Hello! Ilocos Norte! – Day 3

One word I was most excited for today — WATER; be it from water coming atop the mountain or the northernmost body of water of the Philippines, I definitely soaked up the sun! As we would be facing a very busy day, we woke up before 7:00 AM, barely an hour to prepare before leaving Laoag City to go northward to Bangui and Pagudpud.

Locating ourselves in the map on the way to Bangui

Driving to Bangui, we had to stop several times because I have been enthusiastically oriented by Mon’s family members to several famous spots, as well as momentary glimpses of both the West Philippine Sea (see what I did there =D) and the Luzon Strait. When we were already in Bangui, I was in complete awe to see the windmills. I knew beforehand that they were big but they were much bigger in person than I had expected!

Finally beholding the magnificent Bangui Windmills

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Hello! Ilocos Norte! – Day 1

I have never been to Ilocos Norte and I was very happy to be invited by Mon to stay in the place where he grew up. According to him, it was approximately a 9-hour night trip and I knew that Bonamine would be my best friend again. We arrived in Fariñas Bus Transit near UST, Manila because our bus was scheduled to leave in exactly 9:00 PM.

We were seated directly behind the driver and we had enough leg room to even put our bags on the floor. It was at Php 750 per person because they had an on-board comfort room! No more waiting for the stop over. It was difficult to sleep, though, because I was really suspicious of the people getting in and out of the bus. I fear for the sake of the duffle bag on the overhead compartment.

Laoag Bound - Fariñas Bus Transit

Around quarter to 6:00 AM, we arrived in Fariñas Terminal in Laoag City, where we were met by Mon’s aunt, who will be accompanying us to the house. The air was so cold and FRESH that the difference between city and rural atmosphere could not be starker.

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Ready for the longest bus ride of my life!

 

I haven’t posted anything in days even if I wanted to. I was so preoccupied with fixing photos and prepping the items I’d be selling on Ebay. I decided to finally start selling internationally and hoping against all odds not to have an unpleasant experience in doing so. But of course, Ebay has been teeming with lots of scammers (yes, some buyers are scammers too!), I’ve been extra cautious.

Anyway, we will be finally going to Ilocos Norte today and I was just waiting for Mon to arrive at our house before we leave. It took me several hours to make up my mind what to bring in what would possibly be the longest bus ride of my life! If I’m not mistaken, the trip will take almost 10 hours! When we went to Zambales last September, the trip one way was about 8 hours and I had a constant case of “Are we there yet?” for each latter half of the trip.

Hot mess known as packing

 

I’m so excited to go to Pagudpud and also to swim in a river! I Just realized that I only have a pair of board shorts since I don’t really go to the beach a lot, so my gray and white pair will have a repeat performance again. =D I had to prevent myself from constantly packing unnecessary  things I won’t be using (i.e. clothes) but I think I had it easier now than our last trip (to Seoul, where I brought lots of junk).

 

Ready for the longest bus ride of my life --- Givenchy duffle luggage, black Prada nylon messenger, Prada saffiano trick and a camera tripod

 

It was hard to leave the tripod behind, even if it could no longer fit into the luggage bag. I wanted to take good pictures of our trip, and I don’t have the most stable camera hands to yield non-out-of-focus shots. I would just have to carry it freely because I also wanted to try photographing the night sky, free from light pollution!

We will arrive tomorrow at around 6:00 AM in Laoag and we will be staying there until Tuesday night. Most of Mon’s family are already there, and I can’t wait to see the place where he grew up. Manila, see you on Wednesday! =D

2013 Travel Plans: PHILIPPINES!

Contrary to past years when we planned our travels outside the country, Mon and I have already worked on our trips within the Philippines until November. It might be long overdue but it is time to go around the country more frequently than before. =D

2013 travel plans in the Philippines

For the end of this month, I will be going with Mon’s family to Laoag, Ilocos Norte and I look forward seeing the Bangui Windmills, swimming in Pagudpud and, most of all, bathing in a river since I haven’t done such activity in almost two decades. When I was still young and we just moved in Marikina in early 90s, we had to chance to bathe in the river for several summers. It was a highlight of our summer vacation and we, little kids in the area, had a blast chasing each other in the clear water of the Marikina River. Well, due to the increasing number of subdivisions upstream (e.g. Montalban), as well as population explosion, our waters became murky and muddy. And to experience swimming in a river again, I have to go to Ilocos Norte and I will surely be taking lots of photos.

