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Showing posts from September, 2013

Snapshots from Laiya

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On our recent trip to Laiya in San Juan, Batangas, I tried to break away from my usual routine as far as taking pictures on our holidays is concerned. So apart from ourselves and the resort in Laiya where we stayed, I tried at least once to walk around and snap some shots of what else is there outside our resort, and here's what I got... I reckon they must be from somewhere nearby and were headed home after work at one of the resorts. My Bibe would freak out at the size of this outrigger (or lack thereof) yet one of them was comfortably texting her way away.

REVIEW | The "shady" Acuaverde Beach Resort

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Two weekends ago My Bibe and I hied off to Laiya in San Juan, Batangas for a weekend getaway. We booked two nights at Acuaverde Beach Resort , which is managed by the same people behind the more popular Acuatico Beach Resort just a few meters away. Judging from the photos I've found, I suspected it was where Balai sa Laiya used to stand. Turns out I was right. It was the exact same place we've been to and loved more than six years ago, only now it's a different resort. So how is this new establishment? Here's a rundown. Architecture and general ambiance What we loved about Balai sa Laiya was that there were lots of open spaces and huge trees. So I was glad to see that the trees are still there and despite adding more rooms, Acuaverde has maintained its wide open spaces.

[Throwback Thursday 09.26.2013] Beauty queen

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As the Ms World finals in Bali draws near, I've unearthed these photos of me with a beauty queen way back in 2002 (I think). I forgot her name but she was the reigning Miss Earth Philippines back then. These were taken in Zamboanga during one of our field assignments in the city.

[Lookbook 09.21.2013] Sunset reveler

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After a very relaxing Balinese massage at our villa, we checked out Jimbaran Beach where people troop to catch the sunset while enjoying fresh seafood along the sandy shoreline. We did just that and had a great time. I wore these teal shorts that I paired with a multicolored stripe tee, which were perfect for the beach in my opinion. And yes, I did load up the color factor since my sunnies were bright yellow. However, I must argue that this outfit isn't really loud at all.

[Throwback Thursday 09.19.2013] Garbed in garbage bags

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It's still my birthday month and it had me thinking about these little monthly "photo shoots" we used to do at the office for birthday celebrants. This one here is from not too long ago in 2010, which makes it my youngest throwback post. For this shoot we made an attempt at garbage bag couture and fashioned different outfits from plastic. We took to the all-powerful internet for inspiration and although it took a lot of work, I think it's safe to say we were all very pleased with the end result. And this was the main image that went on display on our fun board:

[Lookbook 09.14-16.2013] Short weekend

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My Bibe and I took to the beach over the weekend just to unwind for my birthday. We went to Laiya in San Juan, Batangas, to the exact same spot we've been to almost seven years ago, only now it's a different resort. It was overcast for the most part although there were few brief moments of sun. At least it didn't really rain. Being at the beach, I was clad in shorts the whole time, mostly brightly-colored ones. On the three-hour drive going there (that stretched to four because of a pit stop), I wore an electric blue number that I paired with a printed gray tee to balance out the loudness.

[Throwback (Travel) Thursday 09.12.2013] A look back at Laiya and Kwittie Boy's first beach outing

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That's the face of a very paranoid cat. Our dear Kwittie Boy is not used to being around unfamiliar people or territory. We feel guilty that we don't get to bring him (and our two other cats) out really and this one time that we took him to the beach with us back in February 2007 was definitely something he did not enjoy. He spent the whole time under one of the beds in our room and didn't really eat much or go to his litter box either, a behavior he once again exhibited when we had a short getaway with the cats at Sonya's Garden in Tagaytay last year. Six years and seven months later My Bibe and I are checking out the beach in Laiya, Batangas once more. I can't believe it's been that long and I thought of reminiscing our time back then -- when I was several pounds lighter and before all the surgery scars .

FRAGRANCE | Terre d'Hermes: My all-time favorite designer scent

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I'm a sucker for fragrances and I do try different bottled scents all the time. But despite using different EDTs and colognes from different brands all the time—and by the way, liking them as well—I always go back to my one true favorite, Terre d'Hermes . Packaged in a simple yet elegant—not to mention sturdy and heavy—bottle, the liquid's color is consistent with the luxury brand's trademark orange. Not that it really matters because what's most important is how it smells.

Wrong Ramen: A very wrong decision

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I forgot about this already until I tried freeing up space on my phone and saw photos of our first and only visit there. It was towards the end of July and while My Bibe and I were at the BGC area, we decided to try Wrong Ramen at Burgos Circle. We had high expectations given their audacity to declare that their ramen sucks and that it was better for people to try to verify. The waiting list was loooong. It was close to 6pm and we were 12th or so on the list. The hostess said it would probably take an hour before we get seated. Since we weren't that hungry yet, we took the wait list and checked out the stores nearby. An hour has passed and we were still 4th or so when I came to check. It probably took another 30 minutes before we finally got seated. Wrong Ramen's "F.U. Ramen;" an absolute letdown.

[Throwback Thursday 09.05.2013] Training the new recruits

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Although I've been out of mountaineering since the last quarter of 2005, a colleague from the Smart Mountaineering Club asked me to talk about the club's history at the start of this year's Basic Mountaineering Course (BMC) for new recruits. Having been part of the core team that institutionalized the club ( translation: I'm old ), they thought I would be in a better position to give this retrospective account. And this request reminded me of this:

[Lookbook 09.04.2013] Wingtips are red, outfit is brown

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Yes, that's a red shoe you see in the photo. You can say that I'm bored with the usual black and brown, so why not go red?

[Lookbook 09.02.2013] Casual Monday

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Well, well, well... it's been months since my last outfit post. And who says casual is confined to Fridays only? Luckily for me, we had a little activity today that gave us the perfect excuse to wear jeans.

MEDICAL | I'm a stoner (Part 3)

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(Continued from Part 2 ) In August 2007 I had undergone an ERCP ( endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography ) to remove the stones that were constricting the normal flow of my bile. The doctor opted for sphincterotomy to facilitate removal of the stones. And as luck--or lack thereof--would have it, I suffered from ascending cholangitis  shortly after being discharged. It's a complication suffered by a small percentage of patients who had such a procedure. So I was back to hospital confinement. Antibiotic treatment Since there were no more obstructions in my CBD, what was left to do was just treat the infection with antibiotics. I think they gave me Unasyn (ampicillin/sulbactam) then. Administered in drip form, this is a much faster way of releasing the medicine into the bloodstream. It also does not strain the liver because unlike tablets or capsules, the liver no longer needs to break the antibiotics down into usable components for the body. After all, my liver had jus