very merry christmas everyone!!!

O holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in.
Be born in us today.
Amen.

*******

I will honor Christmas in my heart,
and try to keep it all the year

Charles Dickens

2011 Philippine Holidays

Through Proclamation 84, the Philippine government proclaimed the following dates as regular and special non-working holidays in the country for 2011:


A. Regular Holidays

• New Year’s Day – January 1 (Saturday)
• Araw ng Kagitingan – April 9 (Saturday)
• Maundy Thursday – April 21
• Good Friday – April 22
• Labor Day – May 1 (Sunday)
• Independence Day – June 12 (Sunday)
• National Heroes Day – August 29 (Last Monday of August)
• Bonifacio Day – November 30 (Wednesday)
• Christmas Day – December 25 (Sunday)
• Rizal Day – December 30 (Friday)

B. Special (Non-Working) Days

• Ninoy Aquino Day – August 21 (Sunday)
• All Saints Day – November 1 (Tuesday)
• Last Day of the Year – December 31 (Saturday)

C. Special Holiday (for all schools)

• EDSA Revolution Anniversary – February 25 (Friday)

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can't seem to find any long weekend... :-( fewer trips for me for 2011.... :-(

awesome symphony of lights @ Ayala Triangle!

met up with astrosoc friends on my first day in Manila... we were supposed to watch a play but cancelled it because i was late... :D hehe i underestimated my travel time... i was telling them how much i wanted to see christmas lights in the Metro, i'm not feeling christmas in Zamboanga because of the lack of it.... and so they decided to show me the "City Lights"! hehe

We went to Ayala Triangle... Sigrid was raving about the lights in Ayala, Kuya Kin just simply wants to take photos there... on our way, what i had in mind is the usual Ayala lights galore every December... I didn't know Ayala Triangle was developed into a BoniHigh-like park... (sheesh i was gone that long from Manila already...) They opened the park just this November19... it's a nice place to jog after work for Ayala-based workers hehe.... big place, big rounds, well-lighted, and lotsa restos to binge after the jog hehehe :D



Zambo Resto Review: Early Birds (Shawarma)

i'm a huge shawarma fan... i remember my sunday groceries back in Manila... i would usually end up not just carrying my grocery bag but also that irresistable Baba Shawarma back home. :-)

Zambo Resto Review: Bergeroni Pizza & Pasta House

it's nice to know that lately Zamboanga City had been experiencing sprouting of nice restos... eversince I got back here last year i've been on a hunt for a perfect foodie place... but so far there's only 4 that i'm very willing to go back to, mainly because of the ambiance... food-wise, still needs a lot of improvement...:D at this point, i'm still in the level where i would prefer to just go home and cook... hehe but still, i have my hopes up that Zamboanga City can be a foodie haven too! :-)

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Bergeroni Pizza and Pasta House opened I think October this year... Location is where CoffeeMyx used to be (Midtown Plaza Mall, where you'll find the first KFC branch in Zambo). I was excited to try it after finding out that another possible tambayan/meeting place is going to open in that location. So we agreed to have our Alumni Homecoming meeting there this week....

Colonia Penal de San Ramon - oldest prison

woke up one day and found myself in San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm... hehe just kidding... we went there to check on some items for our Christmas party and office decor this year....

growing up in Zamboanga City, the San Ramon Penal colony was actually an obscure fact for me, and I suppose for many residents of the City.... i think the first time I heard about it was when I was in highschool...but it was an info that don't matter in one's everyday so it just past me.... but now, i found out more interesting facts about this unnoticed place in Zamboanga... (i would usually google about something that i'll be blogging so i can add some bits of info, but this one was also a surprise for me...)

old Zambo building restoration

this is an old building that is just across Zamboanga City Hall... i was initially horrified when I saw that its roofs were gone.... i thought it was being demolished.... but then realized that it would probably be impossible for the local government to tear it down considering it's one of the few old buildings left here and it's just neighbor with the city's main home....

then i got a confirmation that it is indeed being renovated! yey to that!!! :-) hope other remaining old structures in the city will be given attention for preservation too!




