Puerto Princesa, Palawan

A new plan has been made!

Despite that travelling on a backtrack is yet to happen, this upcoming plan is just way too exciting to put off.

Yes, yes there's a lot of backtracking to be done but one just cannot put on hold future plans especially when there's an airline seat sale and a group of eager beavers. Right? 

Palawan is a fitting destination after experiencing nature's charm in Bohol and this is said after a fair amount of research which has done nothing but increase the anticipation.  

So here goes the plan, and just as usual, this is travelling on a budget and a whole lot of fun! 

ITINERARY FOR PUERTO PRINCESA, PALAWAN

DAY 1 Friday 11 February 2011

Places to go and things to do:   o ETD Manila – 7:30 AM o ETA Puerto Princesa – 8:40 AM o Get permit at City Tourism office for Underground tour o Breakfast/brunch/lunch at Kamarikutan Kapi at Galeri o Travel to Sabang – 12:00 NN to 4:00 PM o Check in at Bambua Nature’s Park o Explore Sabang beach o Halo-halo available at the pier

Expense per person: NAIA 3 Terminal Fee: Php 200.00 Commute: Php 183.00 Tricycle from Airport to Tourism Office – Php 7 Tricycle from Tourism Office to Kamarikutan – Php 7 Tricycle from Kamarikutan to Rizal Avenue – Php 7 Multi-cab from Rizal Avenue to San Jose New Terminal – Php 12 12:00 NN Jeep to Sabang - Php 150 Underground Tour: Php290.00 Underground River Fee - Php 150 (inclusive of park entrance and paddle boat tour) Boat Rental - Php 140 (boat rent Php 700) Accommodation: Php 214 Overnight at Sabang in a village type room at Bambua Nature’s Park (Php 950 + Php120 extra bed = Php 1070) Total: Php 887

DAY 2 Saturday 12 February 2011
Places to go and things to do:   o Underground River tour - 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM o Early lunch o Check-out at Bambua o Travel back to Puerto Princesa – 12:00 NN to 4:00 PM o Side trip to Viet Ville before heading back to city proper o Around the city: Boardwalk Tiangge Tiangge Market Kinabuch Grill - dinner	Expense per person: Commute: Php 229.00 12:00 NN Jeep to San Jose Terminal - Php 150 Tricycle from San Jose Terminal to Viet Ville – Php 30.00 Tricycle from Viet Ville to San Jose Terminal – Php 30.00 Multi-cab to Rizal Avenue – Php 12 Tricycle to Albon Pension – Php 7 Accommodation: Php 400 Overnight at Puerto Princesa in a family room Albon Pension (Php 2000) Total: Php 629

DAY 3 Sunday 13 February 2011
Places to go and things to do:   o Breakfast at Itoy’s Specialty Coffee Haus o ETD Puerto Princesa – 9:10 AM o ETA Manila – 10:20 AM	Expense per person: Commute: Php 14 Tricycle from Pension to Itoy’s - Php 7 Tricycle from Itoy’s to Airport – Php 7 Terminal Fee: Php 80 Total: Php 94

Estimated total: Php 1610

Banapple

This quaint cafe located at 206 Katipunan Avenue extension is one of the yummiest and value-for-money food discoveries of 2009.

There are two closely located Banapple outlets in the Katipunan area. It looks like the original location became too small for their ever-growing number of patrons that they needed to open another outlet just across the street.

Thank goodness that they did because the original cafe is always full and a queue almost always fills it up leaving little leg room for when you have to go to the wash room or get into line again to order deserts as the cafe has a pay as you order system.

charming second outlet along Katipunan Avenue extension

Even though there is still that queue to deal with it is way better now since they are able to accommodate more people and has an al fresco second level to offer. Plus they also have kept the original outlet which is a strategically sound way of keeping the customers coming.

You will love this place for their generous servings of entrées and cakes -the cheesecakes are heaven sent, and the refreshingly sweet homemade classic ice tea that tastes even better with a lot of ice.

baked fish gratinee with scalloped potatoes (Php175)

breaded fillet of cream dory with honey thyme mustard sauce (Php175)

pan-fried porkloin with herb mushroom gravy (Php170)

hickory smoked barbecued country ribs (Php175)

delicious array of cakes

strawberry amaretto cheesecake (Php100/slice and Php960/whole)

blueberry cheesecake (Php90/slice and Php860/whole)

banoffee pie (Php85/slice and Php650/whole)

gobblin' goblin's pie (Php100/slice)

muffins, cookies, and savory pies galore

oatmeal & blueberry muffin (Php60)

fat & chewy chocolate chip cookie (Php60)

chocolate crumb muffin (Php60)

cookie fudge crinkles (Php60)

 

delivery service two any one beats queueing at any time

This is a backtrack entry on food but is just as fresh since lunch was eaten there today. The opportunity to introduce this favourite haunt as a lunch meeting venue was just deliciously irresistible.

