ORIENTAL MINDORO

The very first time I’ve been to Calapan Oriental Mindoro   was way back childhood days to spend the Christmas with my family. That was also my first time to ride on big a ship. I’ve remembered going to Batangas port first, and then a two hour ship ride from there will take us to Mindoro. After that Holiday season, I’ve been there for another 2 times more on  the same place but as I visited there as a child, I didn’t enjoy much compared when I return several years later.
The best I’ve been was when I returned years later to Sabang Beach in Puerto Galera with friends which is also located in Mindoro.
We have taken a lot of photos from a film camera but unfortunately, I left all the photos with a friend and wasn’t able to keep some for myself.  I’ve been there twice  and stayed at a very beautiful small cottage with a pool. I’ve been with a group of Scuba Divers and experienced going out with them  in the boat while they deep dive in the ocean. Of course,   I didn’t try even once  as I do not have any experience for that. I just waited for them in the boat. 
I had a lot of fun in Puerto Gallera, having been able to experience a bunch of seafood lunch or dinner where they cook/grill different variety of seafood fresh from the water, drink and bar hop at night as there are a lot of small bars and bistros and discos around the area. Surely, if you are looking for a place to loosen up a little, enjoy the night life, have fun drinking, dancing and bar hopping, this is the best place for you!
Photo not mine.

AURORA

Baler is a town on the Philippine island of Luzon. In its center, Museo de Baler chronicles colonial history. On the coast, Cemento Beach is known for powerful surf, and Sabang Beach is lined with resorts. Nearby, Ermita Hill offers panoramic views. Inland, Baler Hanging Bridge crosses the mouth of the Tibag-Sabang River. To the east, the distinctive, angular Baler Lighthouse overlooks Dicasalarin Cove.
I’ve been here with my Family in 2013 during my Philippine vacation and it’s almost similar to the Surf capital of the Philippines in La Union, which is also equally progressive now.
There’s a lot of nice resorts to stay in. Although we went there during the month of August which is, unfortunately, a rainy season in the Philippines, we still get to enjoy the serenity of the place.
1150785_10201856122424904_963336847_n
21422_10201856129305076_1356612775_n

And other photos as we explore the Province.
We have a lot of photos taken here as we explore a lot of places in Aurora along with my family but just enjoy these few snaps. This was actually one of the rare times I bonded with my elder sisters and it so happened that we were complete this time with all the piglets and pets. We have rented a van from our City direct to Aurora (as it would be very hassled commuting with these raining and all) and the same van who toured us around the Baler area. Although it was a little bit rainy, it didn’t spoil our out of town at all.

Stone8- Gabaldon Nueva Ecija

Gabaldon (formerly Sabani and Bitulok) is a 4th class municipality in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines.
The town is tucked by the Sierra Madre Mountains. It lies 171 kilometers northeast of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Tagalogs predominate this town. It is bounded by Bongabon on the north, Laur on the west, General Tinio on the south, and Dingalan by the east.
 
Stone-8
 
 
The town is tucked between the Sierra Madre Mountains

We’ve been to Stone-8 Resort in Gabaldon sometime during one of my Philippine vacation. It is one of the nicest destination to visit when you are in Nueva Ecija. They have a  manmade pool whose water comes directly from the mountain, so it’s expectedly very fresh and cold.

They have small family single-detached cottages for rent (with AC) we rented overnight for about Php1500 at that time. We also rented a videoke, and enjoyed singing the whole day until the next day.  Unfortunately, we didn’t bring any food/ drinks with thoughts in mind to order from the resort which they do not have the service yet, we had to go all the way to the market to buy some ready food. I also couldnt swim that much as I’m about to freeze that time. Couldnt stand the super cold water from the mountain so I just consumed the day singing and lying in the air conditioned cottage and doing my usual photography. 🙂

But all in, we had a great time!

LAGUNA

Our Visit to Laguna- 2012

Enchanted Kingdom, often abbreviated EK, is a theme park in the Philippines. It is the largest Amusement Park in the Philippines and it is located in Santa Rosa, Laguna.  

I went here with my family during my vacation in the Philippines 2012 before heading to Tagaytay.

