The Island That Is Boracay

Hey guys! I'm back! But this post has been long overdue. It was when the rest of the world was decking the halls with bells and folly, I went to Boracay with my beach body, I mean buddies! :)

It's never too late for post about a beach get-away that was spent in December because, you can feel it, summer has just began (at least in my part of the earth!) :) This was a nine-month vacation in the making because the ticket was purchased in March 2016 (if you really want to spend less money for a two-way air fare, you need to be patient for those airline promos, wink!) just like what we did. A vacation that was very cheap even a minimum wage earning woman can afford.

Meet the gang! Four lovely ladies who spends time together a lot (that's because we work in the same company and we have no other choice! No, they're awesome and we're fabulous! And boy do I need to tell where is that island when I know for sure Boracay is just one of the most sought-after beach in the Philippines? Anyway, from left to right: Me, Cel, Joanne, and Joy at the shores with the sands at our feet, the wind blowing our hair and the perfect water summoning us with its mighty powers. Oh that was a really lovely day!

Landed destination safe and sound

Did I mention it was my first time to fly? And I had the privilege (which I did not enjoy) to get the window seat. I said I was fine at the aisle, I said it was fine if hips of strangers keep bumping on my arms (and worse face) because I have fear of heights. I could not look down when I'm at a higher locations. I could not! But then, my seatmate insisted. So I ended up seating by the window despite my diplomatic protest. How was it. Oh it was fine! I was fine when the plane shook during its take-off and landing. But it was when I saw how the earth looked down from up there scared me. I almost cried. I felt so little, so insignificant to the vastness of the universe and the mysteries that goes with it. Okay, I'm overreacting!

 When I looked at the window and stared at this beautiful clouds, it was only then I understood why some people dreamed to fly. That feeling I could not form into words. That same feeling when Harry Potter soaring with his Firebolt escaping the dragon in the Tri-Wizard tournament? Almost. Well, I can fly again but not the window seat next time! :)

After around three (or four) hours of travel both land and air from Manila to Aklan, we reached Boracay mid-afternoon and the beach was crowded. It was a Sunday, the weather was perfect, and the place was awesome so our minds did not entertain anything that our bodies said tired. We changed into our sexiest (yeah!) clothes and hit the beach right away. FYI, it was a challenge shopping for summer clothes in the months where people were busy shopping for gifts, so excuse our OOTD's if that's the sexiest we can get! (Laughing out loud and winking out hard!)

I love the beach. I dream of owning a house just right next to the shores. I love waking to the sounds of the waves in the morning and the same gentle sound would rock me to sleep at night. I love the salty winds messing my hair along with the trees swaying to its rhythm. I would walk on the shores with the sands massaging the soles of my feet while collecting beautiful sea shells I could find. And in the afternoon, I would sit under a tree staring at the sunset contemplating about life (even the life after this life) and our reason for existence. Oh the dream life! :)

So how was the trip? I had a blast! Definitely a must see place you would never go back home grouchy! I intended (or tried whichever word works best) this post to be a bit of a how-to-travel-to-boracay-with-a-little-money-post but with my noisy thoughts, look how this has turned out? I'm sorry, I know I cannot do that travel blogging by now. I'm a lousy travel blogger! I can't even remember the name of that house we stayed where we had an awful experience. But anyway, I hope to blog another awesome vacation next time and will try to make it more information-loaded and helpful next time. I'm sure there's plenty of blogs out there that could help you if you have plans of visiting the island.  

Until next time. I love you for reading. Let me know what you think, please, please, please! :)

Thank you Ate Pretty Yzet Macay for the permission to use her photos.

Love,
Claire

S&R New York Style Pizza at Robinson's Antipolo

At first I was afraid, I was petrified. Oops, mali! At first I thought this is sosyal, kasi may New York, pero sosyal nga kasi may Style. (Habang tumatanda pa corny ng pa corny at nag tatagalog na ako sa pag ba blog, sumuko na ang nerves ko trying hard kaka English)

Anyway, highway, pasensya na kayo sa ate nyo, ganito po talaga siguro pag bored at walang mapag tripan. Hindi naman masama mag blog at i share ang mga milestones ng buhay ko thru blog. Milestone na itong makakain for the first time in forever sa S&R New York Style Pizza sa Robinson's Place Antipolo City!!! Tatlong tumbling from the house!

