zambo city hall lights up for xmas!

this had become a tradition... zamboanga city hall is always covered with lights during xmas season... and this time i get to really stop and take photos as many flock this place to take pix too... :-)

chronicling my Zamboanga-Sultan Kudarat roadtrip

by far this is the only trip that i had all my senses on alert mode the whole time...before we left zamboanga i was trying to psyche myself that this is gonna be different from the other roadtrips i had... pero grabe pa rin praning mode ko the whole time...

zamboanga to pagadian
we took an aircon bus going to cagayan from zamboanga since madadaanan naman ang pagadian...dun na kami bababa. At the terminal pa lang sa guiwan kakaloka na dahil there's these 2 guys who'e trying to help us carry bags without even us asking them to... taray mode agad ako... hehehe pero narealize ko later na di ata dapat at baka its not gonna work on them at bigla na lang akong saktan... anyways, this was just a minor glitch.. we were able to sit comfortably na and are ready to go to pagadian... sa likod kami nakapwesto kaya nung marami ng bumaba mamang transferred infront... but some hours later nagising kami because of a loud thud... kala namin may nahulog lang na bag or something... then the bus stopped...

Bohol find: TREE HOUSE!!!

here's something that you won't find when you google for a place to stay in bohol! :) if you're on a budget trip and not very particular for a luxurious stay, this tree house is surely a great find!!! :) not only is it cheap...but it shares the same beach stretch with Bohol Beach Club!!! :D

The Dumaluan beach is the best beach in the Panglao island. It only has 2 resorts - Bohol Beach Club and Dumaluan Beach resort...which both consciously keeps the beach front clean.... The Dumaluan Beach Resort is cheaper than Bohol Beach Club. But it is still expensive for budget travellers like us. But the good thing about this resort is that they created an area where they built bamboo-made cottages, which are rented out at a cheaper rate.

all saints' day in zamboanga

our grandfather died even before we were born...so his grave had been part of our lives for as long as we can remember... this grave had witnessed our growing up since we're always here every 1st of Nov until we started working....we have our grandparents buried in a public catholic cemetery in Zamboanga City.

cawa-cawa chill...

i grew up in zamboanga but i never get to hangout in cawa-cawa... it has this reputation of a dating place that's why i dont wanna be seen there or else il get reprimanded...hehe! the place is great if you want to wait for zamboanga sunset! although, zambo people now have paseo del mar, cawa-cawa still provides a better view since nothing blocks the sunset(a.k.a the port area for paseo del mar).


when the gang came here last Sept09, i had my first tambay in Cawa-cawa too! they were looking for "tusok-tusok" food after our barter trip so we brought them there...

chuchay

my first "pamangkin"! :) --- my bro's little girl...

baby's will never fail to amuse us with their adorable facial expressions...here's one of my little niece's light moments...

.................


cute... and happy!:)

fly high!

Morong, Bataan
november 2008

our Ondoy story in Bohol

we were so ecstatic that the sun was up when our plane landed in Cebu, morning of Sept26... we were very thankful that our flight was not cancelled despite the heavy rains the night before and the coming typhoon... we found out later that the flights from Manila after ours were cancelled... this was our first dodge of Ondoy...

kiddie doodles

girls...nakakarelate ka ba dito???

...im sure sometime in your childhood you were also doodling things like these....

found these while going through a magazine in leo's place... probably their helper's little girl left it there... instant travel through memory lane for me!!! :D

kape zambo!

my dude's fave acoustic place here in zamboanga...

when we found out that i mistakenly booked gagay's trip back to Manila a day after what was initially agreed, we didnt find it hard to think of something to do to keep him entertained for another night.... :D kape zambo!!! we're soooo 100% sure he'll enjoy the place... specially if he'll be able to perform... :D

sta cruz island camwhoring

sta cruz island was perfect for us to get good shots... we tried lots of guitar shots and got good ones! hehehe

Fishpond photography

tilapia galore!!! we caught much this time!!! my second time to go fishing (but with a different group) was a success!!!