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16 November 2010

in transit to basilan

it's a bit sad that this area is perceived dangerous... although at times it may be... i for one wasn't able to do this trip all my life except early this year... and i'm just happy i'm able to have my 2nd time this year too!

this side of the world is blessed with awesome sunsets everyday (well except when weather's not good which is quite rare down here).... it's more awesome to actually watch it while in the middle of the ocean... :-) we left Zamboanga City at past 4pm, and the RORO trip would usually take 1.5-2hours to Isabela City, Basilan... just perfect timing for us to catch the sunset while on the ship... 

hammie ginto!

my not so new baby! :-)

Mindanao Bloggers Zambo tour

Day after the 4th Mindanao Bloggers Summit, the organizers included a mini tour around the city specially for the participants from other parts of Mindanao.... say free tour and promding chamimay will definitely be there.... hehe ;D

First stop: Yakan Weaving Village. It was also my first time there, although it is just right outside the La Vista del Mar beach which is quite near the city's main town... i will definitely include this in the itinerary im preparing for my visitors here next year! :-) They sell yakan-weaved items...

meet mr.Owl

i've lost my bike pendant while taking photos in Tumaga Footbridge last month.... I thought i've also lost my necklace fettish along with it.... but i found myself on a hunt again for a pretty necklace... it's difficult to do that here in Zamboanga since we have really few options.... but i'm ecstatic to find Mr.Owl!!!

my thoughts on the 4th Mindanao Bloggers Summit

first heard about Mindanao Bloggers Summit last year from my friend Grace... i cant remember how our conversation started but her mentioning of the bloggers summit she attended in CDO got me intrigued... and all the more giddy when she told me it'll be in Zamboanga this year. :-)

i just started to blog last year.... and this is my first time to go to a blogger's event... i did't know what to expect.... i went there not knowing what exactly i want to get out of it.... once i got there i realized it will be a whole day worth of talk... i was worried i will get bored, thinking i should have brought my laptop with me... but to my surprise i loved every bit of the summit.... the speakers were great, i like what they talked about and how although they went there independently but each of their message complements each other... and i didn't even think of getting a cup of coffee just to keep me up the whole time.... i was hooked from start to finish! :-)

class picture!!! Mindanao Bloggers Summit 2010

ukay zamboanga!

i used to be not an ukay fan... mainly because i don't have the patience to shop & dig! even in malls, when i buy clothes i only get attracted to those on display... it takes a while for me to get attracted to pieces just part of the many on the racks...but when Cherry, my highschool friend & housemate back in Makati, helped me find good pieces in ukay i began to get hooked.... last July, i made sure il go to an ukay shop in Manila. I had dianne and ezra to help me pick... hehehe i got good ones but each costs Php150... i was already happy about it but they told me it's expensive already.... another ukay attempt fail... hehehe

since Manila ukay is way too far from where I am now, I've decided to check Zambo's ukay  world... I know there's a lot of stalls in Sta Cruz Market...it had been there for as long as I can remember, my mom usually takes us there when we were kids... she buys some good pieces for us... that's probably the reason why I eventually repel against ukay, hehe I wanted to have NEW clothes (arte!)... but now, I find my ukay buys prettier than some of my clothes bought brand new and expensive....

Just as expected, ukay stalls still flourished in Sta Cruz market.... in fairness they also have really pretty dresses... but we went there on a Sunday, which is not a good day for ukay, I was told... nice dresses are priced Php150-Php200... so we head to what is now overthrowing Sta Cruz market's ukay.... we checked out Magay....  I had been warned that's it's too difficult there, space is too cramped, and since it's inside the city's public market odor is really unbearable.... good thing I had colds that time... I didn't have to worry about the smell. :D but my goodness! look at the prices..... skirts are sold for Php25, and blouses are just Php15!!! (no dresses! urgh!)... you just need to be a good hunter then....

lobo

i'm sure almost all of us had gone through a stage where we begged our parents to buy us a balloon when we saw a manong with all those colorful floaters.... :-)

but when did these shaped and printed balloons replaced those good old round ones in parks? i cant remember.... just woke up one day to see these everywhere and the simple round ones are just being used in parties and motorcades, no more park life for them...

honestly, i prefer the round balloons.... i find them happier to look at and less complicated hehe

all saint's day zamboanga city 2010

our family usually spends the whole day in a cemetery during all saint's day... for several years it's always in Forest Lake in Tumaga, Zamboanga City.

