Day 2: #TeCasIlocosTour2015

I know I took a hella long time since I last posted about our Ilocos tour back in January but better late than never, right? Hihi!

We woke up really early January 16th for the second leg of our tour. We stayed at one of the resthouses along Saud Beach in Pagudpod. It's not much of a room, but that's to be expected in a place along the shoreline. I mean, you wouldn't spend much time in the room anyway.

We drove half an hour from the place we were staying at to visit the Patapat Bridge when we saw this pretty rainbow.

And then, the Patapat Bridge...which they also call the Patapat Viaduct.

Fun fact: The shoreline at the foot of Patapat Bridge is literally the edge of the Philippines. I would've taken a screenshot of the Google Maps app to let us know where we were but we were all Globe subscribers and Globe didn't have reception in the area. As in the whole of Pagudpod...I think. Haha!

After Patapat Bridge, we went to Paraiso ni Anton.

Paraiso ni Anton - also known as Calvario de Patapat - is a small waterfall that's believed to be magical. People who want to heal themselves or to prevent any sickness would drink or bathe water from this waterfall. Of course, I had Brianna experience this:

I just have to mention: I love Ilocos not only because it is the most beautiful place I have been to but also because their pasalubongs are really cheap! Their souvenir shirts cost PHP150 each and the quality of the shirts are great! I mean, I remember seeing shirts in Bora with the same price but the shirts would, like, melt after a few washes. But the Ilocos souvenir shirts? Pwedeng ipanglakad! The designs are classy, too!

After that miraculous waterfall, we headed to Blue Lagoon, the Boracay of the North but we just had to pass by the Timmangtang Rock - which I don't have photos of because the wind was blowing hard and no way was I risking getting sick during the trip - and the Kapurpurawan Rock Formations:

Pagbigyaaaaaaaan...

The Kapurpurawan Rock Formations was a very beautiful place and it gives a great view of the West Philippine Sea. It was quite gloomy the day we went there but the view still took my breath away. The rock formation itself, too, is something else:

We headed to the Boracay of the North for a little beach time and for lunch.

The shoreline of Blue Lagoon was where the 1980 movie starring Brooke Shields with the same title was shot. Of course, the name of the movie was where the place was named after.

Brianna is so addicted to the beach that she still went to play on the damp sand despite the very very very cold air.

We had food cooked by the locals who live by the beach. It cost us around 500 to have a kilo of crab, a kilo of shrimp, a whole clump of puki-puki (tortang talong but soooooooo much better than the way !), and like 5 kilos of rice cooked for us. The fee also included plastic spoons and forks, and paper plates and cups. Not bad, eh? You'd think I'd taken photos of the boodle table but noooooo. Everyone was so hungry, including me, that our phones hadn't made it out of our purses 'til we got back to the van.

We then headed to the Kaibigan Falls after but Brianna and I stayed behind because she was too tired, she fell asleep the moment we sat in the van. When they got back, they all were raving about how majestic the falls was, I was so jealous.

That was our last stop for the day and we headed back to Saud Beach for more beach time...

...and of course, take a photo of the sunset.

That ends our second day in the beautiful province of Ilocos. Day 3's packed, like day 1 so I might be writing it in 3 parts again. Hihi.

Brianna's Moving Up Day 2015

(I would have to hold the Ilocos Tour posts and practically everything else, basically, - AGAIN - to give way to my post regarding my daughter's moving up day. Not really good with the updating the blog regularly thing. HOW DO YOU GUYS DO IT?!)

(Also, PHOTOS GALORE!!!)

Last Tuesday, March 17, the KinderCrib Learning and Childcare Center held their Moving Up Day at the Tanghalang Pasigueño main theater.

What Not To Do During Moving Up Day

Yesterday was Brianna's school's Moving Up Day presentation general rehearsals. As much as I wanted to focus on the fact that Brianna did a great job in the rehearsals, there were some annoying things I noticed which I am pretty sure a lot of parents (and yayas) were rehearsing for the event itself that they shouldn't.

