Summer Sunshine 2016: Back in Sta. Fe, Bantayan Island

My Summer 2016 is off to a good start as we kick it off at no less than the most beautiful island in Cebu - Bantayan Island. It's the home of the best white sand beaches, crystal clear waters and "danggit". I've blogged about Bantayan Island some 10 years ago and a lot has changed. We were also here last year for my husband's triathlon race but I didn't wrote about it. Booo!!!

So here I am trying to re-live that weekend through this post. The travel has long been planned by me and my sisters - my new adventure buddies. It's an advance birthday celebration for my sister, Anne. She promised to take care of our accommodation and the food. 

A few days before the scheduled travel, my daughters suddenly got sick with fever. I had second thoughts of going coz what if, they'll get sick even more. I had them go through lab tests to ensure that it's not dengue. The doctor gave us an approval to go since it was just viral fever. 

We woke up as early as 4am to make last minute preparations. By 6am, we were already on board the bus. After 3 hours or so of bus ride, we were finally at the Port of Hagnaya. We were just in the nick of time as the ferry to Sta. Fe is about to leave in less than 30 minutes. By 11:30am, we were already in Sta. Fe. 

We took a motorcyle that will lead us to our resort, Budyong Beach Resort. We rested a bit at the restaurant and grabbed our lunch since our room was still being prepped. We wasted no time and immediately changed into our swimming attire, put on some sunscreen and took a plunged in the crystal clear and cold water. The weather was so hot as it was high noon but that didn't stop everyone to take a dip. 

Sharing to you some photos below:

At the port of Sta. Fe - it's tempting to jump 

Look at those crystal clear water

Low tide so you have to walk further

my new adventure buddies - my sisters

These two had a blast!

the cam-whoring was non-stop

Did I just say nonstop? (it's all over my facebook) hehe

Our beachfront villa

Rented two vintage bikes for Php300 for 24 hours

Sunset was breathtaking...

...and so is Sunrise

Big shout out to my sister for such a wonderful weekend. I needed this respite after a very stressful week with the kids getting sick and all. I also need this to face yet another challenging week. 

Thank you Birthday Girl

For those interested, here's a run down of expenses for this trip:

Bus Fare to Hagnaya Port (per way): Php132 (non-aircon) Php160 (aircon)

Ferry to Sta. Fe (per way): Php 170

Terminal Fee (per terminal): Php5

Meals: Php50 (Breakfast) Php 100 (Lunch) Php 150 (Dinner)

Meals is really dependent on your appetite. There are pricier restaurants in Sta. Fe but you could also buy fresh seafood in the market and have your resort cook it for you. Budyong charges Php150 cooking fee for every kilo of seafood. 

If given the chance, I will go back again to Bantayan and hopefully stay there for two nights. Ours was just an overnight stay as we have to go back to the city for work or school for the kids. 

This is just a kick-off to our Summer 2016. There's more to come for sure!!!

Turning 37

Week before my birthday, my husband and I had a fight and was on cold war the entire week leading to my birthday. It was a petty thing but pride and unnecessary anger get in the way as always. I really didn't have any grand plans for my birthday except to escape the city for a bit while nursing a broken heart (*insert Whitney Houston song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?") hehe. 

A day before my birthday, I raised the white flag and said sorry. I don't want to be brokenhearted forever, you know. Still, he failed to greet me on the morning of my birthday and even went out for a long ride with his bike. Again, my heart broke and proceed with the plan of escaping the city. 

With my daughters Alex and Zabbie, sisters Anne and Matet and nephew Leon in tow, we went for our greatest adventure and roadtrip so far. We took a v-hire from Mactan and another v-hire to our first stop. 

my adventure crew

First Stop: Simala

I've lived in Cebu for 20 years now and I haven't been to Simala ever. Entering Simala is like entering a different country or world. You'll be met with castle-like structure. Thousands of tourists and pilgrims flock to Simala to pay homage and offer petitions to the miraculous Virgin of Simala. It was a perfect opportunity for me to offer my gratitude to the Virgin Mary for another year in my life and for the blessings received all these years. I also raised my personal petition of letting me patch up differences with my husband.

Simala

Simala

Second Stop: Tingko Beach, Alcoy

Since we've been on an adventure mode, we decided to head further down south to Tingko Beach in Alcoy. Despite being very accessible and just along the highway, I haven't been to this beach as well. Tingko Beach boasts of powdery sand and crystal clear blue waters. The weather was cooperating as it was really bright and sunny. While there are a lot of locals and tourists hanging out by the beach, we still enjoyed the beach nonetheless. The kids had a blast playing in the sand and was even complaining why we have to leave early like two hours after. 

quick dip

having a blast

At around 4pm, we decided to end our adventure and waited for the next ride back home. If not for the almost 3-hour traffic in San Fernando on our way back, it would have been really an awesome roadtrip. We reached home past 10pm and celebrated what's left of my birthday with my parents. 