I WON!!! charmietambaphotography.blogspot.com is Best Photoblog!!!

***my other blog won: charmietambaphotography.blogspot.com, not this one... hehehe i think i've confused some of my friends... :D


weeeee!!! look what i got.... a Philippine Blog Awards (Mindanao division) jeepney!!! :-)

1st Ciudad Medical Zamboanga Fun Run!

all i ever wished for is to have fun runs in zamboanga...

when runs and marathons became so common in Manila after I left I really envied my friends who were able to join.... i've heard of around 3-4 runs organized in zamboanga city this year, and i was only able to join one, Rotary's Stop TB Run... then planning came for CMZ's 7th anniversary celebration, i was really ecstatic when it was agreed that we will organize our own fun run!!! :-)

i'll be @ the 4th Mindanao Bloggers Summit this weekend!!!

my first time to go to a bloggers event... :-) am excited to see the faces of the bloggers i stalk... hehe

jog mode on!!!

finally!!! after many attempts... we were able to push our pretty asses to start jogging! we went to good ol' zamboanga grandstand...

i am here

i am here... NOW.

i may have been in denial that i had gone through some withdrawal syndrome after abruptly changing my life last year... but right now I can happily say that i am moving out of it... :-) 

Sto Nino Shrine (Tacloban) Part 3: Common Areas

My Sto Nino Shrine posts are a product of a combined effort by me and my Tacloban trip buddy Ezra. She was the one taking photos, and I was assigned to take down notes during the Shrine tour. :-)
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you've seen the guest rooms and the Marcos family rooms... here's the rest of the Sto Nino Shrine. :-) The common areas, grand ballroom, dining areas are scene stealers too!

Here's one of my fave items inside... a big version of this oval-shaped mirror... you'll actually see smaller versions of this inside the guest rooms.... These mirrors were all shipped from Austria... this big one is in the Antique receiving area. A small holding area from the Chapel to the back...

Sto Nino Shrine (Tacloban) Part 2: Marcos family rooms

My Sto Nino Shrine posts are a product of a combined effort by me and my Tacloban trip buddy Ezra. She was the one taking photos, and I was assigned to take down notes during the Shrine tour. :-)

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as if the lavishly designed guest rooms were not enough, our eyes were treated with more extravagant rooms of the Marcos family at the 2nd floor. I didn't expect that the Shrine was actually like a place to stay for them while in Tacloban....

Each of them have their own room... and yes by that I mean each of them, Marcos and Imelda having their own rooms even!


First room we went into - the President's room... first thing you'll notice is the mini office on the right side of the receiving area.... a sitting place is set on the left side... Marcos' bed is on the other end.

Sto Nino Shrine (Tacloban) Part 1: the Chapel & Guest Rooms

My Sto Nino Shrine posts are a product of a combined effort by me and my Tacloban trip buddy Ezra. She was the one taking photos, and I was assigned to take down notes during the Shrine tour. :-)

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while preparing our itinerary for the Tacloban trip i have seen photos of visitors in the Sto Nino Shrine showing it's facade only... 2 bloggers mentioned about the Shrine and that they opted not to go inside,either because of lack of time or the entrance fee is unreasonable.... we went there not having any idea what's inside...thinking, probably its just some religious stuff.... 

We hesitated to enter at first after finding out that the entrance fee is Php200 for a minimum of 5.... It took us a walk around the building and a tour at Kyle's before we decided to check out the Shrine.

 

VIVA Nuestra Senora La Virgen del Pilar (2010)

Fiesta Pilar happened so quickly this year... we didn't get to go to other activities lined up by the City Gov't since 1st of October, but I cant afford to miss the procession on the feast day....

The procession seems shorter this time, and with lesser people compared to last year... we were already at the Fort Pilar shrine before 5pm.