Live, laugh, love and eat!

Travelling and food on a backtrack

Yes, you read the title right.

In the next few days, or weeks maybe, expect to see travel entries on places visited before the Bohol experience, and food entries aside from Charlie's Grill and Grind.

These upcoming entries might not be as detailed (the memory is weird in a certain way) so fingers are crossed that decent photos are stashed somewhere that can be of use.

Hope these lists help jog the memory, and magically summon photos too. yay!

On travel
   Bantayan and Tops (Cebu)
   Boracay
   Baguio
   White Beach, Puerto Galera (Oriental Mindoro)
   Lemery (Batangas)
   Davao
   Anvaya cove
   General Santos (just wishful thinking here. especially on still having photos of this particular trip)

   
On food and haunts
   baby backribs at Lord Byron
   burgers at Dalum Balay
   cheesecakes and more at Banapple
   Sanders
   Pepe's

Supposedly, there are a few more places that can be included on both topics, but two things: photo, and memory recall. Boo hoo!

Super Inday and the Golden Bibe

The first movie I have seen this year is a Marian Rivera starrer, a fantasy comedy which is part of the eight movie line-up for the 36th Metro Manila Film Fest or MMFF.

Super Inday and the Golden Bibe 2010

Super Inday is an easily lovable heroine whose appearance and spunk seemed to be a mix of Barbie, girly sweet and Darna, kick-ass chick. At the end of the movie, I knew it was something that my nephews and nieces would have enjoyed watching.

One thing that I did not like about the movie is the fact that Super Inday's alter-ego, Inday, is a character straight from the soap opera formula. Inday is a barrio lass who went to the city and became a maid, who went searching for her real mother who also used to be a maid in the same mansion she works in, who eventually finds out that her rich employer is actually her dad. Just too darn predictable. But I guess that's the point. Not all writers can be creative. Okay, I'm digressing.

But what I did like were the unexpected comedic punchlines and the character pairings that showed great chemistry and sensible acting.

Super Inday and Amazing Jay

There was undeniably a very good chemistry between the characters played by Marian Rivera and Jake Cuenca, whether it was in their alter-ego or superhero forms. The palpable connection plus that they look good together makes for a good tandem. I am now more certain that they really both can act whether as lovers, and as individual superheroes.

Inday and Kokay

Inday and Kokay started out as rivals, at least in the latter's perspective. Inday is Ms. Goody Two-shoes while Kokay just thinks she's prettier and better than everyone else. So when Inday proves she means well and sacrifices her safety to help Kokay, they ended up as friends. This pairing makes for  a classic example of si maganda at si nagmamaganda. In usual soaps or movies, Kokay's character would be as an antagonist through and through but for this one, she turned out to be a quirky yet sensible being. It's a refreshing take and twist on a character like Kokay.

Goldie and lil girl with no name aka Tyanak

Goldie, the fallen angel, and the angelic looking girl with no name who is really a tyanak is a weirdly funny combination. This ironic relationship (a tyanak is a mythical creature from the underworld)  is reminiscent of the unlikely friendship between the devil Crowley and the angel Aziraphale, which are characters from the book Good Omens (by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchet).

I liked the entire casting starting from Irma Adlawan (awfully short air time though) to Buboy Villar, Mylene Dizon, Cherry Pie Picache, the  two kids and Sheena Halili. Jestoni Alarcon can do better with his diction to play a rich man's character but appearance wise he fits the bill.

A nicely written sequel would not hurt and if they can pull it off, Super Inday is an Enteng Kabisote in the making.

note: all photos are not my own. images are taken from various sites, too many and too tedious to mention. 

Panglao, Bohol

For the sea tour, waking up at around 5:30am gives you ample time for a light breakfast and a leisurely walk to the  shore coming from JJ's Alona Panglao. Have coffee and breakfast at the eatery where the local tour guides and vendors hung out. The eatery is close to the Alona Kew resort.

