last night, someone.. or a few others, we don't know for sure, managed to get inside the bedrooms on the 2nd floor of my parents' house and stole my mom's jewelry box and 1,750usd. this was between 5-7pm, with my mom and dad and lilia just downstairs, with my mom facebooking (as usual), lilia cooking and daddy sleeping (as usual). *sighs* so friggin scary.
i thought our house was as secure as fort knox. and almost someone is awake 24/7. dad wakes up in an ungodly hour of 4am.. mom sleeps at 1am. we think they got in from the back gate and climbed the watertank tower to get to the roof. The aircon was pushed in the 2nd bedroom upstairs, which ate ging and i used to share. the aircon in our parent's room had grills surrounding it, which we've never thought of putting one in our room, for reasons we can only speculate and regret why.
at least everyone's safe. we imagine that person must have had a weapon, to be so bold in breaking in a house that obviously had people inside. what if mom or dad went up to get something whilst the intruder was still there? *shudders*
lesson to be learned from this story?
1. don't keep money in your house. (my mom should've known better.. because it was an odd amount, she was waiting for 200 or so dollars to magically appear for her so it'll be 2k usd before she deposits it.. as if that was a minimum amount or something. it wasn't. she already had a dollar account. now it's goneeeeeee.)
2. put friggin grills on the aircon holes in your house.
3. wear your wedding and engagement rings. my engagement ring was one of the unfortunate consequences of the burglary. *sighs* so sorry pangs.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
...subic trip
for nanay's birthday, we went to subic last jan 24-25. the new highway to subic was excellent (SCTEX) and from Meycauyan, it only took us 2 hours to reach subic. mountains were literally cut down to half to make way for the new road. the roads were so smooth, i had to tell raymond every so often to keep it under 120kph cause we weren't wearing any seatbelts at the back. tsug was relatively well behaved during the car ride, it also helped that we played the Gymboree CD in the car. By the end of our trip everyone of us had the songs stuck in our head. (*sing gymboreeee.. sing gymboreee*)
riding with Gymbo the clown
first stop, ocean adventure. basically there's nothing to see in ocean adventure except for shows. the dolphin, sea lion and some other show involving some snakes. there was a small aquarium, which tsug appreciated. since it was tsug's nap time already, the only show i saw were these 2 caucasians in penguin suits jumping up and down from a trampoline and the host cracking jokes like "anong fish ang marunong mag martial arts?", "tila-PYA!".
squinting under the harsh afternoon sun; got there around 1130ish
ish!! ish!!
tsug had his afternoon nap so i wasn't able to see the dolphin show, but nanay and the rest of them were able to watch.
flying high @dolphin show
the hotel (Lighthouse Hotel) also was a bit of a disappointment. didn't know why it was highly recommended in TripAdvisor. it was extremely overpriced for such a small room (we booked Aqua Veranda). i was expecting a suite at least. the balcony was tiny, though the view was really fantastic.
still, the most i'll pay for this room is 6k, 7k would be pushing it. so not worth it. if there's a next time in subic, we'll check out the Segara Villas.
view in front of the hotel
hotel facade
with nanay
tsug at the bathtub. see the small room? this is it. and a very small balcony that just fits 2 people.
after we checked out the next day, we went to Zoobic, which made our entire Subic trip worth it. firstly, it was a guided tour, so you're not wandering at the zoo by yourself. plus there was a tram ride, and the tiger ride where a guide takes a raw chicken and feeds the tiger through the jeep's grilled windows. very exciting! you can actually touch the tiger if you were suicidal or something. tsug was sleeping at first, but i just had to wake him up when we reached the mini petting zoo. tsug very much liked touching the sheep and deer.. and even bottle fed the deer some milk.
zoobic main entrance
zoobic train
tsug feeding the bear cat
it's bambi!
still not tired of camels
more animals; tsug still sleeping at stokke, had to wake him up; inside the tiger jeep ride
definitely the highlight of our trip
Really enjoyed zoobic, can return there when tsug is much older!