Since it is Moving Up Day season, here are things I think you should avoid doing during your kid's graduation day:

1. Sit on a chair where someone else was sitting. I guess this just all boils down to scarcity thinking. In an auditorium as big as the main hall of Tanghalang Pasigueño, there'd be a huge number of empty seats especially for a preschool with a student population of about 60. If you saw someone leave their seat, don't assume they won't be back unless they haven't come back for, say, 15 minutes...maybe not even because the line to the restrooms tend to get pretty long.

2. Block the view of someone else. I guess with us being proud parents and all, we tend to take as much video as we can of our little darlings. What I am trying to say here, though, is for you to just be aware of your surroundings. If you feel you're blocking another parent's view while trying to find the perfect angle, adjust accordingly.

While we're on the subject, don't...

3. Use your iPads for taking photos and videos. Yes, I am hating specifically on iPads right now even if I, myself, have one. If you own one of the iPad units that have huge screens (iPad2, 3, iPad Air, etc), never ever EVER use this huge chunk of a gadget to record your kid's precious moments. Believe it or not, some people don't really want to watch their kids through a mobile device's screen.

4. Talk on the phone. Okay, maybe you can do this if you keep your voice low enough to not disturb everyone around you. If not, head on over to the nearest exit because no matter how loud Tomorrow's blaring through the speakers, you'd still probably disturb a mom who has super hearing powers nearby.

And lastly, don't...

5. Gossip about the kids. The women I heard talking didn't talk about Brianna but it still made me sick. It doesn't matter if the poor boy has a hideous costume or if the little girl doesn't exactly look like a movie star. Never EVER gossip. It's generally a horrible thing to do, let alone do it to kids! Just. Stop.

You'd think adults would know and master respect by the time they hit a certain age but I guess some of them haven't had the time to grow up yet.

-End of rant-

Day 1, Part 3: #TeCasIlocosTour2015

(You can read Day 1, Part 2 of our tour here.)

Before heading to Pagudpod, we passed by the Cape Bojeador Light House and the Bangui Wind Mills. On our way to Cape Bojeador, we stopped over at this place that sells salt. Some of us went down to see how salt from Ilocos are made but most of us stayed inside the van because we were parked on the side of the road and we didn't want to be like that roadkill I mentioned before.

After that, on to Cape Bojeador, which was breath-taking. I don't know why old buildings have this kind of effect on me.

It was raining when we got there so we didn't spend much time there. Although there wasn't really much to see there. The view, though, oh my gosh:

This photo was taken by a foreigner, probably a Swedish guy. After taking this shot, he asked us to take one of him and his Filipina date. They were so cute, they kept on laughing the entire time.

After that last shot, we literally ran to the van because it was beginning to rain hard. We then went to the Bangui Wind Mills. We didn't really get to enjoy the place and take loads of pictures because by then, the rain was pouring down hard on us. Brianna was also too tired by that time so we stayed in the van while she slept. The warriors that were my family and the Castañeda family went through with their picture-taking session by the wind mills:

They were shivering when they entered the van. They were too wet because of the rain/mist from the sea and the wind was blowing so hard at the same time. We had to turn the air conditioning unit of the van off for a few minutes so they could recover from the cold.

After their chilly Bangui Wind Mills experience, we headed to the Saud Beach in Pagudpod where we settled and ate early dinner in - SUPER SARAP NG FOOD OHMYGOSH - so we could sleep early.

Our first day's quite tiring. The trip from Manila to Ilocos itself is tiring, add that to the full itinerary we had and that will equate to an early night in. If you will be booking with the agency we booked with, N.E.C. Tours, you most probably will have the same itinerary.

Our second day's quite chill, though...