Since this is my first time here, I get to enjoy all the outdoor rides they have and  managed to ride almost all of them from the one day pass we got that is unlimited for all the rides.

If you are looking for a place to bond with family as well as kids, this is a nice place to go.

And some other photos were taken with family



Reasons why it’s better not to be friends with your partner on Social Media

My husband and I have been married for over a year and a half now and despite the occasional arguments, I can say that we are doing fine.

For some reason, I realized it’s better not to be friends with your husband on Facebook. We were facebook friends since 2013 and have been constantly chatting, commenting and liking each other posts and photos back then until we became “we” but things will eventually change when you became increasingly attached to the person.

We are still happily married and we video call on a regular basis in between work breaks but when it comes to FB,  it’s better if we are just Friends of friends.

Tbh, I have no problem with being an active user especially to those people like us living abroad whose family and friends are not around and the only way we could update ourselves from the recent happenings is thru Social Media.

Facebook was once a place to post how you were feeling and where you were going to spend your holidays. Now, it’s sucking so much time from people’s lives and it may have a profound effect on marriages.

1. When your husband is literally an active user from sun-up to sun-down whenever they are not at work and I know how it feels to be annoyed when you get to see how they loved, liked, comment to all the other stuff on facebook including all the birthday greetings, anniversary greetings, congratulations, and yet wont bother to greet you in Social Media on your own Anniversary and your own birthday with the reasons that showing emotions on facebook in a post (even on that particular special occasion) is a waste of time.

2. Whenever they said that it’s a part of not cutting the thread with their friends by regularly communicating with them thru liking their posts and greetings totally suck when they never felt how personally overwhelming it is to be greeted in Social media by your own partner once in a while (with a little note of words of endearment) on your special day. The reasons they wouldn’t have to show their endearment even once is because you are together and this would only apply to those who are on an LDR basis is actually coldness from my point of view.  If you could post/greet all your family members and friends, why not your spouse? You don’t have to wait for your partner to live away or die in order for you to say once “Happy Birthday my dear husband/wife in heaven, just remember you are always loved by me, I wish you were still here.” 

3. You find them always on the page of their friends regularly and yet never bothers to look at what you have posted. This may seem simple and kinda childish but believe me, this really sucks.

I myself is not very active on FB and I do posts only during the special occasions as I don’t want myself to be always visible in anyone’s newsfeed but I do remember all these occasions and would exert a little effort to write a little note of acknowledgment to the people I love, plus, we are in this era where media platforms are accessible, so why not even sometimes?

In order not to be pissed with these reasons in one way or another, I decided to unfriend my husband and be totally unplugged with each other on Social Media, and live like the way it was before when Social Media is not yet a thing and personal communication is better, oh well just for us because I won’t ban him from using it outside.

On a General Note: Sure, Facebook makes connecting with new and old friends around the world easier than ever but it also makes it easier to disconnect from the person that matters most: your spouse.

1. Watching other couples’ PDA on Facebook makes some feel inadequate about your own relationships.

2. Oversharing can cause major arguments.

3. Couples check Social Media instead of checking in on each other.

4. Family and friends who continue to interact with exes can drive a wedge between couples.

5. Friend requests from old flames can lead to affairs.

6. Checking Social Media before bed can put a damper on intimacy and affect sleep. 

My thoughts about it.

Myself in BAHRAIN

So it was like I’ve been everywhere in Bahrain for the past years.
 
I’ve been everywhere here, been to a lot of places, did a lot of activities, ate in a different Restaurants corners to corners, from affordable to expensive food, gained a lot of friends and even lost some of them in time.
 
This is the Country I should say I’ve gotten all my life experiences in general,  personal & professional, made a lot of friends and lost some at the same time, met different kinds of people from different walks of life, learned to be strong, and confident, and enabled myself to face all life trials and accomplishments,  been through ups and downs and survived them all, and most important,  taught me a lot of lessons that made me to where I am right now.
 
This is my second home. Where I started everything. This is literally where I grew up. From my partying younger days to my home-body days. Where my weekends are now spent at home, a lot of sleeping, movie marathons, online games, music, and home food…with the husband & now with our toddler.
 
