Team Kramer Meet and Greet

Are you a fan of Team Kramer?  Yes I am.  So the moment I saw in their facebook page that they will be having a Meet and Greet (which Doug and Cheska promised once their page reached 500k likes), I instantly checked for the details.

Glorietta is like thousands tumbling away from our home.  So to be able to line up early, we have to be travelling by 8am.  Neo cooperated, so before Glorietta opened, we were already there.

There were some glitches in giving out of tickets because only 500 people will be allowed inside.  Some fans were starting to get angry because they weren;t allowed inside.  Some bought tickets to those who were able to get one (at Php400 per ticket).  Some even entered the barricade and was forced to get out by the police (kakaloka).

Team Kramer arrived ahead of time.  They didn’t disappoint the fans.  They have lots of fun games for kids.  They have lots of giveaways.  There were a lot of opportunities for photo ops but Leo and I decided not to join because Neo gets cranky when we try to squeeze in the line.   

What I love most about that day?  That is, seeing Cheska being a mom to her kids while working.  While being interviewed, she will constantly look around to check if her kids are okay.  While having some photo ops with fans, she cleaned Kendra’s hand just like a mom should.  Gavin wore his Kristoff-costume but when Cheska saw that Gavin is somewhat sweating, she instantly remove his shirt.  I am a mom too, so I was amazed to see her doing this.

The only picture we have with Cheska. Blurry picture because of so much people.

There is only one reason why I love Team Kramer.  I don’t know why others love them but for me, I find them a very genuine family.  The way they send out bible verses to encourage their fans.  The way they respond to bashers positively.  The cute pictures of their kiddos are a plus. J

Goodies from Team Kramer Meet and Greet

This is my first time to be a fan and I’m glad I am.

Familia Nunag @ Cebu – Places to Eat

Eating will always be a part of travelling.  Agree? So while we were at Cebu, we made the most of our stay by eating at different places.  And here are the lists of them.

CnT Lechon.  A visit at Cebu will never be complete without tasting the famous Cebu Lechon.  I really wanted to taste Zubochon but my cousin Ate Mae swore by CnT as the best tasting.  So off to CnT we go J

It didn’t disappoint.  This lechon is super delicious. Cost Php450+ per kilo. And as per Leo: ang lechon na hindi na kailangan ng sauce. 

Port Restaurant.  This buffet restaurant is located at Waterfront Hotel.  They serve a lot of dishes.  Lunch buffet cost: Php259 per person.  Dinner buffet cost: Php339+ per person.  The foods are okay-tasting.  The sad part is that they don’t offer drinks; you have to buy it separately.

Café Glo. If you book an overnight stay at Crown Regency and you choose to have breakfast included, this is where you will have your buffet breakfast inclusion.  This is my first time to try breakfast buffet and this place has left a very good impression in me.  There are a lot of choices and all are delicious.  The staffs in here are nice to kids.  Two staffs were even playing with Neo. J

Wang Shan Lo.  This is a Chinese buffet restaurant.  This area has a lot of courteous staffs (must be because most of their customers are Chinese).  They would even pull up the chair for you and put on your napkin J  But this buffet restaurant has limited food choices.

Sparks Resto Bar.  After experiencing the Skywalk and the Edge Coaster, we ate at Sparks Resto Bar.  I love this buffet place.  Why?  This is located at the 37^th floor of Crown Regency and thus, the view is awesome.  And it has a lot of food choices.  Different cuisines are offered, from Chinese to Japanese, to Western, to Filipino. Food choice overload. J

Larsians.  This is my favorite among all the places we’ve ate.  Larsians is an area of grilled foods.  Stalls everywhere are offering different raw foods that they will grill for you.  From pork to fishes to street foods, it’s there. And the rice they offer is the famous hanging rice (rice that’s wrapped in coconut leaves) or what Cebuanos call puso.

Our stomachs were full the whole time we were at Cebu.  Don’t forget to try any one of these places I recommend J

Familia Nunag @ Cebu –Crown Regency Hotel and Tower

Familia Nunag @ Cebu –Mactan Resorts

Familia Nunag @ Cebu – TenPlaces to Visit

Familia Nunag @ Cebu – Ten Places to Visit

After my work, we decided to give Cebu a tour.  This is not my first time touring Cebu and I’ve been to most of the places we went to.  But since this is Leo and Neo’s first time, I indulge in going back – after all, there are a lot of changes since the last time I’ve been there.

Magellan’s Cross.  This is the cross that Magellan brought in the Philippines.  He struck it in the beach shore.  Now it has its own shrine because the area is now reclaimed.  Folklore says the cross is growing in height.  I don’t know if this is true because I think it’s the same height since 5 years ago.