Our Nuffsaid Grand Gathering Experience

I am not much of a car enthusiast. I appreciate a nice, sexy, clean car, yes, but if you ask me what a stance set-up looks like or what 17x9 205/40r17 means, I'd be staring at you like I stared at my Physics teacher back in highschool. So how did Brianna and I end up in one of the biggest car meets of the year? My dearest boyfriend is a part of the Nuffsaid Society, the group that organized this grand gathering of car clubs.

We got to the One E-Comm parking lot at the Mall of Asia at around 3pm and we were 286th in line. They were expecting 300 cars to be a part of this event. By the end of the Nuffsaid Grand Gathering, they had roughly 500 participants.

We met up with the gang and we hung out, ate TONS of chips, and watched the kids dance:

(Everywhere we go, hiphop music was blasting through cars' speakers, I had a great time soundtripping as well. Yes, I'm a hiphop/RnB kind of girl. Kung di lang nakakahiyang magsasasayaw dun, I might've done it.)

Since this is a car meet, there were tons of cars in the area. I mean, duh, Ale. Right? Anyway, a whole lot of them were set-up, Fast and the Furious-style. It's so cool. I mean, I watched the entire franchise - sooooo excited for Furious 7!!! - and the Nuffsaid Grand Gathering looked something like that minus the drifting cars and Vin Diesel. Here are some of my favorites:

But I guess this one's the best one for me:

While Brianna and Hannah seem to have enjoyed this car:

Before the event ended, they gave away the awards to the winners. The trophies look too cute:

Now, I still don't know what car meets exactly are for but I can tell you for sure that both Brianna and I enjoyed our very first Nuffsaid Grand Gathering experience.

Thank you so much, Nuffsaid Society! Looking forward to attending our next Nuffsaid Grand Gathering!

Nuffsaid Society t-shirts, car stickers, and other merchandise are for sale on their Facebook page, for those who are interested. So mommies, if you or your hubbies love cars, you might want to drop by the Nuffsaid Facebook page. So much sexy cars to drool over, I promise you.

Photo credits:
Jec Santiago
John Paul Luis

Day 1, Part 2: #TeCasIlocosTour2015

(You can read Day 1, Part 1 of our tour here.)

After visiting Paoay Church, which is so beautiful, we went straight to the Paoay Sand Dunes. This part, I enjoyed way too much!

I asked our driver/tour guide from N.E.C. Tours if I could let Brianna ride the 4x4 but he said that small kids aren't allowed to experience the 4x4 ride through the sand dunes as a safety precaution. They are right, though. Those dunes are wild! For me, at least. Hihi.

We had to force my sister to ride with us - she's malulain - to cross another thing off her bucket list. Good thing she came with us because it was too much fun!

We rode this monster to the sand dunes:

I don't know why but I find its name funny.

And then we were off! All the slips and slides in the dunes felt like rollercoaster tracks but crazier. Maybe it's because we didn't really know where we were all going.

All the "tracks" look like this. Mej nakakastress nga.

We kept on teasing my sister, Jan (the one wearing glasses), by screaming even before the drops. It was so much fun because she kept on saying "Nasstress ako!" Yes, we love teasing her.

When we got to the spot where we'd sand board, the kuya manongs asked for our cameras and he took our photos on the sand:

Kuya Manong: O ayan, ma'am, sir! Mukha kayong nasa Dubai.

Mandatory jumpshot with the West Philippine Sea at the background. I don't know why we allowed for this to happen but to be honest, it was fun to shoot. Hihi.

One last photo before sand boarding.

After taking waaaaay too much photos - I think - we all gave sand boarding a try:

(Clockwise) My brother, Carlo, my sister, Jan, Tita Titat, and Jocas who were family friends.

I tried sand boarding down the Paoay Sand Dunes twice because...

I WIPED OUT (eh?) THE FIRST TIME I TRIED IT!

But on my second try,

I WAS SUCCESSFUL! WOOH!

After sand boarding, we went back to the parking area/admission area but not without passing by the famous Himala spot:

In fairness, may eye for photography si Kuya Manong.

