Shopping in Hong Kong never fails to disappoint. Though my main goal in Hong Kong was to wander around & sight see, shopping has been a common thing when I travel especially for pasalubong hunting.
Visiting a museum was part of our itinerary in Hong Kong since my 9-year-old nephew, Gael was with us. Hong Kong Museum of History was the perfect informative attraction that can be enjoyed by both children and adult. I also wanted to know the history of Hong Kong on how it had become the city it is today.
Discovered this hotel from tripadvisor.com. It's not really my first option but because almost all good & cheap hotels were fully booked, BP International House was the closest hotel that fit most of our requirements.
My Papa's ultimate wish for his 60th birthday was to travel to Hong Kong with the whole family - Papa, Mama, Me, Gin, Kuya and their apo, Gael. So despite all our heavy workloads and exams in school, we made sure to be present on his celebration.
Top: Hong Kong's Skyline, Left: mini double deckers & dragons, Right: Junk
No one can resist the beauty of it! :) To tell you honestly, I'm having a hard time getting rid of my 3-year old Blackberry Storm, it's actually with me pa din. But because it's constantly low bat and recently it suddenly went off for several times unexpectedly, kaya I told myself- IT'S TIME! I'm excited to use this for our Hong Kong trip this week! Eeeeeek!!! :) Happiness!!!
I personally enjoyed dining at the restaurants of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. The ambience was relaxing, conducive and elegantly antique which takes you back to the 19th century era as if eating like an illustrado.
There are 2 main restaurants in Las Casas, one is Cafe Marivent in Casa Unison & the other one is La Bella Teodoro inCasa Binan.
We had our lunch at Cafe Marivent, a two-storey restaurant which serves Filipino dishes.
If a day tour in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is bitin for you and your family or friends, I recommend you to spend at least an overnight stay at one of their hotel rooms or houses. Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is a heritage resort that offers a number of turn-of-the century hotel suites & houses that is distinctly Pinoy during the Spanish era.
Top left: Executive Suite bedroom; Top right: Casa Bizantina chandelier;
Bottom left: Casa Bizantina bathroom; Bottom right: their version of bellboys
I fell in love with Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar the moment my feet stepped on the old fashioned brick floor. The sights were extremely fascinating and the heritage resort was very well planned. So for everybody's convenience I made my own list on what to do in Las Casas.
top: sunset in Las Casas; l: Tres Maria Claras; mid right: batis inspired pool; bottom right: kalesa ride
Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar's main attraction: its twenty seven heritage architectures which came from different parts of the Philippines. These old and decaying architectural treasures that have been carefully transported and painstakingly reconstructed now stands with great pride in beautiful Bataan against the background of mountains, rice fields, river & beach
My Mama was raised in Balanga City, Bataan so ever since, Bataan has always been very close to my heart.I consider it my second hometown- from the moment of my consciousness until now, my family & I go here every vacation for at least once a year. So while browsing thru my blogit's upsetting to realize that I haven't shared any accounts of Bataan considering that this province is the most frequent place I've been to. Luckily I was given a time off from work, so I opted to spend my vacation in my second home. I was really eager to visit Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan.
Happy Halloween 2012! It's been my long time dream to wear a costume on Halloween so I told Mike a few months ago that I want ChaMike to attend a costume party this year. We've been thinking really hard on what to wear and since we got really inspired watching the play The Phantom of the Opera, plus coincidentally bought a mask as souvenir- dressing up as Phantom & Christine would be the perfect ChaMike Costume for Halloween 2012.
If you are a fan of desserts & comfort food, Wicked Kitchen is the place for you.
Wicked Kitchen is a quaint restaurant located at Mother Ignacia just in front of ABS-CBN. Me & my friends go here every time we want to have long talks & good laughs.
Reminiscing the travels from my old passport, I decided to share with you my walking experiences around ASIA :) My first out of the country trip was dated 2008. Together with my mom we walked endlessly in Hong Kong. It's my most memorable experience.
upper left: my first walkalator. lower left: Ocean Park HK. right: Avenue of the Stars
During our ocular in Bukidnon, we also checked out Manolo Fortich's famous landmark & had the luxury of trying out the longest dual course zipline in ASIA at the ZIPZONE DAHILAYAN ADVENTURE PARK.
If you're looking for thrill & pumped up adventure, this dual course zipline is recommended for you. Dahilayan Adventure Park is located in Barangay Dahilayan, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon and is around 1 1/2 - 2 hours travel time from CDO.
Montegelo Farm was where we stayed during our CDO/Bukidnon shoot for MasterChef: Pinoy Edition.
Montegelo Farm or Obrero Place is located in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon which is 40 km from Cagayan de Oro. Travel time is less than an hour from CDO to Montegelo Farm.
I've never been to Cagayan De Oro and Bukindon so you can just imagine my delight when our team - MasterChef team will shoot there for an episode.
Pineapple field in Del Monte Plantation, Manolo Fortich
Bukidnon is a province in Mindanao which is dubbed as The Fruit Basket of the Philippines or The Land of Pineapples. Cagayan de Oro or CDO on the other hand is the provincial capital of the province of Misamis Oriental. It is nicknamed the City of Golden Friendship.
