Father's Day at Crisostomo

For Father's Day, we decided to have lunch at Resorts World Manila since Karly will be coming from the airport.  Daddy is not a fan of international cuisine so we looked for a Filipino restaurant to celebrate his special day.  Crisostomo seemed like the best choice since it specializes in modern Filipino cuisine - perfect for mom and dad who love Filipino food and for us kids who are adventurous eaters.

Blue Team vs Red Team

After being seated, we were handed out MENUS.  Yes, that should be in caps because their menus are massive!  At first glance, these could pass for family photo albums!

25th at Club Balai Isabel

Growing up, I've always celebrated my birthday with my family.  Since it always falls on a holiday, we make it a point to go on out-of-town trips during my special day or the weekend closest to it - kind of like a last hurrah before school work starts.

Welcome to Club Balai Isabel!

This year, we decided to celebrate my birthday at Club Balai Isabel in Talisay, Batangas.  It's one of those beautiful resorts (and popular wedding destinations) strategically located around the Taal Lake.  This means you get a breathtaking view of the Taal Volcano for free during your entire stay.  It's a perfect weekend getaway for those who just want to relax and feel closer to nature.  The ambiance is so relaxing, it's tempting to sleep in all day or better yet, cool off in one of their three swimming pools.

Sagad sa Sagada: I survived!

Breakfast at Salt and Pepper

On the way back from Echo Valley, we couldn't decide if we should have breakfast at Masferre or stick to our itinerary and eat at Salt and Pepper.  After asking Kuya Gareth's (Kuya G from here on out just because it's easier to type) opinion, we opted for Salt and Pepper since it was near the SaGGAs office and we could settle our dues while waiting for our food.

Erin and I shared our food once again and this time, we had Mushroom and Cheese Omelet with an additional side order of Toast and Honey.  Plus, Hot Chocolate for me (not Mountain this time).  Our other friends ordered Tapsilog and Longsilog.  While waiting for our food, we played with the restaurant's puppy, Lucky.  He's so friendly, he reminded me of Kero-chan.  He kept on licking my hands and made me rub his belly.  Too cute!  But I had to stop petting him before my Hygienix runs out.

Kuya G dropped by with Kuya Kirky and told us that they have something for us.  We were all excited and joked that it was sweet of them to give us Kuya Kirky. HAHA   The real surprise?  Certificates for everyone!  We joked about receiving certificates during our spelunking adventure but I never thought they'd take it seriously.  All the activities we accomplished we're checked and it was even signed by all our tour guides.  Aww how sweet!  We had a little graduation/awarding ceremony and that kind of made it official.  We survived Sagada!

First row: At Salt and Pepper where our awarding ceremony was held.  Chos!  Second row: The proud graduates and Lucky, the fluffy and friendly dog.  Third row: Mayee and her new found love, Kuya Kevin.  Vanie and Mabel with their certificates.

Back to Salt and Pepper.  The food was delish!  The price range is between Php 100-150.  Unlike other restaurants in Sagada though, their servings are good for one.  Their honey was exceptionally good so we decided to order another batch of Toast and Honey.  And when that was still not enough, we bought bottles of their honey for us to take home.  Only for Php 150!

Sagad sa Sagada: Cloudy with a chance of sunrise

Before sunrise at Kiltepan Peak

What better way to start our last day in Sagada than waking up at 4 AM, right?  Surprisingly, we managed to drag ourselves out of bed and got ready in under 30 minutes while still half-asleep (I left the room without a jacket on while Vanie with her Havs on instead of her trusty Tribu sandals HAHA #bangag) all with the hope of catching the breathtaking sunrise at Kiltepan Peak.  Ansabe ng sakit ng katawan that we got from two days full of extreme activities??  As the boys put it, "Bakit kailangan pa mag-sunrise, araw-araw naman sumisikat ang araw?"  Sarap lang batukan, di ba?  Even with the boys' lack of enthusiasm, all the girls (except Rach) were still up for it and as expected, so is Kuya Gareth (Kuya G from now on, ok?).  He greeted us with an energetic and a bit loud "Good morning!!!" when he picked us up from Bagalima to which I responded with a weak smile and a nod.  I doubt if he even saw that but hey, that's the best I could do at 4:30 in the morning!

Front row seats, baby!

It was still dark outside as we made our way to Kiltepan Peak.  The air was chilly and perfect for sleeping in but after eating several pieces of mini mamons, I got my energy back.  When we got to the site, there were some people hanging out and having breakfast around a bonfire.  It seemed like a cool place to set up camp.  A few people were also already gathered by the viewing area but luckily, our tour guide knows his way through and led us to a free spot which I think is the best spot since we got front row seats to catch the sunrise.  We were literally sitting on the ledge of a rock.  I even overheard some tourist say, "Di ba delikado na dyan?" but after 3 days of being with our guides, I've learned to trust them.  Ngayon pa ba ako magdo-doubt?  After all, I owe them my life.

Sagad sa Sagada: The Climb

Sagada Challenge #2: Pongas Waterfalls

It might seem impossible to wake up at 6:30 AM after yesterday's spelunking adventure but surprisingly, all of us were able to get out of bed in time to grab some power breakfast at Yoghurt House.  Actually, I was up by 4 AM thanks to our neighbor whom I overheard talking loudly about how late it already was and how it was almost 7 AM. =.=  That woke me up pretty well.  Siya na ang late at 4 AM!

Power breakfast at Yoghurt House.  Sinong naka-racerback & board shorts at 7AM?  Blame it on the Hot Mountain Chocolate!