I’ve made a lot of memories here and at the same time I’ve kept a lot of photographs but of course, it would not fit in one blog if I started from the beginning.
 
Here are just a few photos of mine.
 

 

Sunset.

 

 

At the beach.

 

 

At the Souq Market

 

 

Outside the BH World Trade Center

 

 

Night at the Museum

 

 

Red and White Lights for National Day

 

 

The Avenues

 

 
The waterfront Shopping Center in BH facing Four Seasons Hotel- 7 star Hotel
 

This is me in Bahrain- my second home and yes, I love it here!

SRI LANKA

Colombo and Kandy, Sri Lanka
Info: Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon) is a tropical island lying close to the southern tip of India and near the Equator. From the coast, the land rises to a central plateau, where tea plantations are found. Sinhalese form the country’s major ethnic group (74 percent) and Tamils are the largest minority, at 18 percent. Population density is highest in the island’s southwest corner—where Colombo, the capital, is located. The Tamil minority tends to be geographically concentrated along the eastern and northern coastal area, Kandy is one of the ancient kingdoms of Sri Lanka which existed from 1592 to 1815. 
The City of Kandy exists since 1357 after Wickramabahu-III the king of Gampola established it. Kandy City is situated in the Kandyan plateau, at the height of 1526 feet above mean sea level. Kandy is located on latitude 7.296961N and longitude 80.638453E.
So I had the chance to visit Sri Lanka!
During my 5 days trip to Colombo and Kandy, I found out that there are a lot of places and things to do in there. I just don’t have enough time to explore all of them but I went to see some of the tourist attractions nearby.
Temple of the Sacred Relic
Royal Botanical Gardens
The Kandy Lake
National Museum of Kandy
The Buddha Statue
The Kandyan Art Association show
The Museum I guess…
My first time to ride an Elephant
The Hunas Falls which is 3 hours drive on a rough road in the Mountain.
And others…

I have a lot of photos taken but I only prefer to post some of them for my memories. I even went to this gem-stone shop where I bought the ruby ring.

And all of these accessories in different colors.

CHINA

Shenzhen – is a major city in Guangdong Province, China.

 

Although there are a lot of places to see in Shenzhen, I only went to two places due to lack of time. Our more than 5 hours stay in the City is not enough to explore the place but glad that we had a tour guide who steered us to at least some places where we could take photos, haha!
First is at the Window of the World – Theme park in Shenzhen and some shopping, where I bought a white gold luck pendant as they said, and another gold pendant with a Chinese character, plus a lot of window shopping and a lot of walking at Dongmen Shenzhen along with trying out their noodles.
 
 
 
And a lot of walks and explore…

HONGKONG

Info: Hong Kong is an autonomous territory, and a former British colony, in southeastern China. It’s a vibrant, densely populated urban center is a major port and global financial hub with a skyscraper-studded skyline. Central (the business district) features architectural landmarks like I.M. Pei’s Bank of China Tower. Hong Kong is also a major shopping destination, famed for bespoke tailors and Temple Street Night Market.
Places to see when you are in HK:
Hong Kong Disneyland is a theme park located on reclaimed land in Penny’s Bay, Lantau Island. It is located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and it is owned and managed by Hong Kong International Theme Parks. It is the largest theme park in Hong Kong, followed by Ocean Park Hong Kong.
The Avenue of Stars, modeled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is located along the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. It honors celebrities of the Hong Kong film industry.
Stanley Market is a street market in Stanley on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. The street is a typical example of a traditional old open-air market in Hong Kong and has since become a major tourist attraction, well known for its bargains.
Wong Tai Sin Temple is a well-known shrine and tourist attraction in Hong Kong. It is dedicated to Wong Tai Sin, or the Great Immortal Wong. The 18,000 m² Taoist temples are famed for the many prayers answered: “What you request is what you get” via a practice called kau cim.

Here are some photos of mine during my  HK trip.

HK Disneyland

At the airport
The Avenue of Stars
The floating restaurant

This is what I tried at the small restaurant near the hotel where I stayed overnight

I have a lot of photos taken in HK but I chose to upload just a few for my future memory. 🙂