DISCLAIMER: This is my last post for my September 2 Remember month-long birthday celebration special
September 2 Remember Part 6 Zac Efron visited the Philippines last September 29, 2012 for Penshoppe's Fan Conference at SM MOA Arena and of course ChaMike was there to see him :)
I have two major Hollywood crushes. Russell Crowe & Zac Efron! Russell Crowe because of his portrayal in the award winning movie, Gladiator. He's also the reason why I'm a Comm Arts graduate - hoping that one day I can go to Hollywood & work with him - fan girl much :p And Zac Efron because of the teeny bopper High School Musical - I'm a fan of Zanessa love team! :) I find them uber cuuuuute together. So when I heard that Zac is Penshoppe's new endorser, I got so excited & I got even more excited when Penshoppe announced that my crush will visit the Philippines!
SAD. I haven't updated my blog for more than a week already as I have been busy with work. MasterChef: Pinoy Edition will finally air! (I'm not sure if I'm allowed to reveal the date but will do soon) Despite the busy week, I have allotted my very short free time to write about... MY NEW HEADER!!! Huraaaah!!! Same text but different image- a walking/traveling CHAM :) Naks! Kamukha ko diba? I'm so proud that this image was sketched by myMAMA! :)
Requesting for a new passport or passport renewal is as easy as (steps) 1, 2, 3. You can now conveniently get an appointed date, time at any of DFA's two hubs- their main office in Macapagal Boulevard & 7th floor of SM Megamall.
DFA Consular Office in Macapagal
My passport & Mama's will expire on February 2013 and because passports unofficially expire 6 months before their actual expiration, we will not be able to join our family for our Hong Kong trip this November if we're still carrying our old passport so we have to renew it before our scheduled vacation. My first experience of applying a passport was of the year 2008 at DFA's old office where it's disorganized & chaotic so basing on my past experience the new process is better.
I'm a self confessed tamad! Tamad to charge my cellphone, so I always end up with a dead battery whenever I'm outside, it's a hassle especially when I'm traveling. My boyfriend gets really irritated when I run out of battery so he keeps reminding me to charge before leaving the house or office. But because I'm clumsy, I often forget (Oooops) so he had a brilliant idea of giving me a.... TRAVEL CHARGER!!! *Clap! Clap! Clap!*
The Solbrillo Cellphone/Ipad Travel Charger is God's gift to lazy girls like me! Exactly what I need lalo na that my 2-year old cellphone has a very short battery life span - Babe! Next time new cellphone naman! :)
He bought it in V-Mall Greenhills, price is around Php650 (not bad!). Aside from Blackberry cellphones, it can charge iPhones & iPads and even cameras too. Plus it can double as a flashlight! (sosyal!) The charging time is surprisingly fast, it's handy & very light.
So dead cellphone no more! Goody! Thank you Mike for the gift (I just hope I won't forget to charge it naman, hahaha!)
DISCLAIMER: Upcoming posts will be about what Mike calls 'September 2 Remember', my month-long birthday celebration special (pagbigyan nyo na 'ko, Birthday ko naman :p)
September 2 Remember Part 5
The much awaited Love Team is back on the big screen! And Mike and I were fortunate to have gotten a chance to attend the Red Carpet Premiere of the love team's reunion - the most anticipated movie of the year, Star Cinema's THE MISTRESS.
The Mistress is Bea Alonzo & John Lloyd Cruz's 10th anniversary film offering. Released under Star Cinema, the film marks the 10 years of Bea & John Lloyd's love team on film & TV.
The Phantom of the Opera is there inside my mind...
September 2 Remember Part 4
I'm happy that Mike & I shares the same interests when it comes to events/shows, and one of those was watching The Phantom of the Opera live! The moment Mike heard about the good news, he immediately bought tickets, April 18 to be exact just so he can reserve good seats. It's his birthday gift to me, saktong sakto sa run ng musical :)
The Phantom of the Opera is the longest running & broadway's most popular musical show and I'm glad I witnessed it. Huraaaah!!!
DISCLAIMER: Upcoming posts will be about what Mike calls 'September 2 Remember', my month-long birthday celebration special (pagbigyan nyo na 'ko, Birthday ko naman :p) Septemer 2 Remember Part 3 Mike was telling me about this eclectic & homey restaurant in Katipunan that serves all sorts of Chocolate dishes - desserts, drinks & even entrees.
DISCLAIMER: Upcoming posts will be about what Mike calls 'September 2 Remember', my month-long birthday celebration special (pagbigyan nyo na 'ko, Birthday ko naman :p) September 2 Remember Part 1 It was already Saturday (the day before my birthday) but there were no plans yet on how to spend it. I was more than happy about my Phantom of the Opera ticket gift from Mike so a simple celebration would do. Hence, Mike & I decided to just have a pre-bday dinner at Chefs' Quarters, SM MegaMall.
September is my most favorite month because for one it's the start of Christmas season & two it's my birth month! For those of you who don't know, I'm a Virgo & was born on September 2 so I get BER-y excited every September :)
It gets even MORE exciting as this month has a lot of events to offer. So here's a (wish) list of what's in store this awesome month.
updated October 8, 2012
Soooo eggggzoited!!! It's truly a September 2 Remember!