So ito ang inorder namin ng jowa kong kaladkarin (kasi kahit saan ko sya yayain sasama lang sya):

For me is 1 Pizza Combo Slice at P 119, and for jowa is 1 Piece Chicken with Rice Meal for P 99. Nagdagdag din ako ng 1 order ng Fries for P 54 na di ko matukoy kung regular, medium or large ba siya kasi wala syang pagkakakilanlan. Inassume ko na lang na isang size lang talaga ang fries nayan, please see photo below.

So, at first I was afraid and petrified, kasi kala ko mahal ang food doon. Pero I was wrong. With the price ng inorder namin di ko kinaya ang sobrang kabusugan dun sa slice ng pizza na pwede paghatian ng dalawang tao. Ang laki ng serving nya te! Nag share pa kami ng asawa ko dyan sa pizza and fries. Tinikman ko din yung chicken at bet ko sya, pwede itapat sa McDo and Jollibee. While the fries is medyo nasobrahan ata ng lagay ng iodized salt. okay na okay din! Pero McDo fries pa rin ako forever!

And finally, with the place and all, it's clean naman, no langaw freely flying inside. The tables, chairs and floors and not sticky and stingy, and the staff are okay naman. Pak na pak mga ate! Until next time! :)

Quick FX CC Cream Experience

Hi me! I'm here to document my experience with Quick FX CC Cream. Take note guys, this is not a review, hindi pa ako beauty blogger (in the near future maybe, char!) just sharing my experience lang with this product. Hindi na ako magpapaligoy  ligoy pa, eto na ang before and after photo:

Top photos, using my very reliable Samsung Galaxy Tab S front camera, under flourescent lights (wala pong filter) , sa loob po kasi ng kwarto yan, wala po akong suot na CC cream, just a thin layer of Celeteque Moisturizer with SPF 15 lang po.

Photos below naman ay nakapaglagay na ako ng Quick FX CC cream, fresh na fresh pa yan, nilagyan ko lang ng Tiny Rice Buds Baby Powder on top para mabawasan ng oily effect na pag inipon ko pwede pang gasolina ng sasakyan. No lipstick and kilay and other make up effect din ang drama ko sa pictures below kaya maputla pa ako kaya po mukhang kakagaling ko lang sa Red Cross mag donate ng dugo.

Ang tanong? Kinaganda ko ba ang CC Cream na ito? Hindi ko rin masagot at nahihiwagahan pa rin ako sa totoo lang. Based on the photos, kayo na ang humusga! Pero seriously,  naka brighten sya kahit paano ng fez ko. Kita din naman sa pics. Yun lang hindi long lasting ang effect nya, hulas na sya pagkalipas ng mga ilang oras. At di nya kayang itago ang mga pimple marks at bakas ng kalungkutan, gutom at kahirapan sa mga mata ko, hahaha!

The product:

Ang Qick FX CC Cream na ito ay mabibili sa Watsons sa murang halaga. Less than one hundred pesos, sorry ang shonga I forgot hehehe. Plans to repurchase? Uhm, sa ngayon wala. Medyo on the look pa ako ng AA to ZZ (pak kung meron nyan lahat) Cream na magpapa perfect ng almost (sa pangarap) perfect kong mukha...

PS: this is not a sponsored review. Wish ko lang! :)

I Left My Heart In Cagbalete Island

It was an unplanned trip with only two weeks preparation. Pahiyas Festival was the only agenda why we planned going to Lucban Quezon, Joy's province, but when a bright idea of going to Cagbalete Island came into Joane's mind, from there things changed. I googled for reviews about this island that I  never heard until that time, and what I saw on those blogs made me decide to go with Joane's plans. May 13 - 15, 2016 were the days to remember.

