A Mother's Day Out

Today is mother's day and we decided to eat out for lunch instead of dinner. We decided to try Archipelago 7101 at SM Lanang Premier. They are located at the second floor, just go out the door near their bowling center and it is to the right. I have to say the food was really impressive.

We ordered Mama Chit's Special,inihaw na pusit and calamares. Ice tea was free for all the mothers. The food was excellent. Everything tasted so yummy. We also ordered turon and sorbetes for dessert and it was just yummy that I ordered another. I never thought turon and ice cream can be a good pair. Scratch that! They are an excellent pair!

After lunch, we went to the bowling center. We were all prepared with our socks. Unfortunately, there was a problem with their scoring board and the technicians were still fixing it, so we were all bummed! My nephew begged to spend some time at the Quantum, so we headed separate ways.

Mother's day should not only be the only day we show our mothers we love them. I will forever be grateful to my mother for everything she has done for me. She is the best mom in the world! Read full post...

My Birthday Celebration at E.Y's Grill And Crispy Tuna

I wanted a place where my father would be able to eat some seafood. Since he was diagnosed with colon cancer, we have limited his consumption of meat. My friend Angie suggested E.Y's Grill And Crispy Tuna in Bo. Obrero. I was surprised to see a lot of people eating in this place.

Looking at their menu, I saw the dishes were reasonably priced. One tip though, the serving is not that big. So if you are extremely hungry, make sure you order enough food. Don't worry, the food is cheap. Cheap yet delicious! We feasted on several seafood and in just a few minutes, all the food was gone! OH NO!

After dinner, we decided to proceed to Ice Giants and ordered a giant bowl of halo-halo. I can say they probably have the best halo halo in town. Unlike Chowking's halo halo, their ice is finely shaved and I like the generous amount of ingredients they put in the halo halo.

Another year has passed am forever thankful for all the blessings God has given me. The gift of family and friends. The gift of a good source of income, and the gift of good health. Speaking of gifts, my birthday would not be complete without a gift for myself. This year, I gifted myself with an Xbox 360.

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Fun in Samal

My sister in law's birthday is a few days away from my birthday, plus it is a holiday, so we decided to take a break in the wonderful Island Garden City of Samal. We took rode the barge going to Samal and checked in at Sunset Beach. It is called Sunset beach because you can expect to see a beautiful view of the sunset from the beach. Unfortunately, the weather was not so cooperative. It started raining at around 3pm, while we were still heading for the wharf to ride the barge.

Nevertheless we did not let the rain dampen our spirits. Unfortunately though, the bathroom of the cottage where we checked in had a very awful smell. We tried to call the attention of the staff and they did everything they could. Sprayed several air freshener but the stinky smell was still there. We concluded it was the wrong drainage piping that was causing the stinky smell. We ended up asking for a towel from them, got it wet and covered the drains.

Fortunately, the rain stopped just before it got dark. So we went for a quick dip (around one hour). We did not stay in the water longer because it was really very cold, especially when the wind starts blowing. The following day, we checked out before lunch and proceeded to Hagimit Falls.

We had a very funny experience at Hagimit Falls. We saw this toilet where you need to pay P5 per use. We did not use it as we thought there would be a much cleaner and free to use toilet on the way. As we passed through the location of the falls, we crossed the bridge and saw some nice toilets. Used it, and when we got out somebody asked us "mam ilan po kayo gumamit ng toilet?" (how many of you used the toilet?). I said 5, why? Apparently they are asking for a P10 fee per person using the toilet. It as a surprise as there was no sign and they were there when we went in but never uttered a word. They just called our attention after we used the toilet. So I argued to them about that. Then I said "ok fine I will pay, handed them the P50, but asked for a receipt. To which they said sorry we don't have a receipt for that.

So you earn money asking for a toilet fee and yet you do not declare this as income? In the end they refused to accept our payment no matter how much we tell them to take it. The thing is, these are just caretakers. How do they report their sales to the resort owner if they do not have a receipt? The lesson: Always ask if there is a fee to use a toilet!

After Hagimit Falls, we headed to the wharf for the barge ride, but waited for almost 2 hours to be able to get in. Read full post...

