My Thank You's for 2013 -12/31/2013

It's the end of the year again. So ill be listing my top 13 highlights for the year. 13 lang since 2013 naman ngayon. :)

To start off my list :
#13. Community & social works :)
Some of the best things to do is to reach out to our neighbors in need
Tahanan ng Pagmamahal (Orphanage for girls) - 1/11/2013
School Supplies Sharing for Dumagats in Calawis, Antipolo - 6/3/2013
Outreach with Victory Ortigas - 8/4/2013
Gawad Kalinga Build - 8/26/2013
GK Relief Operations at DAR -11/16 & 23/2013

#12. Videoke Nights 
Hey Girls Reunion at my place - 3/17/2013
Red Box with office friends/ Pantals - 7/30/2013

#11. Night Outs & Dinner Dates with Family and Friends 
This was the ultimate dining year. Ate at a lot of different restaurants with friends, officemates, and family. Some of the memorable ones are :
It takes a Man and a Woman with Lyssa and Daddy - 4/12/2013
My Birthday at Cafe Juanita - 9/8/2013
Shopping Date with Czari - 12/3/2013

Then my top 10 are mostly my travel trips (except one).

#10. Nagsasa Cove- 5/11-12/2013

9. Rizal Adventure with Den and Nheri - 12/29/2013

8. Taal Lake Trekking -4/13-14/2013

7. Enchanted Kingdom & Nuvali - 11/13/2013

6. Mama's 80th Birthday - 11/2/2013

5. HongKong Trip - 12/4-7/2013

4. Farm at San Mateo Highlands 4/6-7/2013

3. Norte Trip - 12/22-26/2013

2. Treetop Adventure Treat - 2/2-3/2013

1. MICECON Davao - 3/6-9/2013


Sinong nagsabi na malas ang 2013?! Sa dami ng nangyari, there's still MORE great things that happened.

Goodbye and thank you, 2013! and hello 2014! :)

Love, me. :)

We Conquered Taal Volcano!

4.13-14, 2013

We were supposed to go to a relative in Pangasinan but the plan was cancelled. Since we're on vacation mode already, mommy decided to plan a Taal Volcano Trekking instead.

We left home for Tagaytay last Saturday night. Good thing we have an Aunt who has a rest house in Tagaytay Country Homes 3, so we had a free accommodation! :)

The next morning, around 7am, we went straight to Taal Lake Yacht Club for our boat ride going to the Taal Crater. 

This is Taal Lake Yacht Club. One of the attractions here is the Hobie. There's a  competition for this held here too.
We've inquired that a Hobie rental is P3,800 unlimited use for one day. Too bad this was not part of our itinerary. But next time, I want to try sailing this Hobie cat! 

Our boat ride to Taal (You can book this boat ride to Taal Crater at the TLYC priced also at P3,800 per boat with a capacity of 4-5pax, with tour guide per boat and Lunch meal at TLYC included).

Arrival at the shores of the Taal Volcano. I advice you to put sunblock, bring shades and cap, and lots of water. 

Trekking up. To make the trip more adventurous, we chose not to ride horses! We trekked to the crater.

Pictures at the View Deck!

 

 We really enjoyed drinking Buko Juice. One fresh buko juice is P50.

Resting at the view deck

Since we want to make the trip really worth it, we decided to treck down the crater inside the volcano to have a feel of the lake.

On the crater. We were supposed to swim but the water was too hot since it's summer (almost boiling) so we decided not to have a dip. But the view was very beautiful. I can't believe we're standing inside the volcano!

Trekking up was difficult. I even had blurred visions and almost fainted due to the heat (so I cheated and rode the horse). FYI. Horse rate was at P500-750 whether you rented them full board or half way only.

Lunch at Taal Lake Yacht Club

 

We ate home-cooked Filipino food like Fried Tawilis, Sinigang na Bangus and Inihaw na Pusit! We ate a LOT!

Satisfied with the food and the trip!

Finally, we took a shower at our Auntie's house and rested. Around 7:30 pm, we left Tagaytay and went back home. It's better to leave Tagaytay a little later on a Sunday to avoid traffic.

It was a tiring, but fun and once in a lifetime experience. A great bonding moment with family and relatives. We conquered TAAL VOLCANO! 

Till my next stop!

Shainey

Treetop Adventure, SUBIC - 2/2/13

During the gift-giving season of Christmas, there are times when we ran out of ideas of what gift to give to our loved ones. So for now, I wanna share with you a very priceless gift I gave my family. :)

A famous quote/ saying is that : the best gift you can give someone is your time

So.. I planned to give them a great family experience they can remember and look back to. :) I bought seven tickets from Treetop Adventure Subic so all of us can try out their cool activities together. I've been wanting to go there but didn't have the opportunity until now. Definitely, it is a great way for us to be complete and together- even for just one day. :)

I made an improvised GC which I gave them during our gift giving time last Christmas. In case they'll lose the copy, it's okay because I kept all the real Treetop Adventure Tickets). Disclaimer : These gift certificates were NOT from Treetop Adventure; just a personal "invitation" I designed and packaged for my family and that's it. No intention of harming, replacing/ changing their standard gift certificates :P)

My personalized gc - with our family picture on the background <3

Since our schedule didn't match for February 10, 2013. We moved the date on February 3. And to add more excitement, we decided to check in a hotel in Subic! I arranged this for them as well :))

We left home on the 2nd of Feb (Saturday) around 8pm for Olongapo. It's around 2 hours drive from home. :)

Thank you, SCTEX for the smooth and convenient journey we had

We arrived at Subic International Hotel around 10:30pm for some rest and sleep.