Blog Action Day 2009: one small act

The burning of tobacco in cigars, cigarettes, pipes, and other forms accounts for .0000032% of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide.

Fiesta Pilar Mass (2 of 2)

here's the rest of Fiesta Pilar procession and mass photos... i just cant pick which ones to post so i'll have all my faves... :D


shrine was beatifully decorated... love how it matches with the colors of the dusk...

fiesta pilar!!! - the procession (1 of 2)

we joined the procession from the Cathedral to the Fort Pilar Shrine...

Join Blog Action Day on October 15

to all bloggers who happen to stumble on my page... im encouraging you to participate in this year's Blog Action Day.





JOIN THE CONVERSATION... click on the badge to see details! Register your blog! :D

zamboanga hermosa celebration

Viva! Nuestra Senora La Virgen del Pilar! :)

sta cruz island - ang kwento namin (3 of 3)

here's 3rd part of my sta cruz island series. :D

beached vessel in Cawa-Cawa

this vessel had been there since I think Ondoy's weekend. It would be difficult for this boat to be pulled out of there.


***i'm happy with how my picture editing turned out. :D



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R.T. Lim Boulevard (Cawa-Cawa)
Baliwasan, Zamboanga City
09 October 2009

coin diving @ Paseo del Mar

i cant believe these Badjaos can still dive and retrieve the coins being thrown by people watching them even after sun down...

These diving Badjaos had become a source of entertainment for people visiting the newly opened Paseo del Mar.


***apologies for the blurry photo. Poor lighting and moving subject. :D



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Paseo del Mar
Zamboanga City
09 October 2009

my preggy sis!

our youngest sis' gonna be a mommy na in a month! can't wait to see my first nephew!!! :D(got a niece na hehe)

Regatta de Zamboanga 2009

it's Fiesta Pilar season already in Zamboanga! Regatta (vinta race) will always be part of the week-long celebration.

super chili beef roll ng mano mano

this is a really good find amidst the usual grill foods being offered by most restos all over the city. I know I had this before but I'm glad Leo ordered this when we had lunch in Mano-Mano sa Greenfields. They call it Super Chili Beef Roll. :) I was excited to try this again since I love spicy foods.

mañanita --- have you ever experienced one?

i grew up seeing mañanitas after mañanitas for my mom and my mom's close friends... at first i couldn't understand what it is for...i just hated being awaken very very early in the morning to be part of it... later it was explained to me that mañanitas are actually serenading a loved one for their birthday... but why it had to be done very early in the morning, im still figuring it out... :D

durian all you can... can you?

.... ako, i cant.


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photo taken while inside a van.
Durian are just simply everywhere in Davao. :)


Davao City, Philippines
02 October 2009

sirang dike sa cabato road

we took these photos along Cabato Road in Zamboanga one weekend before Ondoy rampaged Luzon... a week before Manila got submerged, Zamboanga was also battered by continuous rains for 3 days.... After the second night, we saw this portion of the dike that fell off... i immediately took pictures after finding out that these are actually newly built projects....

promding chamimay back in manila

...well at least for one day...and before Ondoy spread its fury in Metro Manila.

Ninoy's Letter to Noynoy

i cant help but be teary-eyed after reading this...

read the letter here: sulat

Canelar Barter

this is one of the few remaining barters in Zamboanga City... you'll find a lot of things here ---- from our fave maggi kari noodles, sotanghon, coffee, Malaysian/Indonesian chocolates, batik, malong, clothes, pearls, etc...

i heart Sta Cruz Island's underwater too!!! (2 of 3)

no matter how pretty a beach is, if its not swimmable then i dont get impressed. :D im just glad i wont be including sta cruz island in that list... i love how its crystal clear,probably because the shoreline is not really made of sand but crushed corals that are not totally pulverized yet. Notice how it doesnt get murky even though we've been swimming for hours.... and notice how the color changes behind... we didnt dare go to that darker part not only that its deeper but the current is really strong at that time...

i heart u... pink sand Sta Cruz Island (1 of 3)

can you get any "pinker" than that? :-)

Pasonanca Park - Camp Atilano & Tree House

Here's our last stop in Pasonanca park before we head downtown... I've noticed this wigwam sign outside the camp...another first for me in Zamboanga.. hehe :D

Pasonanca Park - Jardin Lobregat

We dropped by the Jardin Maria Clara Lobregat in Pasonanca Park. Since entrance is free in the butterfly area, we brought the gang there... :-)



I was getting frustrated trying to capture my fave big butterfly that I didnt get to try taking photos of the ones that are not always moving...

