Philippines : Taal Volcano

Tagaytay City is a well-known tourist destination in the Philippines, just a two-hour drive from Metro Manila, depending on traffic. I've visited Tagaytay many times, and surprisingly, I never get tired of it. It’s perfect for road trips, food adventures, sightseeing, or simply hanging out—a great getaway from the hustle and bustle of Metro Manila with family and friends.

The top three landmarks in Tagaytay are Taal Volcano, Picnic Grove, and The Palace in the Sky.

This time, my friends and I decided to visit Taal Volcano up close instead of just viewing it from afar. Since we've been there so many times, our curiosity got the better of us. We quickly arranged our booking online, and they offer day tours for just P600 and P900. The P900 package includes horseback riding, a boat ride, a tour guide, a face mask, and a sun hat. We opted for the P600 package because we wanted to hike and fully enjoy the experience. Sir Marvin was our contact and provided us with instructions on how to get to Talisay, Batangas.

When we arrived at the meeting place, Sir Marvin briefed us on safety precautions and important reminders for the hike. After that, we boarded the boat for a bumpy 30-minute ride across the lake, but we made it safely. Taal Volcano is still active, yet it's deemed safe for hiking.

First-timers are welcome to hike here, and you can go with or without a tour guide. There are plenty of fellow hikers to follow along the way. We hiked approximately 8 kilometers, which took us about an hour and a half to reach the crater of Taal Volcano. Just make sure to apply sunblock because it can get scorching hot!

It is really beautiful personally rather than seeing it from afar. Our tour guide said that we can actually go down, but we have to pay an additional cost for that.

We went to the other side of the crater, and paid 50 pesos for the entrance fee. No words to describe this picturesque view.

We ended our tour at Tagaytay City eating Bulalo and Sisig, and chilling at Starbucks before we headed back to Manila. 

Thank you Sir Marvin and Kuya tour guide for the great tour and service. We really had fun!

Salamat!

What's in my bag? : Travel Edition

In less than two weeks, my mother and I will be traveling to Canada and the USA. I can already anticipate the discomfort of the long flight, and I know it might not be the most enjoyable experience. To help ease the journey, I'm planning to pack a lot of my essentials from home.

My mom bought this bag for me, and I'm totally okay with it! I'm not really focused on style; what matters to me is its durability and ability to securely hold all my belongings. This Swiss Gear bag features a padded compartment for laptops up to 15 inches, a padded pocket for tablets, an organizer pocket, and additional spaces for a water bottle and sunglasses.

The best part? It comes with an unlimited warranty! If the zipper breaks, they will replace the entire bag.

I need to pack all my gadgets since we'll be away for nearly a month. I usually only bring my laptop for trips longer than a week, but I worry about running out of things to do at the airport and on the plane. We have a 6-hour flight to Korea followed by another 13 hours to Toronto, Canada.

I’ll also be bringing my DSLR and GoPro for capturing photos and videos!

I have these four fantastic pouches that I absolutely love. They help me keep my things organized, so whenever I need something, I know exactly which pouch to grab from my bag. It makes everything easy and stress-free!

1. Electronic Pouch

2. Makeup Kit

3. Instax and GoPro accessories

4. Toiletries

My Electronic Pouch contains all my chargers and usb cords. I was surprised that everything fits perfectly. With this pouch, you don't have to worry all the tangled cords inside your bag. 

What's inside? 

1. Phone's Charger

2. GoPro Dual Battery Charger (Ziplock)

3. GoPro USB Cord (Camera)

4. GoPro Remote USB Cord

5. Laptop's Charger

6. DSLR's Charger

7. Power bank's USB Cord

8. Earphones

I absolutely love taking my Instax with me on my travels! Just pose, click, flash... and voilà—instant memories captured!

I also make sure to bring an extra battery for my GoPro. From my experience, the GoPro tends to have a short battery life, even when I hardly use the remote or its WiFi. Still, I'm really happy with it!

Having a connecting flight from Manila to Canada (Manila-Korea-Canada) is definitely a relief! I can't imagine being on a plane for such a long stretch straight to the other side of the world. Freshening up in the plane's lavatory can be quite a challenge.

