyalty. I'll miss you, girls! Thanks for all that has been and for all that will be!

Gabsters
Our fondness and support for GDM was the one that introduced us to each other; but we discovered along the way that we have loads in common other than our PBB obsessions. Our BBQ Boy dinners were always riot events!

Ros + John + Eric
A common tragic event early this year made us closer to each other. It was not a "good year" for us but we all believe that it's already time to move on (Binchy would want it that way).

TOP TRAVELS

Boracay Birthday
This is my most traveled year! I'm out each month except in January. The one that stood out is my 30th birthday celebration in Boracay. My friends Tin, Aileen, Charo and Jako went with me last 888 (August 8, 2008) and had the time of our lives. The highlight of the trip? The Paraw Sunset Sailing!

Viva Vigan
My friends and I had a memorable roadtrip to Vigan last May. Aside from the cobblestones, the picturesque Spanish houses, and the yummy delicacies (I'm still craving for Martha's Bibingka until now), the trip was one for the books because we were were stranded in La Union for hours because of Typhoon Cosme. Our trip back home was 17 hours long. Whew!



Beautiful Bohol
Our Team Celebration Program in Bohol last September was great because there were only four (4) of us on the trip and it was my first time in Bohol! I can't wait to go back for more! Bohol is truly a relaxation haven!



Travel To Meet Subs
A huge chunk of my work-related travel this year was because of one of our loyalty programs. I was able to meet various subscribers all over the nation through this activity. They were all fun and enriching events and it gave me also the opportunity to visit Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija and Balanga, Bataan for the first time. I also visited Cebu (twice), Davao (thrice), Baguio and Cagayan de Oro this year.

TOP EVENTS
(These are my non-travel events this year that are memorable. "Memorable" can either be happy or sad and a couple of entries here were unfortunately sad ones.)

My Pond's Beauty Blog
One of my non-work achievements of the year is winning the Pond's 7-day Beauty Blog. The "essay" (as my dad puts it) won me a new iPhone 3G and gift certificates.

Binchy's Passing
My good friend's unexpected death usually trumps the happy events of the year. We are still grieving but we know in our hearts that he's now in a happier place.

NatCon 2008
Customer Care's National Conference 2008 became a memorable one for me because of some unexpected twist of events. It still haunt me at times but I already learned from the experience. Things that doesn't kill you truly makes you stronger! :)

Vince & Eliza's Wedding
Ate finally tied the knot last November! The event was a joyous one and it gave me the opportunity to be reunited with my Real relatives whom some I haven't seen in years.



TOP GADGETS

Canon 1000D
Santa came this year and got me this! Eyeloveit! Definitely the gift of the year (or even the decade).



Nokia E71
Nokia did everything right with this phone. It's perfect (or perfect for me at least!). The slim design allows you to text using one hand, it has WiFi, cool interface, huge LCD screen and its HSDPA! Definitely one of the best Nokias in the market today.

iPhone 3G
Dubbed by most as The Gadget of the Year, it is not on top of my list because it's not the best - for me anyway. It has its greatness, ganda points, Internet anywhere and everywhere, and it's the best iPod ever...but it's far from perfect (jailbroken or otherwise). But I still love it to bits because it's "my trophy".

TOP TV SHOWS

Grey's Anatomy
The plot with Denny coming back to life is beyond absurd and George may be resigning but I still love this show! Nothing can keep me away from it despite the cheesiness of Mer and Der. My only wish? End the dead guy story and let Izzie fall in love with Alex.

Gossip Girl
One of my Twitter buddies thought I was on my early twenties because of my great love for these Upper East Siders. Season 2 made me fall in like with Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass together with the teens and tweens of the world. I still love Serena and Lily but I just can't stand the Humphreys especially Dan, the over-analyzer.



The West Wing
It might have ended a couple of years ago but I am still on Season 3 of this great political drama. I am so fascinated with life at the White House and my week is not complete without hearing the "CJ! CJ! CJ!" of the reporters at the make-believe press room.

Brothers & Sisters
Who doesn't want to be part of the Walker family and their famous dinners? I've decided this season that Kevin is my favorite Walker (aside from Nora of course). Who's your favorite?

TOP MOVIES

Sex and The City Movie
Seeing Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte once again is beyond words! Watching it at Powerplant with great friends after Pepper Lunch was also great.