And while editing pix for this post...I just realized we ended up almost on the same spot where we stayed last year to hear mass... but this time we were able to go inside. ;-) Familiar angle... hehehe here's an almost similar photo from last year: 2009. I love the color of the drapes this time... not the typical blue and white associated with the Lady of the Pillar. :-) 

choices...

im going to dwell on a cliche....

vintage trinkets galore in Kyle's! (Tacloban City)

this is definitely one of the reasons why i love travelling... because when i do, i would usually turn the net upside down to find what's not to be missed in whereever im going... the most "off the beaten path" as possible the better... :-) and far far better is stumbling on something so interesting that's not even on your list.... :D

one of our target places to cover is the Sto Nino Shrine (which is actually now a museum)... we held back when we saw the rates to go inside... although i've read somewhere already that it is not advisable to go in if there's just 1-2 of you... price is Php200 for the first 5, so even if it's just me & ezra, we still need to pay that much... that's Php100 each!!! kinda not ok for a backpacking trip... hehehe

so we just camwhored on the sides of the building a bit and checked out what's behind the shrine... and then we noticed a bamboo-fenced estate at the back... the gates says "Kyle's"... we peeked and saw a really big pool with dirty water.... we sneaked in... it was really nice inside! when we met one of their guys there we asked if we can go around and take photos... he gave his yes! so we had a feast at all the things we saw!!!

Tacloban Resto Review: Dream Cafe

3rd stop of our Tacloban foodie adventure....

We initially planned to have our breakfast on our first day in Sunzibar... we left our hotel quite late than originally planned (almost 9am) and it took us more than 30min just to locate Sunzibar only to find out it's still closed and opens 10.30am.... We ended starving and a bit lost on where to have breakfast... i ended up asking where Guisuppe's is, im pretty sure anyone from Tac would be able to lead us there... :-) It also opens around 11am... the nearest options that we have is Chowking and Dream Cafe... eating in Chowking would be a BIG NO for this trip... hehehe we have limited time and tummy space to just end up with a generic resto... hehehe... so Dream Cafe it is then....

Tacloban Resto Review: Jose Karlos Cafe! (proudly pinoy!)

2nd stop of our foodie adventure in Tacloban! :-)

I didn't expect Jose Karlos would end up as one of our favorite place in Tacloban... I almost scrapped it out of our list because after having a quick run through of the materials we got from the net on what we can find in Tacloban, Jose Karlos didn't stick with me... probably because they don't have free Wifi... hehe im bias like that.. :D

good thing turn of events that night ended with us settling at Jose Karlos... and then we were just filled with our "wow's" and our "aaahh's".... the place is really nice... very homey... nice for just hanging out and having chitchats with friends.... it's as comfy as Starbucks or other known cafes (well except for the wifi hehe).... i love the trinkets and art on display all over the place...

Tacloban Resto Review: Calle Z! (Zaragossa)

First stop of our Tacloban Foodie Adventure! :-)

Calle Zaragosa Cafe or better known to locals as Calle Z is one of the best local hangout place in Tacloban. It is a cafe-restobar. They are known for their bulalo, but we failed to try it (huhu)... we were too overwhelmed with the choices and we were too hungry to check our list of what's not to miss in Calle Z hehe. The owner Gerry Ruiz is a respected photographer and Tacloban Blogger (blogging at gerryruiz.wordpress.com).

The place reminds me of our fave indie bar in Makati - Saguijo! :-) Major difference is the live bands which is a major constant for Saguijo. But the feel, the vibe, the crowd... feels so much like Saguijo... :-)

Calle Z had been a hangout place for Tacloban since 2002! I am sooo loving the foodie world in Tacloban, there are a handful of loved restos that had been there for years! They can really support restos there, just as long as they're good. hehe

sense of self

Hotel Alejandro, Tacloban City!

This is Tacloban's surprise #1. :-) I did not bother making any hotel reservations before the trip because i was confident that we would be able to find a decent place to stay on the spot... I made a list of possible hotels to consider. I've scrapped out Leyte Park Hotel because it's just simply too expensive for a backpacking trip... I have 3 hotels on my list based on the reviews and rates i saw online: Hotel Alejandro, Asia Stars and Hotel D'Angelo. Initially, Asia Stars was on top of my list because of the good reviews and somewhat cheap rate... But while we were on the jeepney from the airport I asked the driver which hotel he would recommend... and without a blink he said Hotel Alejandro... but my list says Hotel Alejandro is expensive!!! but nevertheless, we asked him to take us there...