Sto Nino Parish.  A minute walk from Magellan’s Cross is the Sto Nino Parish.  This is a very grand parish.  It host around 6-8 masses in a day.  Paintings are all-over the place.  Last year, when Cebu and Bohol was struck with an earthquake, the bell fell from the tower.  Construction is on-going to have it rehabilitated.

Familia Nunag @ Cebu – Mactan Resorts

We celebrated our 3^rd year anniversary at Cebu.  I have some work to do at Cebu so I just tagged Leo and Neo along.  And since this trip was not planned, we booked a super duper early flight (6AM) because it’s the cheapest fare. 

Low energy because he woke up so early.

We were up so early.  No delayed flight for us.  And as expected, Neo and I slept through the flight.  When we touched down at Cebu airport, Mamita and my cousin, Ate Mae were there to fetch us. 

Since we are already at Mactan Islands, we decided to tour the place before we go to Cebu City (where our hotel is).  We went picture taking at some resorts at Mactan. 

First stop: Shangri-La Mactan.  This is a nice place and the overnight stay costs daw Php12,000 the cheapest.  I think I’ll hyperventilate sa price. LOL

Second stop: Imperial Palace Resorts Mactan.  I’ve been to this place last 2009.  And since then I have been telling Leo I want to bring him there.  But booking this hotel resort now is so expensive.  We just content ourselves with picture taking.  

This resort have beautiful swimming pools.  And a lot of the guests are Korean.  I think this is a Korean-owned hotel resort. 

Last stop: Bluewaters Maribago Mactan.  My Tita Belle is a member of this resort and she gets to have free entrance, so we were able to swim at this place.  This is not the most beautiful of the resorts we went to but this is beautiful nonetheless.  

They offer villa-like rooms, not the hotel type which is very nice for vacations. They have a man-made beach in the middle of the resort.  Many people choose that place for their wedding daw. 

We didn’t pay for anything so I can’t include prices.  Please go to each resorts' respective websites for the updated prices J

Familia Nunag @ Cebu –Places to Eat

Familia Nunag @ Cebu – TenPlaces to Visit

Familia Nunag @ Cebu –Crown Regency Hotel and Tower

SmallVille 21 Hotel, Iloilo City

When I went to Iloilo City for work, I stayed at SmallVille 21 Hotel.  This hotel is located at the Techno Park of Iloilo City.  This hotel is part of Cebu Pacific’s magazine guide. 

I didn't stay so long in this hotel because we were touring Guimaras the whole afternoon of Monday but here are some aspects that I love about this hotel:

·         Super nice location.  This is located in Iloilo’s Techno Park which means it is close to a lot of areas (restaurants for one).  This is also close to SM City Iloilo. 

·         Affordable Rates.  Need I say more?

·         Complete Toiletries and Complimentary coffee.  Who doesn’t want these stuffs? 

·         Early Check in allowed.

Here are the rates.

Room Type	W/Out Breakfast	W/ Breakfast
Standard Matrimonial	Php 1,700	Php 2,000
Standard Twin	Php 1,800	Php 2,100
De Luxe Matrimonial	Php 1,800	Php 2,100
De Luxe for 3 pax	Php 2,050	Php 2,500
Executive Room w/ Ref	Php 2,300	Php 2,600
Presidential Room w/ Ref	Php 3,200	Php 3,500

What I don’t like about this hotel?

·         The receptionist scheduled during the time I have some questions to ask are not so courteous.  They tend to look away when I am asking questions.  Nakaka bastos lang.  Though the guards and maintenance people are courteous naman.  But one not-so courteous personnel could ruin your hotel stay.

·         Cable TV not functioning well during my stay.  There’s an issue daw with the cable provider – so this is not their fault naman.

That’s my take in staying at this hotel.  Hope it helps you went you visit Iloilo City.

A Quick Guimaras Tour

Last Monday, you can locate me at Iloilo City.  My dad is an Ilonggo – he came from Capiz, but that was the first time I travelled to Iloilo.

I arrived early morning and finished work by 3pm.  Before resting at the hotel, I asked my colleague there to tour me to Iloilo’s tourist spots.  But she decided to bring me to Guimaras instead.

Guimaras is a small island located south of Iloilo.  It used to be a sub-province of Iloilo but later on it earned its own right to be its own province. 

Going to Guimaras from Iloilo will just take 15 to 20 mins by boat.  Boat ride cost Php14 day time, and Php20 night time. 

Bangka traveling to and from Iloilo - Guimaras

We landed at Jordan, Guimaras.  Touring the area will require you to rent (arkila) a tricycle or multicab which cost Php500 or Php900 respectively for back and forth ride.

