Mid-Year Summer at Boracay

So allow me to start my blogging spree with a super super late video upload of our trip to Boracay last year August. :D I just looove how good vibes was all over the video, not to mention that I really love the song! Passion Pit's Carried Away!  :) :)

Its more Adventurous in Boracay | Travel with great buddies | Natures Best from Pheltheray Segismar Mayol on Vimeo.

We took advantage of the long weekend towards the end of August to hit a happy vacation to Antique to visit my lola from my fathers side and went straight to Bora with cousins from Cebu (Will post a separate one for the Antique trip :P).

Hi pogi! This was taken at the airport

Now this is the year where I didn't have a job and I was merely living off my DOST stipend. So I had to save up by taking freelance writing jobs a couple of months prior the trip. Needless to say we definitely were on a budget! I listed down how much we spent during the Boracay trip just so some of you guys would get an idea if you haven't been there and you're planning to visit. 

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Potipot Zambales

This will have to be one of the best summer outings we've had to date. We're composed of 4 vans, and almost 50 people, all from the process engineering department. They're technically my second family, as my first 5 years as a professional really evolved with these people. In spite of my resignation a couple of months ago, these people remain close to my heart.  There's been a lot of new engineers, but what's really cool is how a lot of engineers brought their families and special someone's to this outing. It's not everyday that you can organize a whole department trip to Potipot, Zambales anyway! Hat's off to Sir Francis for that!

It was a full day of chatting, catching up, swimming, and simply exploring the island. The beach was a bit rocky, but what made Potipot special was the fact that you're swimming in a sea surrounded by the mountainous terrains of Zambales. We spent the whole afternoon bathing ourselves in the sun (and sun block lol) while of course, cam whoring. I loved seeing the new engineers really bonding and having a good time with the Korean bosses who actively participated in the games with us.  

And then something special  happened :) We'll share that with you on the our next blog, for the meantime, this video really did a great job in showing the beauty of Potipot island, so enough of the talk! Hit the play button!! :D

2014 Amkor PE Summer Escapade | Potipot Island, Zambales from Pheltheray Segismar Mayol on Vimeo.

Level up ang Mayolcreations! hehe! Everything was taken using our friend Papa Leo's GoPro3+ Black :D :D

The Caleruega Church Enchantment - Nasugbu Batangas

The Caleruega Church is one of the more popular tourist destinations in Batangas because of its famed church and  nature park. Both being nature lovers, we definitely had to pay this one a visit. I frankly didn't have very high expectations but what I found was so beautiful and enchanting that I couldn't help but smile. No wonder its always among the top lists of churches to get married in!

It's pretty near Tagaytay, just a 40 minute bus ride from Rotonda. We rode the Nasugbu bus and dropped at Evercrest, Batulao. From there, there are already tricycles that will take you to Caleruega for php40. The tricycle driver's cellphone number is written inside you could text them to pick you up when you're ready to leave. This will cost you php50 on the trip back, well at least you get an additional textmate hehe!

The Transfiguration Chapel is not really as big as photos make it look like but  it makes it precisely more intimate and solemn. 

The stairs leading up to the church make for a perfect wedding procession (click photos for a better view)

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La Virginia Resort - A Summerrific Treat

Here comes the sun dudumdudum... (that beloved Beatle's song)

And that means it's time for some water lovin'! You're probably now scouring the internet for summer outing ideas for the family or your officemates. We got to visit La Virginia at Batangas and we'll tell you why it's like the 'SM' of resorts.

The La Virginia resort is an 8 hectare - yes 8 hectares it's damn huge - sprawling complex comprised of various theme parks each having a pool of it's own, 15 themed accomodations for all budget ranges, fun activities for the whole family, and a breath taking view as it is nestled on top of a large mountain facing the Taal Lake. And it's only 2 hours from Manila!

PS: Do click the photos below for a better look :)

It's so huge I don't even know where to start. But you know you're in for a treat when you get a view like this:

And a breakfast like this:

This is the liiiife!

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Why The Guadalupe Bridge Is Pretty Memorable To Me

For the past two years, I would make a mad rush over at the Guadalupe bridge, every 6:30 am to catch our bus shuttle going to the office. It was a love-hate relationship. Some mornings I stroll by it with much gusto. I love the feel of the morning sun in my skin, and somehow, I still get to catch that refreshing chill in the air before it disappears in the EDSA smog. These are the "thank-God-its-a-good-day"-kind of days.

super love the morning sun

 Other times though, like when I wake up 10 minutes late, I'd be running  like my life depended on it and I'd be cursing the damn bridge because it was way too long and the shuttle can't stop in the middle to pick me up. Believe me, nothing could ruin a morning better than being left by the office shuttle. Especially when you were so close.