and look at what we saw!!! the facade simply awed us... Hotel Alejandro had us at hello... hehehe

Hotel Alejandro looked so inviting from the outside... :-) the photos on the net does not give justice to the place..hehehe I love how it looked historical... somehow blending with the notion of a historical trip if you're heading to Leyte...

i'm officially in love with Tacloban!

beyond McArthur and San Juanico bridge... I am surprised I enjoyed our quick trip to Tacloban! :-) i've been worried it would end up like another typical tour so until the last minute iv been scourging the net for anything interesting about the place... i was even suggesting to Ezra that we should try going out of Tacloban and probably try Ormoc or go to Samar and we might probably find something more interesting there... :-)


it turned out we didn't even have enough time to go to everything in our Tacloban must see, must eat list... :-) hehe

Pagbabago

There's 2 major change in my life that happened in the past 3years.... both really changed the direction of my monotonous life... :-)

lost 40lbs in 3months!

i didn't expect i could lose so much fat so quickly... the weight loss wasn't planned or anything... although my roommates kept on telling me then that iv become so big...no, not big..HUGE already hehe i still keep on denying that i am... until i felt the need for some space and some air. i feel so suffocated with my daily routine... more than 12hours of work in my cubicle, then spending the rest of the day in my apartment...

good thing i have a jogging buddy (ezra). it became easier to push myself to jog everyday 4x a week and lessen my calorie intake... she was also trying to lose weight so it silently became a race for the 2 of us... if im the one who's losing the motivation she's the one hyped to jog... the same happens if it's her who's not in the mood to jog... and so we didn't miss a day for 3 months! and voila! iv lost 40lbs!!!

the weight loss boost my self-confidence... i became more daring in a lot of things...i feel like i can do more, explore more, experience life more... it's a totally different world for me now that i've shrinked... i dunno how to express what the 40lb difference made such an impact in my life.... :-)

1st outfit post! :-)

i started blogging because i was inspired by Anton Diaz's travel/food blog (Our Awesome Planet)... I just thought of sharing my travel experiences rather than just dumping all photos with little kwento in my multiply account. :-) but last April i discovered Denise Katipunera's blog and then later discovered other chic bloggers... their kind of blogging seems fun! specially with all the ukay finds... :-) i thought of creating another blog (talk about over excited hehe)... but then i dont think i will still have the time to maintain another blog... so here... am using my promding chamimay for my outfit posts too!!!

so here... my outfit blog premiere... :-) hehe it's nice that i get to have ezra (my GE all-nighters/travel/photo/at kung ano ano pa buddy) take my photos for this....

red berry yogurt station (Mindpro Mall)

i've been noticing this yogurt shop in Mindpro since last year...with the current yogurt war in Manila (a lot of shops sprouting all over) it's a treat for me to know there's one shop here in Zamboanga City too!:-) although i'm a yogurt fan i just don't have the craving yet to really try RedBerry Yogurt in Mindpro and it took me a year to really check it out... :D



i was craving for sweets with berries so i picked the blueberry and strawberry toppings (with some chocolate bits too! hehehe).

going around Samal Island (davao 7 of 7)

although i had included Samal Island in our itinerary but I didn't expect it would be the best part of the trip... :-) and the whole experience was a revelation to me... hehehe

i've always though of Samal Island as an island... a small patch of land with real nice beach... i didn't even bother to look it up... good thing we decided to spend a night there.... :-)

nice roads in going around (although the part that leads to the bat caves are still not cemented)

white house, samal isle (davao 6 of 7)

here's one Samal Island point of interest that i had almost scrapped off our list... but after talking with our habal-habal driver, we decided to give it a try... it was a really long drive from the bat cave... but it was a good place to end the Samal Island tour... :-)


this had been famous to Samal Island locals as the White House only... but based on our habal-habal driver's story, this was originally owned by Hilario Camino Moncado, who was the leader of a religious cult Moncadistas and the founder and supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Filipino Crusaders World Army (i'm not so sure what that is but that's what is written on the sign above the entrance: "Filipino Crusaders World Army, Inc. National Headquarters")... Well, this American Mindanao blogger has more to say about the place: Bob Martin

