Pasyal Intramuros

There are many groups trying to reintroduce the Filipino heritage thru fair. One of these activities is the Pasyal Intramuros. It’s one way to call the attention of the locals and the foreigners to get to know Filipino Culture and Heritage. Last October 20, Sunday we went to Intramuros to witness the Pasyal Intramuros for we got curious what they do in that fair. Kudus to the organizers they did a great job. We enjoyed the street music. Personally I love the performance of the T’boli tribe, they sing or chant what their feelings and thoughts at the moment. They express their thoughts, ideas and feelings thru music right there and then. The representatives of the Ivatan tribe were young ones, refreshing and encouraging seeing them helping their tribe to be known by introducing their local music. There are other singers and musicians showing their talents, street food, street marketers and a whole lot more.

What we regretted was we couldn’t watch the outdoor showing of, GHENGIS KHAN, the fully restored version, care of National Film Archives of the Philippines. Wished it was Saturday so we could stay longer and enjoy the fair. Nevertheless it was a great Sunday rediscovering and appreciating our culture thru Pasyal Intramuros. According to the organizer they would try to do it once a month. Hope you can come and enjoy the fun in this fair. Bring friends, family, kids and everybody that you can and experience the Pasyal Intramuros.

Philippine's Nationwide Holidays 2014

This morning I was looking for some deals for airfares. Then suddenly I thought of looking for the Holidays and observances for the year 2014. I found out from Official Gazette that the Malacañang Palace published already. So here are the dates:

January 1, 2014, Wednesday – New Year’s Day (Regular Holiday)

January 31, 2014, Friday – Chinese New Year (Special non-working day)

February 25, 2014, Tuesday – EDSA Revolution anniversary (Holiday for all schools)

April 9, 2014, Wednesday – Araw ng Kagitingan (Regular Holiday)

April 17, 2014 – Maundy Thursday (Regular Holiday)

April 18, 2014 – Good Friday (Regular Holiday)

April 19, 2014 – Black Saturday (Special non-working day)

May 1, 2014, Thursday – Labor Day (Regular Holiday)

June 12, 2014, Thursday – Independence Day (Regular Holiday)

August 21, 2014, Thursday – Ninoy Aquino Day (Special non-working day)

August 25, 2014, Monday – National Heroes Day (Regular Holiday)

November 1, 2014, Saturday – All Saints Day (Special non-working day)

November 30, 2014, Sunday – Bonifacio Day (Regular Holiday)

December 24, 2014, Wednesday – Additional special non-working day (Special non-working day)

December 25, 2014, Thursday – Christmas Day (Regular Holiday)

December 26, 2014, Friday – Additional special non-working day (Special non-working day)

December 30, 2014, Tuesday – Rizal Day (Regular Holiday)

December 31, 2014, Wednesday – Last day of the year (Special non-working day)

*Separate proclamations will be issued for the observance of Eid’l Fitr and Eidul Adha

Enjoy plotting and planning your vacation and trips. Have fun!

National Museum of the Philippines

The month of October is a National Museum of the Philippines month. In connection with the celebration all museums under the flagship of national museum are free of admission. Everybody is invited to come and rediscover our own heritage. It’s our time to get to know more our roots.  Understanding and appreciating the works of our forefathers will help us lead to where we should be. Have time to visit and see the beauty of our race. For the foreigners it’s your time too to come and appreciate why and how we are as Filipinos.

 

Free Gift Wrapping for Christmas Shopping

 As Yuletide Season is approaching, my sisters decided to shop earlier to avoid holiday rush. Last night we went to SM City Sucat Mall. We usually shop in that mall because that’s the most accessible shopping center for us.

It’s been years that we shop in there specially for Christmas shopping. One of the reasons is that their gift wrapping is free so that is convenient for us plus we can select what wrapper we want to. We have a huge family and for the immediate family alone it is a challenge.

All SM Malls have free gift wrapping regardless of the price. Lol so it’s more fun finding the suitable gifts for your love ones. Good luck to your Christmas shopping spree.

Ice cream with bread

It was weird for me to eat ice cream with bread. But a friend introduced it to me when I was in our hometown, at that time I didn't know that ice cream and bread are part of the street food that is being sold on the streets of Manila. Since then I eat it from time to time. What’s the weird food that you didn't try before that u love to eat now?

Villa del Prado Pool and Beach Resort-Sariaya, Quezon

We were sort of tight of budget for the summer because the airfare during peak seasons is high. We look for a fun in the outskirt of Manila, since it was summer time we looked for some fun in the beach. We’ve been to Sariaya, Quezon sometimes in 2008. This year our company too was looking for a nice location for our summer company outing. One of the organizers suggested Sariaya, luckily most of us agreed to have it there.

They found the Villa del Prado Pool and Beach Resort; it is located in Bignay I, Sariaya, and Quezon. It is in the southern part of Luzon. It is a resort, which has a combination of pool and beach. The good thing with this resort, everyone can bring a kid, because the kiddies’ pool is just two feet although of course at the restriction of the parents, while the adult pool is five to six feet plus it has a cyclone slide. The kids enjoyed the pool.

Kiddie pool

Adult Pool

Beach Area

We, adults were having fun in the beach. There are some activities too that one can does like, snorkeling, boating, seashells hunting, building sand castles etc. The water is not clear like the one we visited before. Along the shorelines there are some peddlers of souvenirs from key chain to native delicacies. This place is the best for those who are busy that cant take a vacation for days, just a day one can relax in this resort with a clean and fresh air.

Manila Bay Sunset

Manila Bay Sunset is one of the most beautiful and colorful sunsets. I’ve been trying to capture it but no time to stay and wait till the sun sets. One afternoon while we were walking from Manila Ocean Park, I was lucky to see the stunning Manila sunset in one of the best natural harbors in Southeast Asia and one of the finest in the world, Manila Bay. It is a must see when one is in Manila City, the capital of the Philippines. Experience and capture this wonderful view. One can even sail while the sun sets, there are cruise ships tour agencies that offer Manila Sunset Cruise. It is one way of enjoying the view while on cruise and having a snack or early dinner. Have fun!

Subic Bay Beach in Matain, Subic Bay, Zambales

Our company had a summer outing and we were supposed to be booked in a resort but when we were about to check in, in a resort our group couldn’t be accommodated because we were many around 150 persons. Since we had no deposit on that resort we chose to get the next private resort, not developed but enough to accommodate us. It has no much facility because it was under construction. It is the camaraderie that matters most.

There are many activities that nearby hotels offer like banana boat ride, jetski, boating, snorkeling, island hopping etc. What we tried was boating to enjoy the Subic Bay view; we passed by the White Castle Island, a manmade castle like structure, it is an island with sharp rock formations. The boatman tours us within the bay, showed the nice beaches nearby and other undisturbed shorelines.

The shoreline’s color varies from white to gray fine sand; its water is not as clear like in other parts of the country.

Nevertheless we enjoyed our stay; it was just a day of fun. 

  

White Castle Island