riding with Gymbo the clown
first stop, ocean adventure. basically there's nothing to see in ocean adventure except for shows. the dolphin, sea lion and some other show involving some snakes. there was a small aquarium, which tsug appreciated. since it was tsug's nap time already, the only show i saw were these 2 caucasians in penguin suits jumping up and down from a trampoline and the host cracking jokes like "anong fish ang marunong mag martial arts?", "tila-PYA!".
squinting under the harsh afternoon sun; got there around 1130ish
ish!! ish!!
tsug had his afternoon nap so i wasn't able to see the dolphin show, but nanay and the rest of them were able to watch.
flying high @dolphin show
the hotel (Lighthouse Hotel) also was a bit of a disappointment. didn't know why it was highly recommended in TripAdvisor. it was extremely overpriced for such a small room (we booked Aqua Veranda). i was expecting a suite at least. the balcony was tiny, though the view was really fantastic.
still, the most i'll pay for this room is 6k, 7k would be pushing it. so not worth it. if there's a next time in subic, we'll check out the Segara Villas.
view in front of the hotel
hotel facade
with nanay
tsug at the bathtub. see the small room? this is it. and a very small balcony that just fits 2 people.
after we checked out the next day, we went to Zoobic, which made our entire Subic trip worth it. firstly, it was a guided tour, so you're not wandering at the zoo by yourself. plus there was a tram ride, and the tiger ride where a guide takes a raw chicken and feeds the tiger through the jeep's grilled windows. very exciting! you can actually touch the tiger if you were suicidal or something. tsug was sleeping at first, but i just had to wake him up when we reached the mini petting zoo. tsug very much liked touching the sheep and deer.. and even bottle fed the deer some milk.
zoobic main entrance
zoobic train
tsug feeding the bear cat
it's bambi!
still not tired of camels
more animals; tsug still sleeping at stokke, had to wake him up; inside the tiger jeep ride
definitely the highlight of our trip
Really enjoyed zoobic, can return there when tsug is much older!
Saturday, February 06, 2010
...new year's eve at vieux chalet, antipolo
first time for us to celebrate the new year outside our homes.. i was mostly concerned about tsug and the noise and smoke which will be inevitably created by our neighbors so i looked for somewhere near enough (where daddy will agree to go) but far enough from all the hoopla.. hence, vieux chalet in antipolo.
mommy actually knows mrs. susan hassig, the owner, from remai or common friends (i'm not so sure) and i wanted to try the swiss food. i've seen my highschool classmate's blog about the place, and she wrote great reviews so we were set. we were a party of 8 adults, and 1 makulit baby so we occupied all 3 rooms.
our pink room; never leave the house without one of tsug's toys
can't survive without tv!
the rooms were small but cosy, each with a tiny toilet with a bathtub. the small bathtub was actually pretty nice, one side was reclined so it was surprisingly comfortable to lie in. two of the rooms were on the 2nd floor, each with a balcony. the 3rd room had a japanese theme, the bed on a wooden platform complete with stones on the side. it didn't have a balcony but it had a huge window overlooking the city lights.
outside was a well maintained garden, daybed and a small swimming pool. we didn't really feel like swimming, i'm sure it would be friggin cold.
day bed shot
outdoors
swimming pool; jacuzzi
sunset view from the balcony
the room rate was around 6k for 2 persons, including dinner OR breakfast. we got it for a discounted rate of 15k for the 3 rooms and dinner for 8.
my only shot at the restaurant
herb rice and osso bucco
the meal included seemed promising at first,.. soup, salad and carbonara.. then the main courses were osso bucco, lamb shoulder and this salmon thingie. (forgot the name) and carrot cake with ice cream for dessert .. sounds plenty right? problem was the main courses were just a plate each so i guess i ate about a spoonful for each of them. the salmon only had 2 thin slices and it was served family style so i guess we had to do a 'miracle of the bread' of some sort on that one. the dessert, a square piece of carrot cake and ice cream, came with two spoons per serving so that means two had to share. my husband ordered a separate dessert for me cause i had to go back to the room and nurse tsugtsug to sleep and i was very thankful cause that made my stomach full. (i was still hungry before that) the serving really wasn't enough for 8 adults, i was wondering to myself if a party of five would only have one slice of salmon included.. but i have a weird feeling this is what they serve whatever the number of guests are so it was just bad luck that we were 8. (if we were 6, it would've been just right). the food tasted great though, whatever little i had of it hehe.