Monfort bat cave, samal island (davao 5 of 7)

here's another treat from Samal Island... at first i thought we will really be going inside a cave... but good thing we can just view it from a cleaner area hehe :-)


it's a private land but the owners decided to open the area to the public...

hagimit falls, samal isle (davao 4 of 7)

here's my most fave part of the trip!!! it was a nice discovery hehe... good thing there was not too many people at the time we were there.... Hagimit falls is a must stop place in Samal island.. i enjoyed it more than the beach resorts... :-) it's a breather from the usual beach trips... i fell in love immediately with the place... :-)



you need to head all the way down to get to the river...but once you're there the soothing sound plus the cool atmosphere is such a treat... then you'll see this.... aaaahhhhh suuuuppperrrr LOOOOOOOVE!!!! :-)

fernandez resort, samal island (davao 3 of 7)

it was a backpacking trip... initially we didn't have plans to spend the night in Samal Island (since it's just 15minutes away by RORO), we just thought of going there real early, head to the places of interests in the island then go back to Davao even after sundown....


but last minute we looked for a place to stay. we chose the one that's accessible to the places we want to go... i particularly made sure we're near the Hagimit falls... :D me and my dude were deciding between Rocky Resort and Fernandez Resort. Nothing too fancy about these 2 resorts compared to the famous Paradise Island Resort and the Pearl Farm. We opted to go for a cheap place and spend the whole day going around Samal Island... :-)


Fernandez resort, just like the other resorts in almost every inch of Samal Island beachline, had setup nets around their beach to filter whatever dirt that can settle in their beach... everytime i see these fence-looking barriers around the beach (including the one in Paradise Island) i'm reminded of the similar fence in Caylabne resort in Cavite.... made me think twice to enjoy a swim (the Caylabne water was even worst because i remember seaweeds already looking black). but the sand on the beaches of Samal Island are really nice... not Bora-nice but it's good... :-)

RORO to Samal Island (Davao 2 of 7)

There are several ways to get to Samal Island from Davao City. The first time I went there we took a banca that brought us directly to Paradise Island resort. I think other resorts also have similar arrangements. But to do a really backpacking trip to Samal Island, taking the RORO adds to the thrill! ;-) Specially, since we decided not to stay in Paradise Island and other pricey resorts. We chose a resort that would be very accessible if we'll tour the other points of interest in the island, and we can only get there through the RORO bus.


i'm not sure if there are other bus lines going to Samal Island, but so far I've only seen buses of Island City Express around.

We were told to go to Magsaysay Park in Davao City where we can take the bus. I haven't seen the park (is there one ba? hehe). But our cab driver brought us exactly where the Island City Express bus parks while waiting for passengers. I think there's no exact schedule. By the time we got there the other bus just left and we were left with no choice but to take the next which is completely empty... but good thing it got filled real quick.

Bus Fares (well, at least until our stop - The Warehouse):
Non-Aircon - Php40.00
Aircon - Php50.00

Japanese Tunnel (Davao - 1 of 7)

the only place in our Davao City itinerary that we were able to visit (aside from the malls and hanging out with my relatives)... :-)


The tunnel was constructed during Japanese occupation (that's in the 1940s), but this was discovered only in 1962.

bowling... zambo-style!

this is how i learned to play bowling before i encountered the 10-pins in Manila... this is how we've known bowling down here... :D

Lupong Tagapagpaganap ng Pook (LTP) - Cabatangan,ZC

i grew up knowing this place is called only as "Lupong". Since this is somehow near our house before, my family would usually go to this place very early in the morning to jog...and even during times we have relatives visiting us here in Zamboanga City, as far as i can remember this seems to be one of the "tourist spots" we would usually take them...

when you're somewhere near the city, you'll easily notice this white mosque-looking building sitting on the mountain ranges of the city....

i never bothered to know what this building's for before... the only impression i have is that this is a tourist spot... even during the time that i've heard Misuari and his ARMM government had taken their office here, my only reaction was that sayang, the place was really nice as far as i can remember and the thought of having them there would mean no one can just go there anytime... so when the news spread that there had been some clashes between Misuari's armed men from Lupong and the AFP i was a bit happy knowing that Lupong will be controlled again by the national government and may be opened to the public.... but i never get to find out if it had been as i've expected until our Cabatangan trip... :-)

cabatangan hike :-)