Gusto ko 'tong i-post kasi emote na emote kami ng kinakapatid ko. Hehe.

Apparently, they shot some scenes of Nora Aunor's movie, Himala, in the actual spot where these letters are standing.

Lula pa more!

On our way back, we experienced the highest drop in the sand dunes but we made it back alive. A little rattled but alive nevertheless.

After the sand dunes, we went to what they called the Malacañang of the North.

The Malacañang of the North's facade.

Our group's photo - minus my mom - in front of the double doors that lead to the house's receiving area.

The Marcoses' backyard. So pretty.

This is where the Marcoses lived whenever they went home to Ilocos during Ferdinand Marcos' term as president. It is a huge piece of land and it also covers a part of the lake behind it. Our tour guide told us the name of the lake but I was too busy resting that I drifted off for a bit.

The house is now a museum and they tour everyone around the house. Brianna and I didn't join the tour because we were looking for food and water. They served empanadas there but Brianna didn't want that so we had to get back on the van to get food. When we came back, we took a look around on our own. I don't really enjoy house tours in general but these dolls really bothered the wits outta me:

These were the Marcos sisters' dolls. Too freaky, if you ask me.

After that, we went to Macy's Diner for late lunch (at 2 in the afternoon!) in Laoag after. The food was awe-some. They serve diner food: burgers, fries, milkshakes, etc. I love the whole vibe of the place. It felt like we were inside an Archie comic or the movie Hairspray, complete with the jukeboxes, neon lights, and black-and-white checkered floors. Too bad I don't have a photo of the place except for this one because I was way too hungry to take photos. We had to leave, too, right after lunch because we were running late. The sun might've set by the time we got to the Cape Bojeador Light House and the Bangui Wind Mills - which I will talk about in detail on my next Ilocos post - if we didn't leave right away.

Day 1, Part 1: #TeCasIlocosTour2015

(Our tour of the beautiful province of Ilocos will be documented in a long series of blog entries, totalling of 8 posts. I'm so sorry. Ang ganda talaga, I want to relive it as much as I can.)

I've always wanted to visit Ilocos since I've read about it back in college. To be quite honest, though, I was surprised when this tour was brought up. My dad told us about the trip just a week before we had to leave. It felt like someone threw hot water at me - I am not used to not planning what I should be packing weeks before the trip - but at the same time, I was just sooooo excited.

While the whole Philippines flocked to Manila for Pope Francis' arrival, we went on an 8-hour roadtrip to the northern part of Luzon to visit the wonderful province of Ilocos.

KinderCrib Learning and Childcare Center Christmas Party 2014

Earlier today, we attended the KinderCrib Learning and Childcare Center's Christmas party. KinderCrib is Brianna's school, where she's in the Toddler Program. The Christmas party was held at the Pasig Youth Development Center. We had a hard time knowing where exactly it was located -  I haven't really explored Pasig since we moved here in 2001 -  but thanks to Waze, we actually got there just in time.

There were some the usual booths you'd expect in a children's party: A photo booth, the face painting booth (which Brianna didn't get to try), the animal balloons booth, and of course, Santa!.

Anyway, upon registration, we were handed a passport for the event (mostly for the food and the raffle) with our table number on it:

Brianna's group was second to perform.

They danced to Ang Pasko Ay Sumapit and it's always fun watching little kids dance. I don't know about you but the more they get the steps wrong, the cuter they are. Haha! I don't know if that's the instinct of everyone else or if I'm just plain mean.

Anyway, after every performance, the teachers call out numbers - the ones written on the passports - for the raffle. Brianna won on the first round of the raffle:

There was a puppet show slash magic show after the meal which was a big hit. That Kuya Bodjie guy's something.

Find the hidden Brianna!

After all the merriment, Brianna wanted to go visit the My Little Pony booth in SM Megamall so we went there after the Christmas party.

It's my first time to attend a Christmas party with - and for - my daughter. It's always necessary for me to document these firsts for both Brianna and I so here we are.