i was hoping this would become a yearly tradition for us but i might have a hard time to convince my sisters and husband to go again. maybe we'll try seven suites next time. (also located in antipolo).
the view was fantastic though. it was like a warzone of fireworks, which started as early as 10pm.. there was one rich village (probably corinthian gardens) which had fireworks nonestop. tsug fell asleep through the chaos, and we played Taboo while waiting for midnight. we also ordered some pasta and we brought cake for our noche buena.
at our rooms' balcony.. just woke up daddy here
ate chary and mommy.. that's part of ate chary's wedding cake!
happy 2010!!!!
since we opted for the free dinner instead of the breakfast, we went to the town proper and ate at Jollibee the next day!! (or you can have breakfast at the inn for 720php, good for 2 pax)
first meal of 2010
oh yes, iced tea. minsan lang naman eh!
happy new year!
mommy actually knows mrs. susan hassig, the owner, from remai or common friends (i'm not so sure) and i wanted to try the swiss food. i've seen my highschool classmate's blog about the place, and she wrote great reviews so we were set. we were a party of 8 adults, and 1 makulit baby so we occupied all 3 rooms.
our pink room; never leave the house without one of tsug's toys
can't survive without tv!
the rooms were small but cosy, each with a tiny toilet with a bathtub. the small bathtub was actually pretty nice, one side was reclined so it was surprisingly comfortable to lie in. two of the rooms were on the 2nd floor, each with a balcony. the 3rd room had a japanese theme, the bed on a wooden platform complete with stones on the side. it didn't have a balcony but it had a huge window overlooking the city lights.
outside was a well maintained garden, daybed and a small swimming pool. we didn't really feel like swimming, i'm sure it would be friggin cold.
day bed shot
outdoors
swimming pool; jacuzzi
sunset view from the balcony
the room rate was around 6k for 2 persons, including dinner OR breakfast. we got it for a discounted rate of 15k for the 3 rooms and dinner for 8.
my only shot at the restaurant
herb rice and osso bucco
the meal included seemed promising at first,.. soup, salad and carbonara.. then the main courses were osso bucco, lamb shoulder and this salmon thingie. (forgot the name) and carrot cake with ice cream for dessert .. sounds plenty right? problem was the main courses were just a plate each so i guess i ate about a spoonful for each of them. the salmon only had 2 thin slices and it was served family style so i guess we had to do a 'miracle of the bread' of some sort on that one. the dessert, a square piece of carrot cake and ice cream, came with two spoons per serving so that means two had to share. my husband ordered a separate dessert for me cause i had to go back to the room and nurse tsugtsug to sleep and i was very thankful cause that made my stomach full. (i was still hungry before that) the serving really wasn't enough for 8 adults, i was wondering to myself if a party of five would only have one slice of salmon included.. but i have a weird feeling this is what they serve whatever the number of guests are so it was just bad luck that we were 8. (if we were 6, it would've been just right). the food tasted great though, whatever little i had of it hehe.
i was hoping this would become a yearly tradition for us but i might have a hard time to convince my sisters and husband to go again. maybe we'll try seven suites next time. (also located in antipolo).
the view was fantastic though. it was like a warzone of fireworks, which started as early as 10pm.. there was one rich village (probably corinthian gardens) which had fireworks nonestop. tsug fell asleep through the chaos, and we played Taboo while waiting for midnight. we also ordered some pasta and we brought cake for our noche buena.
at our rooms' balcony.. just woke up daddy here
ate chary and mommy.. that's part of ate chary's wedding cake!
happy 2010!!!!
since we opted for the free dinner instead of the breakfast, we went to the town proper and ate at Jollibee the next day!! (or you can have breakfast at the inn for 720php, good for 2 pax)
first meal of 2010
oh yes, iced tea. minsan lang naman eh!
happy new year!