Busy Guimaras Port

We visited the Trappist Monastery.  Here, monks don’t speak with each other inside.  They don’t eat anything pork or anything “delicious”.  They live by rice, fish, and vegetables alone.  Baybz, my colleague, knows a monk in there, Brother Peter.  He prayed for us.  Initially I declined, but they were insistent so I agreed.  After all, I am a firm believer that we all serve the same God even with different religions.

Then we went to Raymen Beach Resort.  Stayed there for 15 to 20 mins to do some picture taking then headed home.  The sand is Boracay-ish (powdery white) with some small shells.

Sorry for the macho background.

Honestly, when you go to Guimaras, you have to stay overnight.  Why?  The travel to the beaches takes about one hour and another hour back to the port.  So much time wasted for traveling in day tours.  Sayang naman.

The nice part is that it’s the harvest season for mangoes.  Guimaras is famous for export-class mangoes.  I was able to bring home some. J

Please Be Warned

If you are my friend in facebook you would already know what happened to me.  This is not something pleasant and I don’t wish it to happen to anyone else.  I posted this status in facebook last Thursday –

I know for sure that this thing happens (or will happen) in other parts of the country.  Please be warned.

I have been telling this to people: More than the money, the cards, and all material things in my stolen wallet, it was the unpleasant experience that got me traumatized and sad.

What I learned in this experience?

·         Never trust anyone.  I am now convinced that the old woman beside me was their accomplice.  I sat beside that old woman because I trusted that she is harmless.

·         Never mind.  When this thing happens again, I don’t need to react ASAP.  Just shrug off.  No reaction would do me good instead of panicking.

·         Never put all my things in one basket.  I don’t carry cash around me.  That sole time was an exemption – and it was so wrong of me to put it all in the wallet.  I should have separated the cash in the pouch.  I should have a separate card holder.  I should have separated everything.

·         The bag’s secret pocket was built with a purpose.  My bag was opened because I was distracted while they we’re panicking beside me (a tactic they used), and had I put my wallet in the secret pocket, I could have saved a lot of trouble.

·         The Lord is guiding me.  I had known that modus (not the exact modus, but something like laglag-barya or dura gang), but still during that time, I hadn’t realized it.  I am a strong-willed woman.  I know for sure I will fight them had I realized what they were doing.  And fighting them won’t do me any good.

The experience is still fresh in my mind.  And I could go on all night listing all the things I learned from the experience – hoping that this would never happen to anyone.  Please take note of this and learn from my experience.

Ninong’s Hotel, Legaspi Albay

I love staying at hotels.  This has the comfort of home without the fuss of cleaning it.  I am not hard to please when it comes to hotel din.  As long as there is a nice bed, clean bathroom, TV, aircon, and desk and I feel comfy, I am okay.  At Legaspi, I stayed at Ninong’s Hotel. 

Ninong’s Hotel is a new hotel.  The same with Santiago, it wasn’t me who booked this hotel.  But I am pleased with this hotel.  Let me list down why?

·         They have affordable rates.  Who doesn’t want that?

·         Courteous staffs are thumbs up for me.  I don’t expect staffs to be super bait, but I want them accommodating that when you ask questions, and try to get small talks, they entertain.  That is what we got from the receptionist of Ninongs.

·         Early check in allowed again J

·         Complete set of toiletries in the bathroom.  Not all hotels offer these stuffs – and for their affordable rates, I love that they went extra mile to offer this.

·         Mirrors everywhere in the room!  Look to the left, look to the right, look in front and back, there is a big mirror.  Very nice at day time, but scary at night time – especially for me who stayed alone.

·         They offer buffet breakfast.  No need for me to settle down with small servings.  I’m a big eater.

·         The Bible sitting in my side table.

Here are the room rates:

Room Type	Rates
Standard Room	Php 1,800
Standard Room for 12hrs w/o breakfast	Php 1,200
Deluxe Room	Php 2,300
Executive Suite Room	Php 2,800
Bridal Suite Room	Php 3,200
Family Room	Php 4,000
Extra Person Charge	Php 750

But of course, no matter how beautiful the hotel is there is something small that you will find wrong (because the only perfect place in the world to stay at is the comforts of our own home, right? J).  For Ninong’s Hotel, I find the lighting of the room too dark.  The room I stayed at has yellow light bulbs, and at night time, when you want to be illuminated, this is something you want change.

My overall stay at Ninong’s Hotel is a pleasant one.  If you’re looking for a place to stay at Legaspi (and dim lights is not an issue to you), Ninong’s Hotel is a nice place to stay at.

My LA Adventure (Legazpi, Albay) - Part 1

My LA Adventure (Legazpi, Albay) - Part 2