When packing your toiletries, especially liquids like facial wash, contact lens solution, lotion, and toothpaste, make sure they are in containers of no more than 100 ml. It's also a good idea to keep them in a pouch or a securely sealed plastic bag for convenience.

Let me know what's in your bag when you travel! 

Thank you!

Philippines : PANGASINAN

After spending Christmas at home, we had the opportunity to celebrate the last days of 2014 with our relatives on my mother's side in Pangasinan. It was also my Ate Carla's wedding, so we had plenty of reasons to be there. We stayed for five days, and it was really... f u n.

Weddings can get quite hectic! The preparations were exhausting. They set up a tent made of bamboo and covered it with tarpaulin in front of the house since the reception was to be held there. The food was prepared by the best cooks in town—the elders in the family—who were joined by some of our relatives in the kitchen. There was hardly any sleep during the preparations, and to keep the energy up, music played all night long!

THE WEDDING

DECEMBER 28, 2014

DECEMBER 29, 2014

THE BEACH

Not every trip goes as planned, and ours was no exception. We were supposed to visit Hundred Islands, just a 20-minute drive from our house in Mabini, Pangasinan. Everything was in order—we had rented a boat the day before and prepared all our essentials. However, one thing remained uncertain: the weather. The waves were massive, making it impossible for any boat to venture out, even the larger ones. We waited, hoping for a miracle, but eventually, the coast guard canceled all pending trips to the islands.

HUNDRED ISLANDS

So we decided to head to another beach, traveling from Alaminos to Dasol, which took us about an hour and a half. I've been visiting Dasol since I was a kid, but it's only now that I've come to truly appreciate its beauty. As a child, I was mainly focused on the sea, but I've realized that while it may not have fine, white sand or crystal-clear waters, it still holds its charm. I love the view of the palm trees against the sea and the swirling clouds above.

There's no entrance fee, but you do need to rent a cottage, which costs only 300 PHP. This cottage can accommodate 6 to 8 people. You can also grill fish, liempo, eggplants, or whatever you like for free—just remember to bring your own charcoal and utensils!

One at a time, please?

Since school started back in November, I've noticed a shift in myself compared to last semester. I'm not sure if I'm feeling more laid back or just overwhelmed by the workload. A big part of it is that 70% of my subjects are now Math-related. I get the basics—addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division—but once word problems come into play, along with all those diagrams, I completely lose my way. So this semester, every time I pass a quiz or complete an activity, I find myself thanking the Lord above for the help! It’s that feeling of relief when you think you might fail, but somehow you manage to get through. With this fear of failing driving me, I've been putting in a lot of effort, especially in Math. I can confidently say that I'm a more dedicated student now than I was at Miriam College, and both my parents and friends have noticed the difference.

The moment I step onto the grounds of TIP, I make it a point to open my notes and go through them thoroughly, even if it's just for five minutes. Even if I don't understand most of it, I still check it out. If I really need to grasp the concepts, I turn to YouTube and Google for reference. I genuinely enjoy the feeling of being a student again, which might be why I invest so much effort, even if it sometimes feels overwhelming. Aside from the allowance I receive from my mother, class suspensions and holidays are some of the things I look forward to as a student. I won’t pretend otherwise—there are times I love not going to school because it gives me the opportunity to focus on my duties in the office.

Living this double life has been quite surprising for me. I never imagined I would be balancing work and study at the same time. In the past, when I heard stories about this, I thought it was easy—but I was mistaken. While my tasks in the office are straightforward, time management has become my biggest challenge. I have numerous homework assignments and reports to complete, along with deadlines to meet at work. No matter how much I try to organize my to-do list in my planner, 24 hours just don’t seem to be enough. There are mornings when I wake up, think about everything I need to accomplish, and instantly feel exhausted.

1. Where can I get an installer of Auto CAD?

2. Where can I buy a book in Solid Mensuration?

3. I have 3 exams tomorrow - 6 hours isn't enough.

4. I have to do lots of work at the office tomorrow

5. I have to think on how will I pay may fcking credit card

6. BLABLABLABLA

When I achieve something, it makes me feel like I deserve all the good things life has to offer. I know that all the stress I'm dealing with now will improve eventually, but I wish I could switch to vacation mode right now.