Friday, February 05, 2010
...freaking out
i just left tsug on his own at his playgroup.. it's just for an hour and a half but i'm so nervous my legs could barely support me while i crossed the street back to our house.. i can't breathe properly and i think i'm having palpitations lol. i actually left him crying cause he saw me go out of the room but when the teacher carried him he kinda settled down.
i tried to read to get my mind off him but it's no use. hence the instant blogging. i haven't done this for a long time, i usually only blog with a topic in mind. or i actually plan when i'll blog.. i guess this is the perks of having an hour for myself. i called pangs and i was stuttering and saying weird no-sense stuff like "is your office address a direct line?" wahahaha.
i'm currently trying to read LA Candy by Lauren Conrad.. the previous star of the reality tv show The Hills (my guilty pleasure) before she left the show and left bitchy Kristin Cavalliari to fill in her spot.. i'm happy to report that the ratings have been down since she left hehe.. the hills just isn't the same without LC and with only evil couple Heidi and Spencer to run the show, let's just say i've had enough of Heidi's surgically enhanced face and body to last me a lifetime.
(frick i just hit some button that almost made me lose this post. thank god for autosave in blogger. maybe typing this in our laptop with missing keys (tsugtsug's doing) with my hands are shaking is not a good idea)
i think i'll go back to the daycare now.. it's been a whole 30 minutes. lol.
i tried to read to get my mind off him but it's no use. hence the instant blogging. i haven't done this for a long time, i usually only blog with a topic in mind. or i actually plan when i'll blog.. i guess this is the perks of having an hour for myself. i called pangs and i was stuttering and saying weird no-sense stuff like "is your office address a direct line?" wahahaha.
i'm currently trying to read LA Candy by Lauren Conrad.. the previous star of the reality tv show The Hills (my guilty pleasure) before she left the show and left bitchy Kristin Cavalliari to fill in her spot.. i'm happy to report that the ratings have been down since she left hehe.. the hills just isn't the same without LC and with only evil couple Heidi and Spencer to run the show, let's just say i've had enough of Heidi's surgically enhanced face and body to last me a lifetime.
(frick i just hit some button that almost made me lose this post. thank god for autosave in blogger. maybe typing this in our laptop with missing keys (tsugtsug's doing) with my hands are shaking is not a good idea)
i think i'll go back to the daycare now.. it's been a whole 30 minutes. lol.
Monday, February 01, 2010
...tagaytay trip
i've been to tagaytay numerous times before but it was always just a day trip.. last dec 21, we decided to stay for 2 nights and soak up some cold weather...and gawd, it was really cold!
there wasn't much traffic and we made it in sonya's garden in 2 hours.. last time we went at sonya's was when we both took a "sick" leave from work back in 2005.. without our own transport. that was an adventure by itself. anyway, this time around we had my parent's car and tsugtsug in a car seat so the travel was pretty easy. sonya's had some pretty awesome renovation done, a bigger dining hall and a panaderia.
tsug liked the food! maybe because there's a lot of variety.. he ate the eggs, pop nuts, even the olives!; winning smile
what's with the face tsug?; no photo op is complete in sonya's garden without the 'daybed shot'
next stop was to check in to our hotel, discovery country suites. i'm a fervent tripadvisor.com reader and this was the #1 hotel recommended in tagaytay, and we weren't disappointed. with just 7 rooms, service was really personalized and i liked the extras included with the stay.. like the welcome fruit basket, fresh welcome drinks (hate hotels who just give iced teas or flavored juices), free wine and cheese in the afternoon and best of all was the warm milk and cookies before bedtime! they put the milk in a thermos so it was still hot when i was finally able to drink it after nursing tsug to sleep.
our room; tsug already sleeping; welcome drinks; thick, fluffy slippers
after tsug's afternoon nap, we went to residence inn where they had a mini zoo. it was tsug's first time to see so many different animals up close and i was surprised by his enthusiasm! he kept on pointing to the animals and making "eh eh!" sounds (lol).
despite the sorry state of the playground (at least there's one!), tsug still had a ball.
tsug likes animals! he kept on pointing on each one, i had to keep him away from the ostrich.