Celebrating Mama's 64th at Giligans

For the birthday of the very special woman in our lives, my mama, we had dinner at Giligans SM Lanang. When I came home last November, I was surprised with the number of restaurants that have opened here in Davao City. There is a ton of them that I still have to try. Well let's review them one by one as we get the chance to dine in them. For now, let me talk about Giligans.

Giligans is located at the second floor of SM Lanang Premier. You need to exit the door near Max's Restaurant. When we arrived, there was only one other group who was inside Giligans. We ordered kare kare, crispy pata, fish fillet, pork with green peas, chicken inasal, and a bbq platter.

When our food arrived, we immediately noticed the food did not look hot. It looked liked they were just came from the microwave. The crispy pata was disappointing as it was not crispy at all. The only food I liked was the kare kare. I would say it was one of the yummiest kare kare I have ever tried.

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When I Say Jump: You Say How High

Jump shots are fun and they are becoming a trend. Sometimes it can be frustrating for the subject if they are asked to jump repeatedly because the photographer failed to capture the jump while they are on the air. If you are interested to learn how to take successful jump shots, this post is for you.

If you have a point and shoot camera, make sure your camera setting is set at rapid burst. You may also do this using your cellphone cameras. Expect the shots to be a little blurry though. However, if you are using a DSLR camera, you do not really need to select sports setting to capture the perfect jump shot.

I do not like using sports setting for jump shots as it takes a number of shots and you always end having too many pictures to choose from. The best way is to use automatic setting. All you need to do is let your subjects stand in place then make a half press (this focuses the camera on the subjects). Then gives instructions as to how your subject/subjects will jump simultaneously. You may ask them to jump at the count or three. Once they are in the air, click the shutter (of course you have already focused the camera on the subjects so pressing the shutter quickly won't be a problem).

You may need some practice, but trust me, you will like it this way. I so love this picture with my 64 yr old mother who gamely participated in a jump shot. Read full post...

Missing My Adorable Niece Ysabelle

We have only seen each other and spent time for a little over a month, but I enjoyed her funny little antics. I am talking about my pretty and adorable niece Ysabelle. Sometimes when the moon is full, she would be grumpy, but I certainly know how to bribe her and make her play with me. Chocolates anyone? :)

Ysa loves chocolates and Dora! Just tell her that you will reward her with a Dora episode on DVD and she will gladly comply with you. I also make sure we have enough supply of chocolate. Those little M&M's do come in handy. Her eyes sparkle when she hears M&M's.

Another thing I love to do is fix her hair. She has long hair and it is fun to fix her hair and make her look more pretty with those lovely braids and pony tails. Ysabelle, my brother Mark and her wife Glenda left a couple of days ago and I am already missing them! :(

I am looking forward to seeing you again in the near future my dear Ysa. Di-i loves you! Read full post...

A Reflection of The Year that Was

The past few months I have been quiet about my situation. I needed to make a very important but crucial decision in my life. A decision that will make a drastic change in my life. I am thankful though as I have my ever supporting family and friends who made sure I will get through this crisis with my head up high.

One lesson I have learned though is that life is all about the choices that we make. No matter how we plan our future, there will always be circumstances along the way, and in the end, we will eventually need to decide which road we want to take. I admit that there would be times when I would just question God- WHY ME? But then, I would later realize, He knows what is good for me and all this is a part of his beautiful plan for me.

I have seen how He has worked wonders with my life. Everything just fell into place. I could feel He was there to guide me on that very day I made a very major decision. He provided me with a new job that kept me busy. Something that would distract me from what has been happening around me and just leave me with no time to feel alone and think about what has happened. For that I am so thankful.

When I got home, I was glad to finally see my brother Mark and his family, who I have not seen for 3 years. We also got busy planning the wedding of my brother Mike and Shiena. We went out several times to make the most of the time that Mark and his family were staying here in Davao. It was such a fun Christmas. Very different from the one I spent back in the US. I felt the love and happiness.

The year is about to end, and I am aware how some people have spread nasty rumors about me. In the end, I am sure they will regret what they have done. The stories people fabricate to cover for their mistakes will be only have a short term effect. Life is like a wheel they say. It keeps turning... you may be up there right now.. but take note the time will come when it will be your turn to be on the ground. Read full post...