Then in July, I will finally bring Mama to Puerto Princesa because she had been hinting how much she wanted to visit the Underground River. Well, the original plan was to bring Mon’s mother to Hong Kong with us, but as his youngest sister would definitely throw a fit within those few days, the most feasible thing to do was just go somewhere here in the Philippines and tag her along. Everyone, then, will be happy!

But October, well, is a different story. Last Tuesday, Faye and I had been talking over plans to travel together outside company-initiated trips because we were hoping we could at least go somewhere before we leave the company soon. LOL Then on a whim, we booked tickets to Kalibo via Zest Air, along with Mon and seven other officemates for a few days in Boracay.

I never thought there would be a problem with this arrangement but apparently, this Friday morning had its dose of surprises. Last Monday, my sister informed me that my brother’s wedding will be slated on October 26 as it was aligned with the day of their (brother and fiancée) anniversary. So I was then confident with booking on an October 12 trip with my friends on the seat sale. Then over breakfast this morning, I was informed that it was moved to October 12 instead, because there were no available/good schedules for the 26th. O_O

The wedding will be at 4:00 PM in October 12 and there’s no way we can go to the airport  before our 5:45 PM flight. Mon and I’s Plan B will be just to rebook our flight on the earliest schedule the following day at almost 5:00 AM. LOL The catch is, we had to pay the rebooking fee and other possible fees, which might amount to more than what we paid for the original ticket. If thaw will be the case, then we might as well rebook anew and save a couple of pesos. =/

I was furious with my brother because it was difficult to plot our personal plans with the everchanging wedding schedule. They supposed to get married this May, then moved to January 2014, then on October 26, 2013. I did my best to contain my disappointment, though, and was relatively calm with the text messages I had sent him. When I eventually collected myself an hour after, I just looked at the positive side of things. As Faye correctly prophesied while we were booking, if something will happen, then the cost of the ticket will be relatively less heartbreaking. Who would have thought that that something will happen three days after. LOL I was thinking more of erratic weather conditions, because Octobers should no longer be rainy. Anyway, I just hope that the wedding’s schedule will definitely be FINAL because I would no longer know how to react if they were to change it again, with all the hassle of rebooking from Zest Air.

Half of January

It seems only yesterday when we were busy preparing for the New Year and now, we are already on the 15th of January. Time really flies so fast whenever we are doing a lot of things, yet I still have more to accomplish even before the month ends.

I went to the dentist yesterday and I wore the Abraham Lincoln shirt I have thrifted last Friday. It was really funny because some of the people who saw my shirt were sniggering because they suddenly realized that Abraham Lincoln was actually cross-eyed. LOL

Cross-eyed Abraham Lincoln shirt, brick pants, brown 8-hole Doc Martens and black Prada nylon and saffiano messenger - Manila, Philippines

It also rained a lot yesterday so it was a good call to use a nylon messenger and my favorite pair of brown 8-hole Doc Martens. For the past months, I’ve been using only my Red Wing and black 8-hole DMs that my other boots were left, uhm, desolate in our wooden shoe cabinet. I cleaned and moisturized all of them last Sunday afternoon and vowed to rotate using my shoes more.

For today, it fortunately did not rain and I used my wexford messenger again. However, my love for heavy bags has been slowly dwindling because well, they are heavy. LOL Seriously, nylons and canvases are doing it more for me now than my heavy leather ones.

Vintage Balenciaga shortsleeves polo, khaki pants, Red Wing 875 boots, Mulberry wexford messenger briefcase - Manila, Philippines - "mulberry bag philippines"

Before sleeping last night, I took several photos to be used as ID picture. One of the requirements was an ID picture with my complete name on it. I planned to get this taken in UP, from the same stall where I had photocopied my classmate’s book.

But as I highly doubt that they have a chalkboard there to write my name on; and usually, getting pictures taken outside entail limited choices as you get one and two shots and pray unto the highest heavens you have a good one. I wore the same royal blue shirt and silk necktie from an October shoot we had in the office because I really love how the color pops in picture. I got a decent shot in the one but I had a little fun with the camera as well.

Unused photos - royal blue dress shirt and blue Hermès necktie

I have also finally reserved our tickets to watch Les Misérables tomorrow. We will be on halfday leave because I still have several carryover leaves in the office and I have carefully allocated all of them until February. My friend, Ikle, will be back in the Philippines next Monday and we were to go to Baguio City for a three day vacation.

However, as I am desperately trying to complete my requirements for a January 31st deadline, we had moved our sojourn to February 2.