Due to the huge servings in Sagada, Erin and I decided to share our food.  We ordered one of their bestsellers, Hiker's Delight, which consists of a banana-filled crepe, toast, eggs and yoghurt with strawberries.  Some of them tried the Mountain Tea while I tried the Hot Mountain Chocolate.  Hiker's Delight was indeed delightful and really filling!  The Hot Mountain Chocolate drink, however, was bit of a downer.  At least for me.  I took a couple of sips and that was it.  That was enough to make me take my cardigan off!  They weren't kidding when they said it was extra hot.  Gumuguhit e, parang may alcohol!

Surprisingly, my favorite among our orders was Mabel's Tuna and Cheese Omelet.  It was soooooo good!  I wanted to finish the whole plate if I wasn't already full and if Mabel wasn't looking at me so threateningly.  Tip #14: Load up on carbs before doing any activity in Sagada.  You'll need it.

Sagad sa Sagada: All about facing your fears

Afraid of the dark?  Yep.  Terrified of heights?  Oh, yeah.  Claustrophobic?  You have no idea.  OC?  Definitely.  Control freak?  Absolutely.  So why in the world did I even sign up for cave connection?  Well, I'd like to believe my love for traveling and thirst for adventure are greater than my fears.  Or I don't know, maybe I'm just crazy and a certified kaladkarin.  Go lang ng go!

Caving vs Spelunking.  According to Kuya Gareth (Kuya G from now on just because it's easier to type) aka our resident Kuya Kim, both terms refer to exploring caves but the difference is: caving is done by professionals while spelunking is more like a hobby which is done by amateurs.  Like us.

Sagada Challenge #1: Cave Connection (Lumiang and Sumaging Caves)

May the odds be ever in our favor!  Fun fact: Several coffins have lizards engraved on them which symbolize long life and good fortune.

For cave connection, the starting point would be at Lumiang Cave and the exit point will be at Sumaging Cave.  The whole activity usually takes 4-6 hours depending on how many times you stop for photo ops.  Chos!  Seriously though, photo ops did take a lot of our time.  The usual ratio of guides to spelunkers is 1:4.  Since there are 12 of us in the group, I expected us to have 3-4 guides.  We were all surprised when we had 6 guides with us so that's 1:2.

You've been warned.

I finally finished my lengthy blog posts about our recent Sagada trip so this serves as a warning.  Promise, I tried to cut it down but the storyteller in me just won't shut up.  The upcoming posts are definitely tl;dr* worthy but hey, it's for documentation purposes so cut me some slack.  This blog serves as an extra page for me to write everything that won't fit in my teeny, tiny Filed planner.

To give this post a little more sense of purpose than just a warning, here's a teaser to my Sagad sa Sagada series which is a realization I've had saved in my e-mail drafts for quite a while:

So I just saw some photos from SaGGAs of their rescue operation of a spelunker who slipped in Sumaging Cave and suffered from hypothermia.  It sent chills down my spine (no pun intended) as I remembered my fall.  That FB post was enough for me to realize the gravity of the situation and how well our guides handled it.  It was another near-death experience for me right there.  Thank goodness, Kuya Kelvin acted quick enough and grabbed me by the hand before I crashed into the boulders waiting below.  Understandably, I will be forever grateful to him for saving my life.  And to God for always watching over me and for giving me another chance at life.  I hope the spelunker gets well soon.  Props to the guides of SaGGAs for being well-equipped and well-trained!

There you go.  Enjoy and brace yourselves for the upcoming flood!  Of blog posts that is.

*too long; didn't read

Magical.

That's my signature answer whenever someone asks me how it feels like to be 25.  It may not be true but I like the sound of it.  Honestly, nothing much has changed.  I still feel the same as I did before - still a little crazy.  And apparently, so are my friends!  Good to know I'm not alone.  Hah!

Balloons everywhere!  And I mean everywhere.

Last week, my favorite girls surprised me for my birthday - not only once but thrice!  And this time, it was different from all the other surprises they've pulled off.  They really stepped it up a notch.  Define unexpected!  I felt like I was in an episode of Ellen where the surprises just seem to never end!  Nakakatuwa na nakakatawa na nakakakaba.

Silver

Today, I'd like to say that I woke up feeling a little older and a little wiser but honestly, it didn't feel that way.  When I woke up, rain was pouring outside and all I could think of was how perfect it was.  Thank goodness, I was born on (Philippine) Independence Day which means every birthday* is a holiday.  I could do anything I want on my special day - I could even stay in bed for as long as I want to without feeling guilty.  But no, I didn't want this day to go to waste.  So I got out of bed and thanked God for another year.  Nothing beats the feeling of waking up and feeling thankful.  Just as the rain keeps pouring, the blessings just keep on coming.  So thank you, Lord, for another year!  And for your never-ending goodness and mercy.  So when does quarter-life crisis strike?  I hope it never hits me.  I'm 25 and loving life.

P.S.  This year, I MUST finally learn how to surf so I can call myself the silver surfer.  Chos! :))

* Well, except in 2007 when GMA and her holiday economics ruined the tradition.

Seeing This Century in this century

I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M FINALLY SEEING THIS CENTURY LIVE!!!!

I never thought this day would come.  At least not this soon.  I love these guys to death but I'd never thought they'd be this big in the country in such a short time!  I'm so proud of what they've achieved, I feel like crying.  And the fact that the Philippines is their first international show ever just makes me extremely happy and honored.  So yeah, I'm seeing This Century in this century.  See you later Joel, Sean, Alex and Ryan!

Catch This Century together with We Are The In Crowd and Set Your Goals tomorrow night (June 2) at Smart Araneta Coliseum.  The show starts at 8PM but gates open at 6PM.  Tickets still available at Ticketnet outlets.  Many thanks to Pulp Live World, Karpos Multimedia and Bazooka Rocks for making this possible.  Such a great start to my birth month!