My husband? He had other plans on my birthday and celebrated on his own. Duh!

Happy 37th Self!!! Here's to more roadtrips and adventures!!!

TITAN

More than three months ago, we added a new member to our small family. At first, there were some hesitations especially coming from the husband. My daughters have been begging to have a pet dog since time immemorial. After nonstop prodding from Alex and Zabbie, husband finally gave up and we welcome the first family pet named Titan.

Titan is mix breed of Dachshund and Yorkshire Terrier according to her previous owner Tina. He came to us when he was still a month old and our life totally turned upside down from then on. At first, we thought that it was a bad idea having a dog. Aside from the additional expenses for vaccination, dog food, dog shampoo, accessories etc., Titan is quite a handful. He nibbles almost anything from slippers to furniture and even the grocery bag lying on the floor. My favorite pair of shoes was one of the casualties.

But despite that, we learn to love him and considered him part of our family. In fact, we sometimes spoil him like a baby and bring him along to family bonding at Parkmall or to Granny’s house.

Here are 5 of the best things that Titan has brought to our home:

1. He has brought so much happiness at home. His antics are so entertaining we always ended laughing our hearts out. Playing with him is even better compared to watching a movie. 

2. I totally forgot about stress at work. I would usually come home before midnight and he’s always there to welcome me furiously wagging his small tail while the rest of the household are already in dreamland.

3. He guards our house when we’re away. He has this habit of barking at any person or vehicle that passes through our house.

4. Since Titan came to our lives, my daughters have become responsible. They always find time to walk him after school and during weekends. They also take turns cleaning his poop and pee.

5. Since some of our friends know that we have a dog, it has become an instant topic during conversations. It’s always good to share experiences and tips on caring for a dog and eventually developing better friendships.

Titan has grown really big and our love for him also grows every single day. There may be times that we want to wring his neck or kick his ass but most often, we just want to embrace him with so much love. We couldn’t even imagine what life would be without our Titan.

Summer 2015: Bohol Escapade

“Hopping from one island to another with an eternal tan, great company, beautiful sunsets and a mean soundtrack…” Vanessa East

My summer of 2015 has come full swing I am probably out most weekends basking in the summer sunshine. I’ve turned into this “nog-nog” creature but I don’t really mind at all. I love summer and the awesome things that go with it --- sand, sun, tan-lines, beach, unkempt hair, no make-up and laid-back music. I am sharing a few stories of what my summer of 2015 has become…

Bohol Escapade

When I learned that our PAS GMM will be held in the beautiful island of Bohol, I immediately made plans with PAS friends to an early escapade before the meeting. We agreed to visit Anda and stay for a night in Valencia.

First destination is Anda, a small beach town in Bohol. I’ve been meaning to visit this place and it has finally come true. We hang-out for a few hours after what seemed like a photoshoot and camwhoring with the white sand beach as our background. We were there when it was still low tide but nothing can stop the beach babe in me to take a quick dip.  Albeit short – blame it to our driver, who was like a walking timer, I enjoyed our visit just lounging by the beach without a care in the world.

We stayed overnight in Badiang Spring Resort in Valencia Bohol through the generosity of Cathy and her family. We feasted over my favorite food (shrimps, grilled pork, kinilaw, tinap-an, camote, banana and ginamos) in between getting massaged by the spring’s heavy fall and endless talks about life and love. It turned out to be an amazing adventure and laugh trip with Mama Alice, Cathy and Rosella.

The following day, it was yet another journey as PASers experienced first time the beauty and hospitality of Bellevue Hotel and Resort. This deserves another post in this space. Watch out for it!

Tribute to the Supporters

I really missed this space. There are days when you feel that facebook and instagram have become too mainstream and you feel the need to go back to your roots, to your original sounding board, to that space where only quite a few really take a peek. Today is one of those days and I never felt so guilty to have foresaken this space.

So now, I am making a comeback with a vengeance haha. I've been keeping promises I couldn't really keep like writing in this journal from time to time. I always fail miserably. This is my humble attempt to keep that fire burning. Here we go...

The Cobra Ironman 70.3 happened more than a week ago and it still feels surreal that finally my husband conquered it and had it off his bucket list. The stage wife that I am couldn't be more proud of this achievement. The road to ironman is not an easy feat not only for the triathletes but also to their so-called supporters - wives, partners, girlfriends, children or probably the next door neighbor. In this post, I will not be speaking on the triathlete's perspective but on a supporter's point of view. It may look easy to just cheer on the sidelines but I tell you, we also had our share of "laspag" moments.