Winter perfect: PathFinder boots

Yet another post on the things I will be bringing for our winter trip to Seoul. =D The jackets that I will be wearing are all ready, but I still can’t decide on what shoes to bring. I thought of packing just two pair of shoes and I will definitely bring the brown 8-hole ones because they are the most comfortable out of the bunch. When we went to Seoul last year, I brought my white Nike Air Force 1 because I thought that any sports shoe would do the trick of keeping my feet from hurting. I was still wrong. The pair was comfortable, all right, but it did not stop my feet from aching after a day’s worth of walk. So the pair that I will be bringing with me next time should be the most comfortable.

Black PathFinder PF 8902 boots - shoes

 

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An unexpected meeting

The last time we went to eat dinner in Mashitta was way back in June, and we still can’t enough of their wonderfully cooked food. That little space was definitely packed with food that will make you go hungry and wolf everything down — which was what we exactly did. =D

L-O-V-E Mashitta UP Diliman

Bibimbap, Kimchijeon and Ramyun from Mashitta (Shopping Center, UP Diliman)

Mandatory picture with the food - Mashitta, Shopping Center, UP DilimanIt was a slow day for business and we were the only people upstairs. I have a habit of always looking by the staircase whenever I hear the clacking of footsteps, when somebody extremely familiar went up. I gave a resounding “WELL, WELL, WELL!” but she didn’t look at my direction. I had to finally call her by her name before she gave an audible sigh of relief. She almost thought that somebody was going to punch her. LOL

An unexpected meeting with one of my closest high school friends, ChelliIt was really a happy moment to see one of my closest friends from high school. Chelli was the primary reason I went off dancing until college because she first pushed me to join her group. She went to Mashitta with her mother and we were making such a racket with our stories that it was a good thing there were not a lot of people eating as well. When she found out that we’ll be going back to Korea this December, she started her interesting story on this particular backpackers’ place (e.g. Backpackers Korea) which she highly recommended because of two extremely good-looking oppa owners. LOL She can’t divulge more on her stories because she was with her mother. I definitely missed the crazy times we used to have back in high school.

Diliman Republic items from UP Shopping Center - UP DILIMAN

Mon and I had to eventually go, though, because we had to buy Diliman Republic items few stalls away for Faye’s brother. I was calling her several times but she wasn’t answering her phone. All the store had was just black hoodie jackets and the picture in her email had a maroon one. I was not sure whether I should take it because it was of the wrong color. Not until Mon had looked at Faye’s email — and he laughed. The color of the jacket in the email was black and not maroon. My colorblind-self just attacked.

Winter display window in the mall

We went to the mall to look for a gift for the baptismal of Jannet’s son tomorrow, Aleph. Few minutes after looking and she informed me that I will be a godfather! And there I was, thinking I will be just attending the reception. After buying a gift, we also saw this display window from Mango. I was always baffled by such ensemble because I don’t think that any fur or fur-adjacent garment do not fit our weather here, unless you live in Baguio or other place cold. But try dressing like that even in Sagada and you will look ridiculous. Anyway, I can’t believe over the price of these items.

However, it gave me an idea on what else to wear for December. Even if I did not win that leopard print jacket from Ebay two weeks ago, I will still keep my word that I will try to bring clothes that are brightly-colored or with an interesting print. What is brighter than a yellow puffer jacket?

Bright yellow puffer jacket from Timberland

If this WON’T keep me warm in winter, then I don’t know what else can. But as it is not easy to just ditch neutrals, I’ll be bringing this fail-safe one:

Black military-insipred belted trench coat with epaulette

I can’t stop talking about our trip, can I? LOL Then I realized, tomorrow afternoon will be the definite date that the results of our comprehensive exams will be released. But as I won’t be physically present to claim the results, Raisa and I just agreed to go this Tuesday morning together and share the agony of anticipation. In bocca al lupo!

BIG BANG ALIVE TOUR 2012 (MANILA) POST!!!

Sol Restaurant -  Side Dishes

So yesterday, I had a fantastic day with Mon, Lot (his sister) and Faye. We initially intended to go to Music Bank in Diosdado Macapagal Avenue at around 2:00 PM, but remembered that it will not open until 3:00 PM. We then ate first in Sol Restaurant, few meters away from Music Bank, as we will definitely have a hard time eating a proper meal during the concert. There were few people in the restaurant and all of them were Koreans having, presumably, their late lunch.