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MemoryLane Tagaytay - The Real Throwback

Memorylane is a themed restaurant in Tagaytay that takes you back to the 50's and 60's the moment you step on the lawn. It's a big and cozy house that's a gift shop, a massage salon, and a restaurant inside. They're much famed for their big breakfasts, Baby Back Ribs, Sinigang na Lechon, and Bulalo. 

We were super super excited to have a taste of their breakfast however we got there past 11am, and they were apparently very strict that no breakfast meals should be served beyond the 9-11 am schedule and so no matter the pleading (and pa-cute and pa-beautiful-eyes lol) we still got heartbroken huhu. Lesson to future visitors!

The lunch didn't disappoint though. The sinigang was our common favorite!

Great place for reunions! I missed the gang!

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The Mind Museum - Candy for the Brain!

Do you remember the time when science was exciting? It meant digging deep into nature and trying to figure out her secrets. One of the earliest memories I had of science was of my gradeschool teacher explaining to us what a "hypothesis" meant, and how the whole life of a scientist evolves around testing a hypothesis for truth and untruth.

Science started out really fun, but sometime in highschool it transformed into a total pain, i personally had a lot of trouble with Biology. Hehe! It's a sad thing, especially if we want a pool of students to reinforce our growing pool of R & D. Good news is, the Ayala group has found a way to bring the fun back to Science. Say hello to the Mind Museum!

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Flowers For Love

A woman is like a flower. She is fragile, she is delicate, and she is beautiful. One doesn't need to look very far to appreciate the wonder of her.

 

Gumamela's can be found in almost every community.

In spite of it, a woman is strong, she does not yield too easily when she knows she is right. As meek as she is, she knows when to stand her ground. She might be too common and risks being taken for granted, but she will not be belittled because the moment you do you will be in for a surprise.

In spite of typhoons and strong winds, flowers just shed off their petals and continue to live on resiliently

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A Quick Rediscovery at the Heart of Manila

The past few weeks allowed me to enjoy places in Manila that I seldom ever really set foot on, basically the route of LRT1, which travels along Recto, Carriedo, Espana, Vito Cruz, et cetera. Last year I was in Binondo and Divisoria but didn't get to explore much. The most memories I have there are only during times when we "pass by" the streets on the way to Luneta, or during the time when we went over to Vito Cruz/ La Salle area for our grad pictures and watch UAAP games in Rizal Memorial stadium. I'm a south-kid you see, and my world in the north is only composed of Diliman and Katipunan. Hahah.

Last week we were in Sta. Cruz for the pre-nuptial photoshoot of our dear friends Maybel and LLoydie. Aren't they simply adorable? :D :D Suuuper happy for you guys and I'm excited to wear the bright yellow sunny gown!

This weekend, me and Papa Ray found ourselves strolling the streets of Hidalgo, Recto, and Carriedo, looking for members to our new "family of gadgets". Heehee (lemme end it at that for now *wink*). Ray has been here for several times already, and I'm the wide eyed first timer. Trololo. 

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Engineering Summer 2013 - Nasugbu Batangas

After months of pooling funds, we had our summer outing over at Muntingbuhangin Resort, in Nasugbu Batangas, last April 27 (I know it's been a month, sorry for the late post heheh). :D :D It's our first overnight summer outing and it was suuuuuper fun, with unexpected visitors and twists, and just pure fun and bonding between colleagues and friends. :D

We liked the prompt service of the Resort as all of our needs for the games, plus the free breakfast and lunch (depending on the package availed), all came on time. There were attendants all over the resort ready to cater to our needs. The facilities were pretty neat too. It really caters to group and company outings and teambuildings. It was a pretty long ride going there but it's worth it :)

It was a welcome break from the office, no verifications, no line dispos, no issues. The big bosses came and there were no follow ups. Yey! Hahaha!

Here are some of the photo snippets from the outing :D Most photos by Mayolcreations (unless otherwise noted), he's getting better at this I swear. :D *wink*

We were blessed with an amazing weather

Sail together, yes? :)

Jamming!

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The Bantayan Love Affair

It started on the Ro-ro boat, then fluorished on the pier, then blossomed into a love affair when we got into the beach. Bantayan Island was a wonderful and refreshing sight the moment we laid our eyes on those shores:

Breathtaking!

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Cebu Here We Come!! \m/

So that's SUPPOSEDLY the title of this post. BUT by the time i post this we'd already be in Cebu. Becaaaause we almost got left by the plane. And our names were already called for last boarding by Cebu Pacific. Wahaha! Nagenjoy kami masyado sa aming Jollibee dinner. It appears that the flight was pulled in a couple of minutes ahead of time. Yes you read it right, AHEAD OF TIME, which is totally new for Cebu Pacific. Hehe. There was alot of waiting time at the runway though, because of the number of flights.