Image from Google Earth

How We Got There.  We bought a JAC Liner ticket online, the aligaga side of me asked the girls to buy tickets ahead of time because it was a weekend and Pahiyas Festival at the same time. We went to the terminal just in time before the bus left for Mauban Quezon at 4 am Cubao Kamias terminal. It took us more than 4 hours because the bus picked up passengers along the way. At around 8 in the morning, we reached Mauban Quezon. We took a tricycle and told the driver to drop us to the market first to buy food to bring to the island. We bought fresh squid and pork, rice, and some grocery stuff Joy and Joane bought before the bus ride. From the market, a tricycle took us to the port Mauban. From there, it was an unfortunate event that the public boat just left at around 9 am, according to the port personnel, because there were many guests going to the island. When the boats get full, it will leave and not follow the schedule of 10 am and 1 pm according to the locals. So we waited and took photos after we paid P 50 per head for the environmental fee. At around 11:30 we were aboard the public boat named Anthony 2 going Port Sabang, Cagbalete Island. And we were just as happy!

At around 1 PM, we reached Port Sabang, a small boat courtesy of Villa Pilarosa was waiting for us there to take us to the resort. Yes! There was not one but two boat rides to endure! It was a small boat that I thought was not fair to accomodate the four of us (including the driver, or the banker whatever) because Joane's hips and mine did not fit in the wooden plank where we sat. Hush, I did not complain because I could already imagine how Joane would react since her hips are way bigger than mine, haha! By the way, it was not the boat ride that really bothered me, it was the transfer from one boat to another because the island has no dock area! We used that bamboo made platform from the public boat to get off and go to the other boat! Wew!!! But if you are renting a private boat you do not need two boat rides since it can take you to the resort you are going. Villa Pilarosa is on the other side of the island, far from the Sabang Port   that's why we needed another 15 minutes happy boatride. That is.

The view of the resort from the waters.

Villa Pilarosa. The Resort. The short boat ride from Port Sabang to the resort was very relaxing (except for the little pain on the hip and butt part), we were quiet during the ride, just the sound of the boat and the soft whisper of the wind in my ears while ogling the crystal clear waters, the sky, the spectacular view of the island from the water made all the journey really worth it. I was so sure we were going to enjoy our stay!

The cottage we rented, Photo above L-R Joy, Me, Joane

We rented a cottage for P 1,500 a night. It can accommodate 4 people. We did not choose an air conditioned room since it was a budget-out-of-the-original-plan travel. The walls are made of bamboo, the other upper half is wide open and only covered with curtains made of bamboo and fabric. We were a little worried because anybody can just come in by the windows and take away our important stuff while we were away but thankfully, none of our things got lost. Just a pack of Gardenia bread we left on the table and we suspected that a dog took it during the night while we were sleeping. I was right since that morning I saw the plastic near the coconut tree, torn apart and the bread was gone. But that's okay though, we love dogs, right girls? (They nodded)


The Mangroves. What lured me to the island were the photos I saw on the blogs where the mangroves were abundant. I have never had a closer look at the mangroves before, so I was really excited to check them out and wasted no time. They're so beautiful! Don't worry, no mangroves were destroyed nor harmed during our stay. We know we had to take care of them, and I'm a nature lover they're safe with me.

There were very few guests in the resort when we arrived, I took off my shirt, hahaha!

The water were starting to recede when we arrived early that afternoon. The resort staff told us that was the normal time the tide gets low, so the mangroves' roots were so visible, and the water would go up again in the morning, the perfect time to go swimming. But since it was low tide, we just enjoyed what was there. It was awesome!

The Sandbar. Photo below shows how the sea shore looks like during low tide. Fine grayish white sands, greenish silvery sparkling water and the panoramic view of the mountains in front, and thick greens and blue skies on the other side. Not the perfect time to swim (none of us is a swimmer so the beach is just perfect for us) so we just walked around, took photos, and talked about how we could find Joane's "forever" somewhere in  the island.