I was Queen of the World! or the seas at least after seeing lots of dolphins

Approaching Balicasag island after Dolphin watching

the shore at Balicasag

the starfish that was so pretty we could not resist touching

the starfish that was so strange looking that only this person dared touch

snorkeling at Balicasag's sanctuary

feeding the fish some Swiss bread from the Swiss bakery

trinkets sold by the Balicasag locals

on sale, too, are colorful seashells on the sea shore

Balicasag island
Go snorkeling at the marine sanctuary. Food and souvenirs are also available at the island. There's a lighthouse too and you can go into the island to see it up close.

Balicasag Island lighthouse

At the island, there is what the locals call the "entrance fee." It was more of a fee for the boat ride to the snorkeling area rather than as entrance fee to the sanctuary. Going into the marine sanctuary requires transferring to a smaller banca so as to avoid destroying the corals.


Virgin island

Going around the island takes a few minutes. If your companions are too tired to go with you, they can take a breather under the shady trees.   

Virgin island's long stretch of sand (not my own photo)

my most expensive less than a spoonful fare of sea urchin Php 20.00

Tour Fee which includes Dolphin Watching, Balicasag Island, and Virgin Island costs Php 1,500.00
add-ons: Php 150.00 per person for the smaller banca at Balicasag island (aka the entrance fee)

              Php 150.00 for the snorkeling footwear
              Php 150.00 for the snorkeling mask (but we already had one so thank goodness!)

Boatman: Pedro Guioguio, 09267896646

Bohol is an island in Central Visayas that is truly and richly indeed a natural and historical wonder. Visit Bohol to experience the sights, sounds, and wonders of the Chocolate Hills, the Loboc River, and the endearing Tarsier. Time to see for real the beauty that has long been just mere photos in our elementary textbooks. You can make the travel more budget-friendly by going in groups and divide room accommodation, and car hire expenses. Pack your bags, and your enthusiasm, and hie off to Bohol. Take at least 3-4 days for maximum enjoyment and don't forget, halong!

Trip to ten and trunk

I read some where that one way to make the most of our daily lives is by consulting the past. Which meant going back to as early as ten years old. I've thought about the things that really gunned my engine and fired me up when I was ten-ish.

• History and pop culture, imagine having to memorize 100 Philippine history facts per day and then keeping up with the latest names in the national government. Even though I cannot remember how our teacher chose the candidates for the interschool quiz bee, I could not have thanked her enough for choosing me to be one of them. Back then, it gave me a sense of pride, a sense of responsibility.

• Dance is probably one of my oldest passions to which I don't remember having a beginning. Memories of my toddler, elementary and high school years were peppered with photos in various outifts doing all sorts of dances. I've been a trained folk dancer in high school but have also done my share of pearly shell, mr boombastic, macarena, and let's get it started. I've danced to ethnic songs, gospel songs, and a live rondalla. I'm not a great dancer. I just really love to dance so much that in another lifetime, if all choices were mine to make, I would want to be reborn a hardcore dancer. I could be a ballerina in one lifetime, a hiphop dancer the next, a jazz dancer in another.

• Old stuff, think Maria Clara dresses, capiz windows, four-poster beds, and wooden trunks. I don't know why, I just think they're elegantly beautiful, soulful.

• Taekwondo or just about any form of martial arts. I remember keeping a yellowed instructional booklet or was that just a figment of my imagination? But fact is, against my Dad's wishes, I egged my brother to coach me. Unfortunately, he didn't have the will nor the patience, despite my annoying persistence.

• Playing tindera at a neighbor's sari-sari store. I've lived in a closely-knit neighborhood for most of my life. My parents were close with some of the neighbors and that meant where ever my parents were at, there I was. Of the many houses and families we'd go to, I'm fond of at least two households because they owned a sari-sari store. Everytime there's a customer, I would feel so happy just by simply asking what they needed and being able to give the item to them. I had silly fun at peeling sachets of toothpaste, and shampoos, getting coke or beer inside the ref.

Then my mind digressed to what I'll do when I become a mom in the future. That will be to remember buying a wooden trunk for each of my kids. A trunk, or anything that can hold memories of my kids' childhood. That trunk will be their very own time capsule to hold things they've created, wrote,or took home. Maybe it will be something they can go back to when they come of age, most especially on a time when they are trying to find themselves. Probably back to a time when they had their most innocent desires, were in their happiest state.

Missing

Two daughters, or maybe three, are missing their dads today. 

Though my dad has passed away seven years ago, the longing never did.