Freedom Park, Abong Abong

From the Cruz Mayor we stopped by what the legendary Mayor Climaco considered his “labor of love”, the Freedom Park. This is actually the jumpoff area going to the Stations of the Cross. There are 2 canyons (also known as the “Guns of Aggression”)in the area, probably used during a war. Also placed there was a large helmet which became a mausoleum for the remains of an unknown soldier.

Cruz Mayor & Mt. Pulong Bato

actually I didn't know it's called Cruz Mayor until i heard it from Leo... All I know is that this is the end of the 14 Stations of the Cross built on the side of the mountain which is our family's destination during Holy Week. I grew up having my Holy Thursdays spent on this mountain... our parents would wake us up really early so we can head to this place before it gets too crowded...

china phone and 2009 UAAP cheerdance comp

We've been having brownouts in Zamboanga for the past 2 weeks... but despite that I never thought the sunday for the 2009 UAAP cheerdance comp will also be black day... i was getting frustrated already (specially since i decided not to go anywhere so i can watch it)...


...until i remembered my cellphone has a TV function!!! I'm just glad it was only La Salle performing when i tuned in....

zamboanga tour of GE friends

Finally, I was able to convince friends from Manila to come to Zamboanga... it had been my wish to invite friends over since college but i keep on getting excuses.... well you can't blame them... for one fare cost is quite expensive, but the major reason would be the abu's... sigh***


Out of the 8 who bought tickets, only 4 made it.... Karen, Ezra, Gagay and Julie. :)

(Dianne backed out because her mom didnt allow her, Johanne is out of the country, Ray & Ryan came late and was not allowed to check in anymore..grrr! hehe)


These are just their first day photos... we brought them to the following:
- Cruz Mayor (Abong-Abong)
- Camp in Abong-Abong
- Butterfly park in Pasonanca
- Camp Atilano (Pasonanca)
- Barter (Canelar)
- La Vista (Upper Calarian)
- Fort Pilar (Rio Hondo)

I'm glad I was able to change their impression of Zamboanga... :)

artsy fartsy in patalon beach

father and son portrait.... time's up for swimming!

zamboanga city sports complex (grandstand)

Assemblyman Joaquin F. Enriquez Memorial Complex - A sports complex of 57,500 square metres considered one of the most modern in the country. Ten contractors and 1,500 workers joined hands to complete the facility in time for the March 6, 1992 Palarong Pambansa (National Games). Total construction cost was a little over P64-million. The latest synthetic rubberized coating known as Super AG was used for the oval, only the second in the world after one in Saudi Arabia.
Source: http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Zamboanga_City

chicken ride

eksenang promdi series#1



no need for trucks with individual cages for each chick that brings them to the slaughter house.... this one made do with his motorcycle... and the chicks were even brought directly to the market....

my parent's luneta day out

IMG_1433, originally uploaded by charmie04.

my mamang would always tell me she wants to tour old Manila everytime they come visit us during my metro days.... i finally get to bring them there last year. :-)

That's the Rizal Monument behind us.

Luneta Park
Manila. Philippines
November 2008

the trip that started it all....

it only takes one fun trip and you'll end up addicted to travel...

i was very "kuripot" back then, would love to travel but doesn't dare go since i am more worried on the cost... this was a shotgun trip...Iya bought tickets to Kalibo before we can even say yes.... but then looking back i'm glad she did... :D


my HSBC buddies... the girls who convinced me that it's ok to travel, cost may be a problem but everything will be worth it after....