evolution of the species
had dinner at pancake house (love that place! their high chairs include the table so it was easier for us to feed tsug and servings are huge) and that was the end of day 1.
day 2 we went to paradizoo in the morning. it wasn't really much of zoo, but a farm, with sheep, pigs and chickens. but i did see a llama! it wasn't that well maintained but there was still some construction going on so i guess there's hope. we've been to zoobic (in subic, same owners of paradizoo and residence inn apparently) and that was much much nicer (more on zoobic on another post)
scary geese! they follow you and bite you! ; miniature horse
counting the chickens; piglets ; herb garden - showed this to daddy so we can do something similar in our farmliit in paenaan;
corny christmas tree
lunch time we met up with my folks and ate ging and her husband chad. we ate at firelake grill located inside the Cliffhouse@tagaytay. food was okay. i had a steak, but for a steakhouse, it wasn't really exceptional. it was a bit tough and bland. anyway, after lunch we all went to the hotel where ate ging and chad will also be staying that night. they were staying at the oxford suite and it was huuuge. the toilet was really big that when we were checking out the room, we all gathered in the toilet and mommy didn't realize that she was eating inside the toilet until i pointed it out to her.
firelake grill at cliffhouse
back at the hotel:
room service
bubble time with my sister, ate ging
happy!
there wasn't much traffic and we made it in sonya's garden in 2 hours.. last time we went at sonya's was when we both took a "sick" leave from work back in 2005.. without our own transport. that was an adventure by itself. anyway, this time around we had my parent's car and tsugtsug in a car seat so the travel was pretty easy. sonya's had some pretty awesome renovation done, a bigger dining hall and a panaderia.
tsug liked the food! maybe because there's a lot of variety.. he ate the eggs, pop nuts, even the olives!; winning smile
what's with the face tsug?; no photo op is complete in sonya's garden without the 'daybed shot'
next stop was to check in to our hotel, discovery country suites. i'm a fervent tripadvisor.com reader and this was the #1 hotel recommended in tagaytay, and we weren't disappointed. with just 7 rooms, service was really personalized and i liked the extras included with the stay.. like the welcome fruit basket, fresh welcome drinks (hate hotels who just give iced teas or flavored juices), free wine and cheese in the afternoon and best of all was the warm milk and cookies before bedtime! they put the milk in a thermos so it was still hot when i was finally able to drink it after nursing tsug to sleep.
our room; tsug already sleeping; welcome drinks; thick, fluffy slippers
after tsug's afternoon nap, we went to residence inn where they had a mini zoo. it was tsug's first time to see so many different animals up close and i was surprised by his enthusiasm! he kept on pointing to the animals and making "eh eh!" sounds (lol).
despite the sorry state of the playground (at least there's one!), tsug still had a ball.
tsug likes animals! he kept on pointing on each one, i had to keep him away from the ostrich.
evolution of the species
had dinner at pancake house (love that place! their high chairs include the table so it was easier for us to feed tsug and servings are huge) and that was the end of day 1.
day 2 we went to paradizoo in the morning. it wasn't really much of zoo, but a farm, with sheep, pigs and chickens. but i did see a llama! it wasn't that well maintained but there was still some construction going on so i guess there's hope. we've been to zoobic (in subic, same owners of paradizoo and residence inn apparently) and that was much much nicer (more on zoobic on another post)
scary geese! they follow you and bite you! ; miniature horse
counting the chickens; piglets ; herb garden - showed this to daddy so we can do something similar in our farmliit in paenaan;
corny christmas tree
lunch time we met up with my folks and ate ging and her husband chad. we ate at firelake grill located inside the Cliffhouse@tagaytay. food was okay. i had a steak, but for a steakhouse, it wasn't really exceptional. it was a bit tough and bland. anyway, after lunch we all went to the hotel where ate ging and chad will also be staying that night. they were staying at the oxford suite and it was huuuge. the toilet was really big that when we were checking out the room, we all gathered in the toilet and mommy didn't realize that she was eating inside the toilet until i pointed it out to her.
firelake grill at cliffhouse
back at the hotel:
room service
bubble time with my sister, ate ging
happy!