Stranger and a tissue

It's not everyday that we meet kind people. Not that I'm a pessimist, but kindness often times feel like a virtue on the verge of extinction. Today though, a lady offered me tissue. The sweltering morning has my entire body covered in sweat and it's just the start of the day. The lady in long sleeved pink polo saw how utterly uncomfortable I was and that after going through my bag I seemed to have forgotten my hanky; she then opened her bag, searched for a short while and then got a pack of tissue and offered it to me. Grateful, I took two pulls out of the pack but she just held it in front of me and I decided to take another pull. I had nothing but thank yous to say. She could have cared less about a total stranger without a hanky.

photo from www.minorsaint.com/

The Quarter-Life Crisis

The Quarter-Life Crisis
by unknown

It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are a lot of things about yourself that you didn't know and may or may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you do not realize is that they are realizing that too and are not really cold or catty or mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.

You look at your job. It is not even close to what you thought you would be doing or maybe you are looking for one and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and are scared.

You miss the comforts of college, of groups, of socializing with the same people on a constant basis. But then you realize that maybe they weren't so great after all.

You are beginning to understand yourself and what you want and do not want. Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging a bit more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and add things to your list of what is acceptable and what is not. You are insecure and then secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you or you lay in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough to get to know better. You love someone but maybe love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you are not a bad person.

One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap and getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision.

You worry about loans and money and the future and making a life for yourself and while wining the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out.

http://www.cds.caltech.edu/~shane/text/quarterlifecrisis.html
*photo not my own

MRT 3

My daily commute to work via MRT reminds me of so many things. Today, much to my amusement, it reminded of a game called musical chairs, also known as trip to Jerusalem.



In the game, a lively music is played and the kids must go around the chairs set in the middle of a room. When the music stops the kids scramble to find a vacant chair. The one kid left standing, is out of the game. The next round begins with fewer kids and even fewer chairs. Sounds familiar, right? It was fun too. School age fun that is.

Now I'm just like any urban professional anxiously waiting at the platform. I can feel everyone is getting ready to play. Everyone is waiting for the train to make its stop. As the train finally arrives and the door slowly opens, one girl nearest to the opening places both her hands on the door, as if willing it to open wide faster. Think, darna-style here. At the smallest possible space, she squeezes in and then another follows, and then everyone gets a go at it. In seconds, the throng of females at the platform filled the train. Today, I got a good seat and most likely have shoved at least one girl out of my way. So much for musical chair fun.



Seeing my daily grind in the MRT as playing musical chair is better. Makes the experience more tolerable and getting a seat is the prize itself. Being a kid left standing is not okay anymore. Not while you are left standing while rubbing skin with another sweaty female, while another's butt and boobs is pressed on your back, while you are pressed against another female who has her long hair sticking all over your sweaty face. It's awful and that is an understatement.

*photos not my own

Charlie's Grill and Grind

Just after my late lunch I remembered yesterday's Ang Pinaka episode, Top 10 budget-friendly places to eat in the metro.I'm thrilled that my personal fave Charlie's Grill & Grind in Kapitolyo, Pasig is in the list. Even more so that an untried mexican fast food is just one tricycle ride away from where I live. It's comforting to come home to what's tried and tested delicious but there's an equally yummy satisfaction to be had in the untried and unexplored.


Italicized in the "Ang Pinaka" list are two places that I've tried myself. Good burger is more budget-friendly but go to Charlie's for the juicy, fresh black angus burger and come back again, and again for their "fresh fries." Ohhhh... Heaven... Did I already say juicy, freshly-made burgers and fries?

Must bring your dad, your brothers, uncles, and guy friends to Charlie's. Schedule burger-fries bonding with your girl friends too, but make sure the ladies bring their appetite. Charlie's big messy burgers are not for the faint-hearted nor the waif-thin. And please ladies or gentlemen, eat your burger with two hands. It's more of an experience that way.

Ang Pinaka-Budget-Friendly Tsibugan
more aptly called, eats for Php 200 and below...
(QTV's Ang Pinaka / June 06, 2010 episode)

10. Persia Grill
09. Charlie's Grind & Grill
08. Buffalo's Wings N' Things
07. Ya Kun Kaya Toast
06. Burger Avenue
05. Yen Yen Taiwan Streetfood
04. Good Burgers
03. Masuki Mami House
02. Mexican Express
01. Adobo 'To!

first blog high

Welcome to fivecents!

fivecents is my take on things trivial or otherwise.

Other titles that crossed my fickle mind:

• self-indulgence...too wordy
• mental masturbation...liked it, but might not be helpful in conversations with green-minded guy friends or guy acquaintances
• i masturbate...right. like i'd actually use this, ever.

the other titles just seemed too fancy or too lame.
five cents is my two cents' worth of anything and everything under the sun.