Twilight
Seeing Bela and The Cullens come to life is more than enough to land this movie on the list despite its crapiness. Sorry, Twitter movie fans.

TOP BOOKS

Twilight Series
It was the much-hyped launch of Breaking Dawn in August which prompted me to read the series. It somehow filled the void that Harry Potter left me. Stephanie's writing was so bad (grammar and punctuation errors, over-plot, under-plot) but her great storytelling skills compensated for it. My favorites are Breaking Dawn, Eclipse and Alice Cullen.

American Wife
Time Magazine agrees with me that this is one of the best reads of 2008. It's a story of a librarian turned First Lady of the United States of America (sounds familiar?).



Remember Me
Another chick-lit of Sophie Kinsella which was patterned after the humor and sweetness of tUndomestic Goddess and Can You Keep A Secret?.

TOP RESTAURANTS
(Funny that everything on this list is a destination restaurant.)

Bigby's
I fell in love with their Grilled Rodeo Chops and Iced Tea! I had it four times this year: Bigby's Davao, Bigby's LimKetKai, Bigby's SM Cebu and Bigby's Ayala Center Terraces. They will open a branch in Manila soon! Yey!

Cyma
This was my "supposed" 30th birthday dinner. The Cyma feast we had in Boracay was one of the best dinners that my friends and I had of late. Greek food is truly love! Best Moussaka I've ever had!



Breakfast at Antonio's
I came back this year to this beloved restaurant that hold so many wonderful memories of yesteryears. Their steak is still tender and I still love it! Yum!

TOP ON-LINE SITES

Twitter
I tried Plurk for a couple of months but I came back to Twitter. If I can't blog then I usually express myself via Twitter's 140 characters. According to TweetStat, my average tweet per day is 7.3 and I usually send them 8:00 pm onwards. My most replied twitter friends are taetin (Tin), rivengodwind (Rodge) and lilacstardust (Aileen), siaz (Mitzi) and charuzee (Charo). No surprises here since they are also my real-life best buds! Twitter is our cheesmux extension.

Facebook
I joined Facebook in mid-2007 but I only realized its full potential early this year. Everyone who's anyone is on Facebook; and it's the best Social Networking Site ever!

Multiply
This has always been my favorite repository site for photos, videos, blog entries and music. Add me up!

iGoogle
A customizable one-stop shop for everything Google (and some more). It's always a joy to see my e-mail, google search tabs, Remember The Milk tasks, Google Reader feeds and various news all in one place. Thanks to Marj for the tip!

Thanks to 2008 for being such a wonderful year!

Credits to Bordoy Viterbo, Charo, Aileen and Marj for the photos.

I wasn't able to blog again in Bohol, so much for the "live blogging" I promised. It was very hard to be in front of a laptop when you are in paradise!

So here's the continuing saga of our Bohol vacation...

Our first agenda was the Cutural and Historical Tour. We got a Tour Guide, Kuya Willy, and he took us all over the province with matching commentaries and trivia about the province. We also learned through him that 70% of Bohol's income comes from tourism. Marj sat in front of the van and matched Kuya Willy's history-filled stories with her questions while Anna, Libay and I sat in the back and took turns sleeping as we go from one destination to another.

We were so hungry from the flight so our first stop was at the Loboc River where the Riverwatch Floating Restaurant was. It was a one-of-a-kind lunch cruise that let you sail through the majestic Loboc River with stops at river banks where rondalla music entertains. The food is okay and the buffet has a good selection. I wasn't able to enjoy much of it though because of an unexpected work call. The river cruise and the buffet lunch was only Php 250.00 ($6.00).


The Loboc River where we had lunch cruise-style


Enjoying the cruise and the nice weather


The Riverwatch Cruise's buffet

We immediately traveled north after lunch to go to the world famous Chocolate Hills in Carmen. Travel from Tagbilaran to Carmen is more than an hour by van but the surrounding towns are picturesque enough not to bore you. For the uninitiated, Chocolate Hills is an unusual geological formation of around 1,200 perfectly-shaped cones scattered in three Bohol towns. Scientific explanation claimed that this might be caused by volcanic eruptions or sea floor uplift in the past. The cones turn brown during the dry season thus the "chocolate hills". Since it is the middle of the rainy season, the hills were green when we visited.

The hills are definitely one of kind! I've never seen anything quite like it. I cannot believe that they are all-natural and were not man-made. Pictures wouldn't be able to give justice to its beauty. True to this, the Chocolate Hills is nominated as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.