Sol Restaurant -  Peanuts

Sol Restaurant -  Bibimbap

Sol Restaurant -  Japchae

Sol Restaurant -  Seafood Noodles

So at around 3:30 PM, we finally went inside Music Bank and started singing our hearts out. We had a little hard time looking for some of the KPop songs we would like to sing, but we got there in the end. We spent around two hours, while we were slowly frozen to death by the airconditioning. By the time we got out, I have already developed a runny nose; though I didn’t know if that was because of the room’s temperature or Faye’s virus finally contaminating me (she was not feeling well since Monday). LOL

MUSIC BANK in Diosdado Macapagal Avenue

Oppa Gangnam Style! - Music Bank, Diosdado Macapagal Avenue

Their 'Kahit ano' on the menu - Music Bank, Diosdado Macapagal AvenueWe didn’t actually know if it was a good idea to go to a noraebang before going to a concert, because we would most likely be losing our voice. But we still have a couple of hours to compose ourselves before the mayhem in The Arena. When we got in the Mall of Asia, we saw this crowd at the back of the venue:

A slew of Filipino Big Bang fans - Big Bang Alive Tour 2012 Manila

We were to enter in the Coral (Blue) Entrance and there were already a lot of people queuing for the mandatory bag inspection. We did not immediately fall in line because I wanted to make sure that I can sneak my point-and-shoot camera inside. I just observed how the inspection was done and I saw a couple of DSLRs and even point-and-shoots were confiscated by the guards on duty. So I just shoved it deep inside the side pocket of my bag, covered in unused tissue and with my iPod on the top so the guards would immediately see I had nothing to hide. Well it worked but we did not take pictures until we were finally seated in our respective seats.

While waiting for the Upper Box doors to open - Big Bang Alive Tour 2012

The stage - Big Bang Alive Tour 2012 in Manila

We were seated in Section 401, which was directly in front of the stage. One of our tickets was in Section 404, but as the person who was to sit next to us did not arrive (or the people, because seat numbers four to seven were vacant), there was no need to push through with our original plan of snatching that one seat.

Faye's light stick --- a present from us when we went to Seoul last year - Big Bang Alive Tour 2012 Manila

(We haven’t seen any light stick similar to Faye’s <3 We bought this from the souvenir shop in Doota Mall last year)

And then the concert started! After the curtains fell, the boys were revealed to be inside these illuminated tubes, as if teleported from somewhere.

Big Bang after emerging from those tubes - Big Bang Alive Tour 2012 in Manila

Look who's having fun!

Seungri and Tae Yang directly in front of the stage - Big Bang Alive Tour 2012 in Manila

Big Bang on stage - Big Bang Alive Tour 2012 in Manila

I did my best with what my camera can do and I noticed that it was far easier and better to take videos, as my hands were not that stable to take photos in low lighting. I managed to take several videos, but bothered only in resizing three of them. I also have uploaded the first one in my previous post. And also, I was not screaming like a banshee in these videos (unlike the 2NE1 videos I took, where I was screaming Bom’s name like it will lead me to salvation). (*Note: Change the quality to “480p” ([in the gear icon above] to view the best quality)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fZyedMYS-8&feature=plcp]

Big Bang Alive Tour 2012 Manila – Fantastic Baby

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdbh1rK45_A&feature=plcp]

Big Bang Alive Tour 2012 Manila – Haru Haru

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJJp3YdpNns&feature=plcp]

Big Bang Alive Tour 2012 Manila – Lies

If I have to be perfectly honest with the whole experience, I sat during most of the middle of the concert because: a) I did not know the songs they were singing, and b) I was really too low-energy (a.k.a. old) to match the energy of the people around me. However, the line-up of the songs was perfectly-made that I cannot NOT stand up and sing along with the songs I knew and loved (e.g. the songs I recorded above). LOL My mental discography was very archaic and I was stuck in Big Bang circa 2008-2009.

T.O.P. with the very girly mouse ears and Daesung walking out of the frame LOL - Big Bang Alive Tour 2012 in Manila

Tae Yang, T.O.P. and Daesung about to leave the stage - Big Bang Alive Tour 2012 in Manila

The crowd in denial that the show was finally over - Big Bang Alive Tour 2012 in Manila

At Php 3,900, we got our money’s worth. =D Compared to the three-thousand plus we shelled out in that joke/milk-the-opportunity strategy called “The Party” last year, Big Bang’s first concert here in Manila was very good, production-wise. Although it was apparent that most of the boys gave a very vocally lackluster performance (Tae Yang’s voice was cracking, and as how Sharon Needles put it, he was Christina-ing it out a lot; and GD seemed to have quite a lower energy). Daesung was the most consistent among the boys and I have new respect for him because of that. There were also a lot of Roselle-Nava-sing-with-me moments, which I didn’t like. =/