The trip to Cabatangan (a barangay north of zamboanga city - somewhere along the mountain ranges of the city) was planned because we decided to invade Mam June's house for her birthday. She told us about hiking around and we all agreed... I didn't do any research on what we can expect during the hike. After the lamonfest we decided to push through with the hike....



we walked through paved roads... still no idea where were heading... the only clue we got from Mam June is that there's a Cruz Mayor somewhere in our destination and we'll pass through a school as well (was it ZAEC?)....

gulucinas (a.k.a.: kakanin) party

my latest chavacano word learned! hehehe :-) initially i thought it refers to kamanting (cassava cooked liked suman ). later i've found out that it's a general term for all filipino delicacies/kakanin

it was mam june's birthday so we invited ourselves to her house... hehehe

content of this blog is all about food... :-) i'll share some cooking secrets here...


she cooked ginataan! i don't know how to describe this... hehehe i think it's made of banana, sago, camote, sugar and im not sure what else...all cooked slowly with coconut milk... i'm really not a fan of ginataan but this one's really good! ate a lot of this! :D

tofu in zamboanga!!!

i've been looking for tofu/tokwa here since last year... even Chowking Zamboanga rarely have tofu to serve! just imagine my reaction when i saw these lovelies in Mindpro groceries!!! hehehe although i was being told that i can find tofu in the main public market downtown, i was also informed that it runs out fast...well, that place is too far from home and i might need to go there real early just to get a tofu (oh yes, you wont find one in other markets! endangered specie ang tofu dito sa zambo!! hehe)... but these Mindpro tofus cost a lot... well at least compared to my tofu buys in Shopwise Makati hehehe.... oh well, been craving for tofu for a year so i bought 2!!!


just the other day... my 2 tofu packs turned into yummy adobong tofu!!! forgot to take photos hehehe they're all gone right away! :D

sta cruz island 2010! (sol&gie's trip)

this is still part of the 2-day trip of sol & gie here in zambo... the primary reason sol really came back... she missed going to Sta Cruz Island during her last trip here. :-) i've invited officemates as well... i didn't expect we would reach 20 headcounts! :D


one of my fave shots naming tatlo. :-)

zambo trip ni sol & gie (June2010)

dati pangarap ko lang makainvite ng friends sa zamboanga.... eversince college pa...but i would always get an eyebrow-raise for a response.... who wouldn't be scared of zamboanga if all the not so good news (including basilan's) are being reported from here... but eversince i was able to had ezra and the gang here last year a lot of friends from manila also became interested to come over. :D

this time my visitors are my roommates from college... gie & sol! :-) this is sol's 2nd time already though... she really wanted to comeback because she missed the sta cruz island when she went here with some friends last year.... so we made sure that's really part of their IT. :-)

huling quarter recs ko with GE

it's been almost a year... kahit uber busy lately i remembered my plan to blog about my last month in Manila (May2009) before moving back to Zamboanga. :-) let me start with my last quarter recs with team COE... been doing this every quarter since i've joined GE (well at least after the Water project)....

i miss the countdown im doing to pressure my team hihihi.... these photos were taken 2 nights before our tool closes... we're a bit happy about the 84% completion... sounds easy but it was still a long way to go... :D i miss this team... at the time these pix were taken, I already had my interview with Ciudad Medical Zamboanga and was just waiting for their decision... i only told Ezra and Cathy about it...

durian coffee @ Blugre Cafe,Davao

as if the Bajada durian stuffing was not enough, we went to Blugre cafe to experience durian-flavored coffee. they're serving coffee with bits of durian! :D i know im not gonna like it because its durian so i ordered white mocha instead. :-) but one of these days, il bring someone who would let me have one sip to check out how it is... i just find it impractical to buy one cup then not finish it because i dont like it... :D hehehe

i super like their tagline for their Durian Gatchpuccino... the king of coffees... coffee that tastes like heaven PERIOD! hehehe :D i really wish i can vouch for that... but i need to conquer the repulsion im getting when it comes to Durian... hehe :D

you may want to include trying their Durian Gatchpuccino in your to do's during your Davao trip! :D