Anyway, yiiiihaa! Hello summer vacation! First off i'd like to rave at the fact that this is the first time that I was able to really prepare for a flight. For the past few years most of my packing has been done in a mad rush with me sticking to my bahala-na-si-batman ways. Mostly because our trips also coincide with hectic seasons at the office. However, being with an OC boyfriend does have its perks, and this time we already had a full checklist and we've also scheduled our pasalubong-shopping ahead of time.

I'm also blessed to have had a day off prior the flight, since i've been working overtime during the past couple of days (including Sunday) so i got worried that i may not have enough time to pack. There's a hell lot of difference when you pack with a relaxed mind, i got to remember most of the important things to bring plus some add-ons, i also got to plan how i'd stuff them all inside the suitcase. I was so proud of myself when my mama kept asking if i've brought this and that and this and that and all my answers were "yes nanay!". If you knew me and how forgetful i am, you'd know that it's a really big deal. Heheh!





What we're most excited about? BANTAYAN ISLANDS. Yeahmen! I'm looking forward to bonding with my cousins again and also with papa ray's relatives. Most of all, a break from all the stress and toxicity of the workplace. We're not forgetting the essence of Holy week though, as Cebuanos are some of the most devout Catholics in the country.

I'm just really thankful for breaks like this. No matter your plans, spend it wisely! Before we know it we'd be back in the real world. :p So how do you plan to spend yours?


Happy Vacation everyone!
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Midsummer Night's Dream by Ballet Philippines : A Delicious Taste of Ballet

(This is the first post in a series of valentine dates that me and ray had. :) Not only did we have one, nor two dates, but we had FOUR. hahah amf! There's was a pre-valentine-simplejoys date, a valentine-working-date, a post-valentine-ballet-date, and a super date!)

For my valentines gift, I've been thinking of something new to give Ray, a new experience that we've never done before. I remembered our bucket list including a wish of watching a stage play together. Incidentally I dropped by my Ensogo notifications and voila! "A Midsummer Nights' Dream" vouchers were available for an incredible discount!

Official poster to A Midsummer Night's Dream

So I proceeded to buy for the two of us, then made a really nice envelop to hold it with. I handed it to him during our ice-cream-valentines-working date last Feb 14 and we were all set to go.

Tickets in exchange for the voucher :)

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Jamming with the all new Jam Liner Buses

New Year, new beginnings. Everyone's busy travelling to and from their respective destinations for work, play, or just because. While people work on building the best start of the year, others are busying themselves in improving the kind of transpo services that we get to make sure we get there quick, safe, and convenient.

Being regular commuters, we know how important it is for people to have access to affordable, safe, and leisurely commuting experience. With the fast paced life that has taken over everyone in recent years, sometimes the only rest we get is that bus ride we take on the way home, to work, or to wherever our schedule takes us. Sometimes that 1 hour nap or muscle rest you get can make a huge difference to the rest of your day. Because of this, commuters are now taking into consideration the key facilities of the transport services that they subscribe to. Jam Liner, seems to have picked up and responded to the challenge with a grand makeover, so we came over to check it out.

The Terminal

The Buendia terminal is strategically located right below the Gil Puyat station of the LRT. I think the location in itself is a real plus because you’d want everything to just be within reach.

The Terminal (click for larger photos)

We were greeted with an airport-like lobby where passengers waited for their trip. It’s a fully air-conditioned waiting lounge, complete with clean chairs, flat screen televisions, and a restroom. There’s even a convenience store where you can stock up on pika-pika and other necessities while on the trip. Just like an actual airport, the seats are arranged in front of certain “gates” corresponding to the different routes that the Buendia Terminal caters to: Calabarzon, Luena, Cabuyao, Balibago, Batangas, and Lemery. Really cool, they're probably one of the first bus companies to adopt this type of setup.

The terminal (click for larger photo)

AND excuse me, the whole terminal is powered with WI-FI. And the wi-fi ACTUALLY WORKS. Hahah. Sosyal mehn!

              

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The Ocean Adventure Experience :-)

For the past "n" years, me and my parents have always celebrated christmas just resting in our house and just waiting for the inaanaks to pickup their goodies. However, my mother was blessed with a brand new company car just in time for Christmas. So for a change, me and my parents celebrated christmas out of town and in the bustling town of subic to visit Ocean Adventure and to serve as a brake in of the new car. :)

First off, my parents marvelled at the beauty of the SCTEX (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway). It's one extremely long expressway stretching from along Star toll to Subic and Pampanga. The best thing about it would have to be the mountain's that were parted right in the middle to allow the vehicle to pass through instead of having to climb it. It was a beautiful sight though i couldn't help but wonder how the hell they did it, and how much damage it could have brought. On one hand, maybe this is better because it allowed the remainder of the mountain to be left untouched.