We have to endure extreme weather conditions - staying under the heat of the sun or under a drizzle during races just to take good photos of our triathlete. We also get our share of dehydration, tan lines and sunburn (yes, in that order). Our muscles also ache when we are made to carry stuff, a sportsbag perhaps with the triathlete's essentials - water, extra clothes, running shoes, cleats, helmet, bike pump or extra tires. We also get those jitters at the start of the race. We mentally recite the Holy Rosary and call on all the saints to give our triathlete a safe race. Our sigh of relief may not be as loud as our cheer but yes, everytime our triathlete gets out of those rough waters or arrive at the transition area, we give out a huge sigh of relief and thank the heavens above. At the end of every race, we are often the designated driver as our triathlete is way too beat up to even hold that steering wheel. These and more are the many sacrifices that supporters do.

We do this out of sheer love and dedication to our triathlete. We do this because we want them to have a good race and to finish strong. Afterall, they've worked their muscles out just to finish their race of a lifetime. We don't really mind the lost family time during practice and simulations. We can't complain about the heat or how heavy (and expensive) your stuff is on our shoulders. We're not even close to freaking out everytime you get grumpy or stressed prior to race day.

To our dear triathletes, we are your unsung heroes, your staunch supporters, your PA, your prayer warriors, your benefactors (your expensive gears are taking a toll in our grocery budget), your no. 1 fan and WE'RE LOVING EVERY BIT OF IT. We will be behind you every race because accept it, no one else will. Someday, please learn to also return the favor as what Sen. Pia Cayetano once said. We really don't mind a quiet dinner at some fancy resto or a shopping spree if we get lucky or as simple as a kiss and hug after every race. We're not really that hard to please. Cheerio!!! 😃

Getting Inked

I'm not sure if I mentioned it here and probably somewhere that one of the items in my bucket list is getting a tattoo. I know there'll be eyebrows raised whenever I mentioned this especially to the older folks, my parents included. But getting a tattoo is really something I want to do for myself before I get old and wrinkled. I am also in no competition with my husband who has several tattoos in most parts of his body. He also didn't prod me to get one or go against having one. It was more of a personal desire. 

So, last Saturday, I finally used all the courage I have and got myself inked at my back just below my nape. I chose a Lotus design after considering probably about 20 designs from Pinterest. I've researched further and found a deeper meaning of a lotus tattoo which is a symbol of strength and truth. The Lotus is also associated with Yoga and there's even a yoga pose named "lotus". I have been practicing yoga for almost one year now and I felt that the lotus is something meaningful to me and to my yoga practice. 

the stencil

I think it's true that when you've experienced giving birth, all the other pain in the world is nothing compared to it. I never really experienced intense pain which I often heard from those who already have their tattoos done. Or probably I have high tolerance to pain. The session only lasted for an hour and 30 minutes. If not for the tattoo artist taking his sweet time and cigarette break, we will probably be done in less than an hour.  But I have to give credit to the tattoo artist as well, Philippe of House of Shredding Art (HOSA) Tattoos for doing a great job and making this dream possible. 

the artist behind the tattoo

almost done

They say that once you have a tattoo, it will be a vicious cycle and your body will continue to crave for more. I think I would have to agree to that coz even now, I am already planning to getting one or add an extension to my current tattoo. 

my beautiful lotus tattoo

Keeping Things Positive

Sorry for the blogging absence. It's been ages since my last blog post. A lot of things happened. I mean, a lot that I really don't know exactly where to start.

Probably, I will have to start by looking back. I've had a really tough year last year. 2013 brought nothing but goodbyes, challenges, heartaches, stress, difficult people, relationships gone sour and the calamities. My emotional strength and patience were tested to the maximum. I'm sure I'm not alone in saying this considering what has happened to the country battered by calamities left and right. I'm not one to really complain because my challenges may be little compared to those who have lost their loved ones, livelihood or worst, lost their lives. I'm just glad that I am still here and that me and my family survived such a tough year. I think in some way, there is still something that we are grateful about the year that was. There are the lessons we learned along the way and the chance we are given to correct our mistakes. 

I promise myself to keep things positive in 2014. I still maintain a list of what to achieve this year and that includes keeping things positive. If there's one thing I also learned in the past year, that would be to PRAY not only because I needed some miracle but also to be grateful of life's little miracles everyday. 

And maybe, I will strive to maintain this BLOG by posting positive thoughts, feelings and experiences. This I can't promise though but I will try. In fact, this post is a start.

I still have a lot of things to say but I will reserve some for the next post.