My siblings and I shared one room. :)) Sweet. :)

The next morning, we ate breakfast in the hotel (included in the package).

Then we went shopping at Puregold Duty Free! Got great finds in there. We even bought new water glasses! :)

Saraaap!

We also strolled along other duty free shops there. I actually splurged some money for a good quality rubber shoes from the Nike Outlet Store. (I used it for Treetop already. Haha :) )

After the shopping, we had lunch at Magic Lagoon. It was my treat!

View from our dining table

A complete family picture

Yummy grilled Pusit! :)

 

Finally, our last destination and the highlight of the trip : TREETOP ADVENTURE!!!

CANOPY RIDE

TREKKING with Basic Survival Demo

My monkey brother :)

SUPERMAN RIDE

It feels like we're really flying! :)

INTERACTIVE FREEFALL

Your heart will really fall! </3

SILVER SURFER ADVENTURE

and last but definitely not the least: 

TREEDROP ADVENTURE!!!

THIS WILL REALLY MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE ON A FREE FALL.
Conquer this and it's a great achievement ever! :))

So there!
The trip was a great experience! Great for nature lovers. Great for family bonding. Great for some real adventure and adrenaline rush!!! Most especially the Treedrop Adventure. :)) Plus it can be availed at a package deal, and the location is not very far from Manila. A highly recommended place for a quick escape from the city.

We finished all the activities around 6pm. Then we had our dinner at the expressway and went home. It was a short but fun-filled weekend. It was definitely a highlight for my 2013 :)

Shaine

Kuya Anton's Special Surprise Party - 1/11/13

I was asked by my friend Micha if I'm free on the 11th of January (Friday) because she's organizing a small event/ party. The idea was great and selfless; and for instances like that, I was more than willing to be part of it.

What : Surprise party for Kuya Anton (the boyfriend of Micha's older sister)
Theme : Barrio Fiesta
Time : 7:00-9:00pm
Invited Guests : Abcede Family : Micha, Ate Mela, Ate Karen and Mommy Sally; Rabbi (photographer), me (assistant host/ tech/photog), and of course : the Tahanan ng Pagmamahal Family (currently, there are 18 kids in this home - all girls with age ranging from 6-21 years old) together with their guardians.
So this was what happened :

Jan 9 : Micha went to Divisoria to buy prizes and giveaways for the games. Then we met for dinner later that night so she can explain to me what will happen.

Micha's checklist

January 11, 2013

I arrived around 6:30pm. Micha was at the back door preparing for the props. When I entered the front door of the house, I was welcomed by the kids: they asked my name, held my hand and invited me inside; others automatically extended their arms and hugged me right there on the spot. I tell you, it's the warmest welcome I've ever experienced in my life (I'm not exaggerating). Your heart will really melt when you meet these kids. <3

Then we had a dry run/ briefing about the plan. The children also participated in the surprise. All the kids hold party poppers, confetti, and torotot while the lights were off. Then as Kuya Anton and Ate Karen entered the house around 7:00pm, the lights were opened and everyone shouted and greeted him a happy birthday. There was a candle/ cake blowing, then and afterwards, it was meal time. :)

Kuya Anton, Ate Karen and the kids

Micha with the cake

After dinner, Micha and I, plus ate Mela prepared the games for the kids

Newspaper Dance

A Fiesta will not be complete without the traditional Pabitin

The girls prepared a Gangnam Style dance number. Cool!

Then they sang a special song for us :>

Kuya Anton thanked everyone for the surprise

Loot bag give aways + kiss from the birthday celebrant! haha

*One of the best things you can experience here is their warm hugs. They do not need material things, they need our TIME, specifically our smiles and our hugs in return. <3 :">

The kids with the celebrant and ate Karen. They are all lovely. :)

They are the sweetest angels you can meet here on earth. :) Imagine, they welcome complete strangers in their home and they treat them like their family. Rarely can you experience or see anything like this. 

When you are with them, you will not feel left behind because they will talk to you, and they show real affection like a sister/ daughter. Having the opportunity to be with them is a blessing. 

I couldn't thank Micha enough because she invited me and introduced me to these kids. I know they may not have real parents beside them, but they are raised up well here. I pray that they will all grow up, finish their studies, be able to fulfill their own dreams and be successful in life. They may have little things but they brought a great impact on me. They can touch people's hearts. They deserve to be blessed even more. I hope they will not feel lonely or sad; instead, I hope that they be filled with love from the people who visit them.

I felt light and very happy after this day. I am very inspired because of these children. I hope more people can know about them and find time to be with them. More than material things, they would appreciate our presence.

It's definitely a worthwhile experience. :))

Shaine