I didn't really have alot of expectations with Ocean Adventure because i thought it was just a simple theme park with a couple of fishies swimming around haha. Well it is a theme park, yes, but of a topnotch class i have to say.

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Livin Laiya Loca

So how often to Front of Line Process Engineers go on outings?

WE DON’T!! SOS! Hahaha.

I guess it's because there just weren't enough people who were willing to push it through and organize for real. But all work and no play makes the Juan a dumb engineer at (PE) bay!

But not anymoooore! :)

Courtesy of FLINS, we have finally organized a summer outing!

If before all our plans were just writings on water, we have now FINALLY swam that water hahaha!

We had our outing at Virgin Beach Resort at Laiya Batangas, last September 29. What we loved is that we almost had the beach to ourselves. Steeg! The resort wasn't really out of the ordinary but what made it really fun was the how everyone was able to relax, and have a good time.

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A Cab To BenCab

The highlight of our Baguio trip is fulfilling my 2 year-old dream of seeing the Bencab Museum. This is the Museum set up by National Artist Ben Cabreras in the mountains along Asin Road, Baguio. We took a 15minute taxi ride (main mode of transpo, all taxi drivers give the exact change! lol) and weeehew hello Bencab Museum! :D :D

AMAZING IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. I felt like I was in a playground hahah. It's a simple three-story building, all painted in white, and with different rooms each having a different name: Erotica Gallery, Contemporary Gallery, Philippine Contemporary Art, Print, Patio Salvador, and the Bencab Gallery.

Daylight filled almost all corners of the place and made me feel like it tries to be one with the nature that it surrounds itself with. The white walls and simple cubic rooms provided the right backdrop to the different kinds of exhibits that the museum housed. The structure in itself is refreshing and awe-inspiring at the same time.

My favorite part of the museum is the Bulol Installation (see above). It's a whole wall filled with wooden images of people in a sitting position. Those are the Bulol's- gods of our Ilocano forefathers. Carved out from age old wood, these images are known to watch over crops and ensure abundant harvest and protection against natural calamities.

"Handcarved from hardwood abundant in the region, these primitive sculptures emphasize the male and female genitalia, representing fertility and abundance…"

 I kind of felt starstruck. This is actually an altar for the ancient gods, and couldn't stop myself from paying homage.

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Up...Up… and Away! :D The Baguio Getaway ;)

One year! How fast time flies! Wasn't it just yesterday when he asked me out for dinner after how many palipad-hangin-patay-malisya months? :D

"Time flies when you're having fun"

To mark the first of many years to come, we decided to spend a whole weekend on the land of Pines: Baguio City.

"Baguio City was established by Americans in 1900 at the site of an Ibaloi village known as Kafagway. The name of the city is derived from the word bagiw in Ibaloi, the indigenous language of the Benguet Region, meaning 'moss'. The city is at an altitude of approximately 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) in the Luzon tropical pine forests ecoregion condusive to the growth of mossy plants and orchids."

- Wikipedia

I was a giddy kid as the Victory Liner Bus (1st time on Deluxe!) rode off to the north. (I tried the CR in the bus and I went out almost nauseated hahah.)

True enough, you knew you were already in Baguio when leaves of the trees changed from rounded corners to spiky thin greenies. It's been almost 10years since I last came to Baguio but I don’t think I was able to appreciate it the way I did last weekend. I really got to experience and get a feel of the place. Iba padin pag commuter ka! :p

The roads. Maygad. It's like a Rollercoaster City. Sharp curves everywhere, and their highways are more like high-WAVES. Pataas pailalim ang mga kalsada! And their jeepneys weave in and out of the streets without even breaking a sweat. I think they've got more powerful engines there than they do in Manila. Kung makapag-backing wagas!

 So I guess this could justify why on the first night I was DEAD.TIRED. My feet almost died. We walked around SM Baguio and strolled along the Session Road. Downtown Baguio is very much like Manila except that it's cooler. Literally and figuratively :p

They've got affordable dining lined up at the Session Road. We ate at Steaks Toppings, where you had a hefty serving of steak and great ambiance for less than Php150 a meal.

"Seryoso ka paglalakadin mo ulit ako dyan???" Medyo tawa-busangot mode nako nung hinihila ako ni Papa Ray. Hahah! He practically succeeded in luring my attention somewhere else to forget my tantrums (he's getting better at this actually lol) and managed to drag me back, climbing to SM. We had coffee and just took in the chilly Baguio air. It was some silent time discussing random matters (including our budget lol!) and I think, this is the part of the trip where we just breathed and really realized that, "hey sweetie, we're actually in Baguio! " :p

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