My officemates, Kris & Bhugzey discovered this new Korean Restaurant in Il Terrazzo Tomas Morato. The bright & colorful interior caught their attention so they invited us to have dinner there. When we went inside, the first thing we noticed were the colorful cartoon murals & their per table cooker.
Yoogane (Yoo-ga-ne) is a restaurant originated in Korea in 1981, since then it has over 100 braches across South East Asia. Yoogane Philippines recently opened its first branch in Il Terrazzo last Aug 13, 2012.Yoogane is famous for their Dak Galbi disheswhich means stir-fried marinated chickenin based sauce.
Taiwan is one of the four Asian Tiger or Asian Dragon Countries together with Hong Kong, Singapore & South Korea. Taipei City is the capital, economic and cultural center ofTaiwan. Going to Taipei is like going to Hong Kong minus the Disneyland.
What I really enjoyed doing here was the morning walk with my friends going to the Taiwan Metro. Walking was a pleasurable experience in Taipei because of the cold weather the time we're there. So here's a list of things to do in Taipei with the help of our friend/tour guide, Joycen
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, is a state in East Asia which is formerly based inMainland China until however political liberalization began in 1970s, Taiwan has transformed itself into a democratic country thus it became the Republic of China.
Friendship's Me, Joycen & Chatt
It has been in my to-go-to list ever since my college best buddy worked here. Joycen & her family are one of those Filipino-Chinese communities who are based in Taipei.
So via Cebu Pacific Air's promo ticket, me & Chatt, another college friend decided to spend 3 days in Taipei.
My friend Joycen, who is based in Taiwan recently visited Manila for 1 week. Thinking of a convenient place to meet up (she's from Las Pinas while I'm from Quezon City), we agreed to have a girly bonding date at Resorts World Manila. And because of our hectic schedules the only activity that we were able to do was EAT!
Bantayan Island is one of the pristine beaches in Cebu, it's a small island off the northwest coast where the town is quiet. It was my Kuya's idea to go here for our Cebu family getaway but then backed out because of his workload. So it's Me, Gin & my parents who pushed thru with the plan.
Long weekends doesn't interest me, because for one, holidays usually don't apply to my job and two, plane fares & crowd doubles during holidays.
But it's just last week that my boss allowed us to have a looong weekend (Saturday-Tuesday). Jov, my officemate invited us to go to Cebu & spend the holidays at a private rest house of PBB Double Up second big placer, Paul Jake Castilloin Catmon a town in Cebu.
Eating is a great therapy & Cebu is a perfect place to find good eats that is satisfying & unique. Here are a list of restaurants I tried:
1. Zubuchon
One of the main reasons why I want to go to Cebu is because I want to eat at Zubuchon. Everyone's raving about the best roasted pig in the world which Anthony Bourdain said when he went to the Philippines for his show No Reservations.
Located in the Visayas group of Islands, Cebu is one of the most developed provinces in the Philippines. It is also the home of Philippines' first hero, Lapu-Lapu of Mactan. Rich in historical & cultural background thus Cebu is a top tourist destination in the Philippines.
Ever since the discovery of the growing hype of Butandings (local name for whale shark) in Oslob, my curiosity & eagerness of seeing the gentle giants grows as well.
Thank God for long weekends! :) Since the Butandings were always in Oslob (not unlike in Donsol where the Butandings go there during a certain season) my officemates & I decided to go & swim with the whalesharks :)
1. Visit Historical Sites a. Magellan's Cross Christian cross planted by Portugese explorer & Philippine discoverer, Ferdinand Magellan upon arriving in Cebu on April 1521 after baptizing 800 natives led by Rajah Humabon and Queen Juana located along Magellan's street, Cebu City.
I've known about Cookbook Kitchen 6 years ago, from my former work as a PM in Ideal Minds Corporation - an independent TV production company. My show showcases different restaurants in the Metro. Cookbook Kitchen is one of my fave from all of our featured restaurants.
My boyfriend Mike is a hardcore Miami Heat fan, he even blocks off schedules & constantly reminding me not to plan anything during the NBA season. So when NBA Philippines brought Coach Erik Spoelstra of Miami Heat to the Philippines for a series of mall shows, Mike grabbed the chance to meet him personally. He joined a twitter contest and just like that, he won!
Mike has been mentioning Uno Restaurant for a year now which is near ABS-CBN where we work, but it is just recently that we paid it a visit. Mike was saving it daw for a special occasion, our #ChaMikesary :)
The last time I joined a fun run was 2 years ago- Run for the Pasig River but because of the jam-packed crowd it turned out to be an alay lakadwith my good boss Ms. Maru.
Sala Restaurant is a fine dining restaurant located at Locsin Bldg along Makati Ave. Unlike Aubergine, I've never heard of Sala Restaurant not until our anniversary date where Mike surprised me to dine here. It is a special night for a special day so this is a perfect place to celebrate according to Mike.
And for the 2nd time, I brought my camera but forgot the memory card! (WTH is wrong with me?)
