Despedida Party (Finale)

April 24, 2009 – This was Anton’s last day in the office. A number of our officemates decided to join us for dinner. We held the dinner/farewell party at Friday’s Glorietta 3. Ms. Jess, Dennis and Dimple, Lyn, Jho, Che, Janine, Anne and Clarisse were there to bid Anton goodbye.

After dinner, we went to Ice Vodka, again. Well, you can say that it’s the official ‘despedida bar’ for Anton. Staff from Ice recognized you when we went there last time. Cool! I hope they would give us discounts.

Everyone enjoyed the night. A very perfect ending. *wink*wink*

We just hope that you enjoyed your stay in the Philippines. You will be missed. Keep in touch and we wish you all the best!

Anton's Despedida Party Part 1

It’s always hard to say goodbye especially when that person has become an important part of your life. You haven’t really figured out how it all started and this abrupt ending is most unwelcome.

Nevertheless, beginnings and goodbyes are life’s staples. And as they say, there is always something good in goodbyes. Maybe I’ll find out soon.

Instead of sulking and crying over the fact that our good friend Anton is leaving for Canada soon, we decided to give him a despedida party.

Date: April 17, 2009
Venue: Krocodille Grille and Ice, Greenbelt 3

Ms. D, Jho, Roco and I were present. Our other friends could not join that night so we just pushed through with the plans and decided to organize a 2nd party the following week.

Jho, Anton and I arrived in Greenbelt at around 6:00 p.m. Our dinner was at 7 so we spent a few bucks playing in Timezone to kill time. Ms. Di arrived at 6:30 p.m. She joined us in Timezone and as the ultimate dream catcher that she is, Ms. Di won a Pooh stuff toy for Anton. She is really great in this game.

We went to Krocodile’s for our dinner. Anton got his favorite Pork Sisig and I made him try Inihaw na Tanigue. I got Seafood Pinakbet which was really good. Jho ordered Krispy Calamares.

After dinner, we headed to Ice Vodka Bar. We got Tequila shots. Whoa!

It was a fun night. Roco got knocked down after three shots.

Watch for the Despedida Part 2.

It's a Girl Thing

April 25, 2009… Instead of waking up and preparing to see the beautiful Sabang Beach in Baler, I found myself snoozing my alarm and getting ready for our 6:30 am call-time at Bay Garden. Yes, I cancelled my surfing trip to attend two events. My friends almost killed me but as we know, sometimes you have to give up some personal time for the greater good. Sense of responsibility was harder to ignore that time.

My friend and officemate, Anya, knew that I was half-hearted in attending. Both of us decided that we should do something after the events. Anya has been recommending this nail salon in Eastwood City for ages – Nail Tropics. So, off we go to Eastwood.

We were so tired when we arrived there. But the sight of Nail Tropics is like seeing heaven on earth. With its pristine white-tiled flooring, high-ceilinged working area and soothing music, I already felt relaxed and cleaned. Since it was my first time to visit, the receptionist asked to fill out a form. After choosing the service I want, she asked me to sit on one of the lounge chairs. Instantly, I knew that I would be falling asleep pretty soon.

The service I chose was a mani-spa. Angie, my nail tech for the day, came to assist me. First, she asked me to soak my hands in a basin of warm water. A sweet, lemony concoction of hand scrub followed. Angie used warm towels to wipe off the mixture. It felt so relaxing. Then, she lathered my hands with honey. Yes, she used pure honey! Then she wrapped by hands. Included in the service is a complete head, scalp and neck massage. At this point, I was oblivious to the world. Sleep mode.

When I woke up 30 minutes later, Angie was applying cool minty lotion on my hands. Then the usual manicure. I asked for french manicure with barely-there base and fine tips. She is good. I loved my nails.

I still missed my trip to Baler but my Nail Tropics experience was good enough to make me realize that it wasn’t all a bad day for me.

Nail Tropics has two branches in Metro Manila, one in Eastwood and the other one is in Serendra, Bonifacio Global City. We highly advise that you call to get an appoinment. For Eastwood branch call 6671218, Serendra branch call 8560468.

Conquering Baler

Conquering Baler

Sometime in November last year, my college friends and I started to muse over the fact that after all these years, we haven’t gone on an out-of-town trip. We planned but nothing was accomplished. That time around, we decided that we definitely have to get away from the stress and give travelling a shot.

Now, where do we want to go?

At first, the likes of Boracay, Palawan, Cebu, Ilocos and Sagada came to our minds. However, we realized that for our first trip, these places are costly. So we decided to look around and compare tour packages.

Since I work in the marketing department of a real estate company, I had a good range of magazines to browse. Fortunately, I found this Sidetrip Magazine which featured Baler, Aurora – one of the best surfing spots in the Philippines.

The article by Bart Dumlao featured Sabang Beach which is known to be the birth place of Philippine surfing. Towards the end of the article, Bart mentioned that he offers tour packages to Baler.

I got his email address and mobile number. After countless emails and text messages, we were booked for our first trip to Baler on January 17-18, 2009.

My friends and I were so excited.

As soon as we got booked for the trip, we started planning our “To Bring” list. Just so you know, we are so fond of writing lists ever since we can remember. So this trip required a “To-do” and “To-bring” lists. I guessed Bart had a difficult time with us because even during the Christmas break, we sent him countless text messages asking the itinerary for the trip and what we need to bring. So much for being an OC.

Another thing that made us excited and scared at the same time is the fact that we were scheduled for a surfing lesson. Yes, surfing! Surfboard. Waves.

And I don’t even know how to swim well. I even asked Bart if I could wear a lifevest while surfing. He politely said no but I could sense that he was laughing at me. During the actual surfing, I realized how ridiculous it was if I wore a vest.

What did we do in Baler? Here is the itinerary of our trip:

Friday, 12:00 midnight: ETD Manila

Sat, 7:,00 am: ETA Baler, Aurora (Sabang Beach, Bay’s Inn Resort)
8:00 am: Breakfast
10:30 am: Batch 1: Surf Lessons
12:00 nn : Lunch
3:00 pm Baler Municipality Tour
5:00 pm Batch 2: Surf Lessons
7:00 pm: Dinner and Bonding Time

Sun , 7:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 am: Dicasalarin Cove
12:00 nn: Lunch
1:30 pm: Batch 3: Surf Lessons
4:00 pm: ETD Baler, Aurora
12:00 nn: ETA Manila

We never realized that surfing could be so much fun. The adrenaline rush, the fun and the accomplishment of standing on the surfboard were addicting.

Another highlight of the trip was the Dicasalarin Cove. It was a gruelling 2-hour trek to get to the cove but every step was worth it. The breathtaking view of the pristine blue waters and almost white sand beach front were enough to leave all of us in awe. We secretly prayed that such beauty will be protected.

All in all, our first trip was very successful. We met new friends. We learned surfing. We trekked. Above all, we fulfilled our wish to travel together.