We waited for the sunset, but the jealous clouds hid her away. It was getting dark so we decided to go back to our cottage to clean ourselves and rest. We could hear crickets singing in unison coming from the dense part the island.  I was a little tired, but happy. It was one year ago when I last went to a beach. The long ride from Manila to Cagbalete Island is all worth it. The place was so peaceful and quiet, no little whiff of the chaos of the city. 

The Water.Morning came, I woke up at around 5 am. It was bright outside when I looked out the window. I tried to go back to sleep because the two girls were still sound asleep but I couldn't. Maybe I was too excited to swim. It rained that morning, and dark clouds covered the place until around 9 o clock. Yes, I wore my watch to keep track of time. We did nothing but dip in the water, we did not swim, we didn't know how to, hehehe. But we certainly enjoyed, judging by the color of our skin you can really tell. It's the brownest brown I ever had! :)

It was almost noon when we felt the need to go. We need to be on time because the boats won't wait for us. I had a heavy heart leaving this place. I wish I lived here. I wish I owned a house in this island so I could just sit by the porch reading my favorite book facing the the sea with the soft sound of the waves as my background music. I wish, I wish, I wish.....

Before we left the owner thanked us for our stay and asked us if we enjoyed. I answered yes with certainty and told her we plan to come back as a bigger group though I have little doubts that that would happen but keeping my ten fingers crossed because I would really love to go back.

Anyhoo, until next time Cagbalete Island. Careful with the piece of my heart left in there! :)

My Baby Powder

This is my latest discovery of cheap but nice products. My Baby baby powder with a price of - - - - 19.75 Pesos! For 100 grams of lavender smelling talc, super bango nya promise, it's worth a try!

I bought this several months ago and I only use this on my body because I think it gives me white heads on the face. During those past summer nights, I used to take a bath before going to bed. It was really hard to sleep then since our room does not have AC, and after shower I just slather my body with this powder. It feels so refreshing and the smell is just good I feel like a baby!

Anyway, I'd just give you more about the product's specs:

Ingredients:

Talc
Chamomilla Recutita (Chamomile) Extract
Fragrance


Manufactured and Distributed by:
some Indonesian companies (sorry I forgot, haha but for sure that's Indonesian)

Greenwich P99 Budget Meal

What would you expect from fast foods' budget meals? Cheap but it can't satisfy your hunger? Yes, because that's what your money can afford. 

One fine day, I was at the mall to buy some stuff, I decided to eat at Greenwich since it was lunch time already. I hate eating at the malls or anywhere outside work or home alone but I was really hungry I felt I'd collapse if I didn't eat. So I went to Greenwich because we rarely eat there (my husband is a McDonald's, Jollibee, Mang Inasal, KFC, and Chicboy kind of man) and he does not eat pizza (sometimes I would argue with him because I don't get what is it that he does not like with pizza). I was about to order anything with a slice of pizza but I changed my mind when I saw this ninety nine peso budget meal (it comes with a drink):

Carbo overload! For me it's so sulit. Have I mentioned before that I was a member of the Tropang Extra Rice Girls Division? I used to eat like a construction worker, and I must say that this meal is so good. The gravy and the chicken is excellent and the spaghetti is not that bad. So, if you're hungry and you only have a hundred bucks, this is it, may sukli ka pang piso!

My Cheap Finds Item # 1

Syempre hindi ito Starbucks, cheap finds nga eh! Ito po ay tumbler na nabili ko sa SM last December for P169.75, I think meron pa rin nito sa Surplus Shop. Ito ang best friend ko dito sa office, tanggera kasi ako ng tubig. Nakaka apat hanggang anim na igib ako dito sa office, o diba? Kaya ayun, oras oras tayo ako ng tayo para mag CR.  Buti na lang hindi naman kalayuan ang palikuran kaya okay lang, carry underwood na rin!

Water therapy kasi ang peg ko, matagal na. Takot kasi ako magka UTI, mahal magpa shockwave. Atchaka water lang naman nilalagay ko, so no fuss cleaning the straw. Kayo din mga ate, start na mag water therapy, maganda sa skin at sa over all health natin to! Now na!! :)