Another theory given by our friend China (who had to brave the fiasco at the topmost seats, along with two other people), was that GD sensed the overwhelming bias of the crowd towards T.O.P. and he was already resigned over that fact. LOL I didn’t even know how factual that theory was but I think that he still gave a decent job, albeit the low energy. Also, we were wondering why he did not perform his latest single, Crayon (whose video shown before the concert even started has sent the crowd to a shrieking frenzy). But I was extremely envious of his Givenchy Rotweiler shirt. Ugh. LOL

Freshened up! - Louis Vuitton Montsouris GM Backpack and Gucci messenger bag

With Faye after the concert --- while looking at the interestingly-dressed members of the crowd =D

Guess who has an exam the morning after? HAHAHA

Naturally, we were hungry after the event but as almost all the establishments were closed by 10:30 PM (the show ran few minutes over two hours), we did not even bother eating a snack. We actually had the choice of going to McDonald’s but it was jam-packed, so we decided to just part ways. The rain also did not help. I forgot to bring an umbrella and I just had a gray cardigan inside. As I was more worried of the vachetta parts onn my backpack, more than myself getting wet, I just buttoned it around my bag, liek a new-born baby. I didn’t want any watermarks to ruin the leather. LOL

We’ve heard that SNSD (or some other group from SM Entertainment) will be going to Manila next year. Lot is one BIG SNSD FAN and she will most likely watch their concert, if ever they would organize one. But as the light sticks are probably insanely marked up here, we will be just buying some in Seoul this December when we go back. I might even buy a few more just to sell when that happy day comes. LOL

Looking forward to seeing bag heaven: the Simone Handbag Museum

Mon and are currently drafting our itinerary for our trip to Seoul this December, and we both agree that there will be no palace tour. We have only visited two of the Five Grand Palaces in Seoul built during the Joseon Dynasty (i.e. Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung, the latter was very near the place we stayed in), but we think that we have seen enough. =) We also agreed on Nami Island and Neverland because we did not see those places during our last visit. But one MAJOR destination, at least for me, to be visited will be the recently-built museum in the Gangnam area: the Simone Handbag Museum. It is NOT normally what tourists tend to visit and flock over, but as a person who loves bags, I really want to check it out.

Simone Handbag Museum - The Collection , Seoul, South Korea

(Photo from http://simonehandbagmuseum.co.kr/collection.php)

Visiting this place is non-negotiable, even if we have to walk quite a distance just to reach the place. the admission fee is 5,000 won, which isn’t bad at all, given that I will have the chance to see interestingly crafted bags way back from 16th century until contemporary period. And speaking of the more recent  period, any bag lover can immediately identify wonderful pieces from “The Collection” page from their website. You can see the McQueen Union Jack clutch, a Kelly and a Birkin, a Fendi baguette (hello Carrie!), a Gucci bamboo top-handle, a vintage Moschino dripping chocolate, a Chanel Cambon tote, a Prada nylon backpack, Louis Vuitton bags, Missoni, Céline and Ferragamo.

But the question is, when can we squeeze the time to visit it? I proposed visiting the museum on our first day, mere hours after we landed, but I guess Mon won’t be too happy to go straight away to Apgujeong just to visit it. LOL But this time, I won’t be leaving Seoul without buying a bag. I’ve been wanting a canvas and/or leather backpack with a style similar to the one below, and as this type of bag looks popular in Seoul now, I will definitely look for one.

(Photo from upashion.com)

Update:

I finally got to visit Simone Handbag Museum last December 2012! See my entry about it here:

https://bryologue.com/2013/01/17/winter-in-seoul-2012-day-4-simone-handbag-museum/ 

Our visa for South Korea got approved!

Two weeks ago, I started preparing for the requirements of our visa application for South Korea, but slowly psyched myself out until last night — what if I get denied. O_O

I arrived in the office very eager to leave and immediately go to McKinley Hill.

I was very anxious because Raisa has still not replied whether she had already obtained my visa from the consular services. When she informed me that Mon was granted one last Monday, she was very quick to let me know.

My paranoia kicked in and I called her just to clear things up. Turned out, something was just wrong with the network and Mon’s cellphone even has no signal.

Chancery lobby - Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines - McKinley Hill

Not so sure if taking of photos was allowed

We arrived in the embassy and went immediately by the lobby of Chancery, where we waited for Raisa. The receptionist was already waiting for us and handed out our passports back to us. My first action was to shake the passport for signs of that dreaded white slip/paper, then search for my visa inside.

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