Marj, Lib, Anna, me and the Chocolate Hills


High jump amidst the hills! Weeee!


Leal & Real on top of the world!


Witches in Broom!


Marj and I at the cave-like entry way of the view deck

Our next stop was the Butterfly Farm near the Chocolate Hills in the Batuan Town. There was nothing great about it except for the actual larvae and pupa specimens that they have. They take Butterfly breeding seriously and can identify expertly who's doing "it" among their charges. Hah!


Cooky fun at the Buttefly Farn

As we travel back to Tagbilaran, we stopped by at the Man-made Mahogany Forest in Bilar, Bohol. The scenery was great for pictorials even if it reminded me of Blairwitch Project. It also reminded me of Quezon Province and one of its parks where you will pass on your way to Bicol.


At the Man-Made Mahogany Forest


I love this shot of 'em three

The scariest part of the tour was probably our Hanging Bridge experience. I initial took it in stride since it was already my 2nd or 3rd time to cross a hanging bridge. But it was my 1st time to cross a hanging bridge made of bamboo shoots! How scary is that?! Every step we took made the wooden slabs create some crunching sound you don't want to hear. Whew! What an experience!


Still smiling after the experience


Lib, Anna and Marj at the hanging bridge

We went back to the Loboc town to check out the Tarsier Conservatory where the smallest primates live. I thought it will be a "farm of tarsiers" but we only got to see around four (4) in the small garden and most of them were sleeping (they are nocturnal creatures). I've always thought that it was a huge complex based on the pictures I've seen before.


The tarsier and us


Photo op with the Loboc River as background

Our third to the last stop is my favorite, the old Immaculate Conception Church otherwise known as the Baclayon Church. I've always been fascinated by old churches and is actually planning to travel and take photos of the numerous beautiful churches here in the Philippines. I've already started last summer and will continue to pursue it in the coming months.

The Baclayon Church is the oldest church and the first symbol of Christianity in Bohol built in 1596 by the Jesuits. Aside from its rich history, the church is also known for the miraculous appearance of the image of a Jesuit priest in one of the cobblestone walls. The image cannot be seen clearly by the naked eye but check the camera viewer and you would be able to see the Jesuit father. For showbiz watchers, Baclayon is also known as the hometown of Cesar Montano (future gubernatorial candidate?).


The Immaculate Conception Church in Baclayon


Check out the wall pillar on the right to see the Jesuit's face

The last historical site we visited was the Blood Compact Site in Tagbilaran City. The site commemorates and re-enacts the "blood" and friendship agreement of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi of Spain and the then chieftain of Bohol, Rajah Sikatuna. We truly had fun posing and fooling around with the men of old. The compact site was the last leg of our very rich historical tour. There were still some tourist spots we were not able to go to like the Hinagdanan Cave, Mag-Aso Falls and some museums and old churches.


Posing with Miguel, Sikatuna and friends


Libay and I kissing Migs

Before we went back to our hotel, we dropped by at the Bohol Bee Farm Resort where I recommend you spend, spend, spend your money on their organic delights! Marj and I had a fun time sampling almost all of their jams, spreads, home-made breads, muffins, chocolate and coffee. The products are all delicious and 100% organic! We were able to buy some spreads, tsokolate eh, coffee grains and dried cassavas. Too bad we were not able to buy the delicious newly-baked Camote Bread before our flight back to Manila. Make sure to include in your Bohol itinerary a trip to the farm and you'll surely not be sorry.


The "yummy" Bohol Bee Farm

After an all-day tiring tour it was expected that we were all famished. We had a very nice al fresco by the beach feast at Alona Pyramid, one of the resto-beach along Alona. The Alona stretch at night looks like a little Boracay with rows of restaurants along the sea shore. The one of Panglao's is just more somber, peaceful and fresh. It was actually the kind of ambiance I was looking for in Boracay on my last trip. Night life in Bohol was also not as rowdy and friends can be seen quietly bonding under the stars with bottles in hand. It's the kind of night I actually want. :)


Alona Beach night scene


Smoke in my eyes


Life's a beach!

Credits to Marj for most of the photos. More of our snaps at my Multiply photo page.

Bohol Tour Guide
Kuya Willy
Mobile No. +63-919-243-7742
Php 2,500 ($55.00) includes van, one-day Bohol tour, and commentaries.