caviteBATANGAS

this blog is long way overdue.. via yang and i decided to have another get-away trip before the year ends.. and since the month of august offered a long weekend break, we thought that taking advantage of it would be best..

we initially planned for a 3 days 2 nights island adventure in zambales (anawangin, potipot and capones). reviews showed they are included in the top 3 must-visit islands in the country. i made initial plans for this trip but since projected whether was not good, we had to do last minute changes.. so we came up with an alternative... tagaytay and calatagan, batangas..


i was happy to have other friends from home join us on the trip.. start up point was at the SM Mall of Asia.. it's also my first long travel with theYellowGuy..

the drive to tagaytay was fast.. it only took us about an hour and a half to reach our first destination.. first destination was sonya's garden. we had to make sure that we see the place since we've heard many good reviews about it.  it used to be a private place which eventually was opened to the public with its bed and breakfast offerings..  for people who love gardens, this place will surely be a big hit. people come to enjoy the huge garden, the fresh and yummy greens at the restaurant, and the freshly-baked bread at their bakery. the place also houses some cool and eco-friendly stuff at their souvenir shop.

we wanted to try the dishes at sonya's garden, but because we were working on a budget, we knew we had to  eat our lunch someplace else.  we explored the long road of tagaytay to have a good lunch..  luckily, we saw this stretch of bulalo houses.. of course, we can't leave tagaytay without eating their famous bulalo.. i must say that the bulalo was not as good as those of leslie's but it's still the best food for a cold weather. 

next stop was bag of beans  i wasn't too excited about it since i am not a coffee lover. since my companions were and the place seems cozy and cool, i still felt it's going to be a good drop off.  it's i guess the biggest coffee place i've been to.  coffee shop is garden-like.  aside from their coffee, travelers also line up for bread and other pastries.  

we still had enough time for another destination.  the rain was getting really bad while we were on the road. i guess no rain can stop us from visiting this well talked about calaruega.  the church is now getting famous not only because of its beauty but also of the celebrity weddings being held there.  the entire place looked like a huge-huge garden.  i really fell in love with the place.  i can still see myself smiling everytime i close my eyes and think of the it.  

it was already getting dark when we left calareuga.. the rain was also getting stronger, and worst we still didn't have a place to stay for the night.  lodges and inns were fully booked and we were starting we feel our tired bodies.  we still made sure to enjoy a quick dinner then tried our luck again to get a comfortable sleep.  looking for a place to stay was really hard (we had the car for our last option), finally, we found one just before another group came in. 

we woke up with a windy morning. good thing that the rain finally stopped. we had a hearty breakfast at mcdonalds..i was not so sure why, but on that morning (after a very loooong time) i had coffee and enjoyed it.. 

across mcdonals is taal vista hotel. the hotel holds a good view of the taal lake and volcano.  it is not my first time to come to this place but i still get awed at the site of the lake and the volcano every visit.  tagaytay breeze never fails to uplift my spirit.  

we started to get ready for the long drive to calatagan. we had a quick stop to buy something for lunch and food for the next day. for the most part, i really enjoyed the ride. we (together with our official travel food - steamed peanuts) had fun singing and swaying along to old songs of backstreet boys. we got more and more excited as we came closer to our destination.  and then, boom! my entire spirit sank when i saw the body of water in front of me.. 1..2..3..mmm...4..5..6..7...mmmm...8..9..10.. dumbfounded!!  i felt that it's so far the worst beach i have ever seen.. i still feel guilty (up until now) everytime i say that i don't like the place at all.. (nahihiya ako kay God for not appreciating it).. and so, with our hungry tummys, we decided to go back and find look for another better beaches.. 

finally, still in calatagan, we came across this beach that seemed to project a very-homey atmosphere.. we decided to spend the night here. i loved the place, too bad the water wasn't really very inviting for a swim.  nonetheless, for someone who haven't seen a beach for more than a year already, the place was more than good enough for me.  

  

i was all dressed up for the swim only to find out the the water was filled with see-grass.. it was actually a creepy sight for me.. it amazed me that there were people who got the courage to plunge in.. i guess, people from the city are easily pleased compared to [people like us] who have been to many beaches. i even felt that our ordinary beaches back home are way way better than this. still, i made sure to savor the cool sea breeze, and the sound of waves.  this will still count as life's simple pleasures (good food, nature, friends, and wasting time).. :)

we had to leave early in the morning to avoid the traffic. on our way back home, we made sure to have time to play around... i loved the long stretch of trees along.. we dropped by for pasalubong (at rowenas). 

and finally, we came to our most awaited visit to the moon garden, our last stop for this trip.. i didn't see much moon stuff, but i know that the owner of the garden came up with the concept because he/she is fascinated with the moon.. maybe next time i can stay there for a bed and breakfast self-treat.. :)

this sums up my august get-away trip. this may not be the kind of trip i had in mind, but the time i had with friends and with nature was all worth the long travel (not to forget the heavy rains).. i really had a lot of fun.. here's another cheers to my wow Pilipinas.. 

to my travel buds (that includes theYellowGuy), thank you for your time and friendship.. see you this summer!! :)

092911thursday (na) 

dancingAWAY

after more than a year in this new heaven
after having tried so hard to build new friendships
after avoiding so many things that serve as reminders
after 588 days of dying
after 588 days of still staring at same sky
and after completing a 21k run without thinking of flightless birds and sleeping beauties

here i am, dumbfounded with the truth that nothing has really changed
i still have the same heart, same cut, same beat
i am still that same nikki who hoped that the choice made was not just an option

i am crying with sadness embracing me now
i am also crying with hope that my one day (just one day) will come

just one day

092622monday

flashKNOWS

had a bad start of the day... but before the day ended, God had His way of turning the tables upside down.. :) see, i am in full smile today.. 

truly again, the best things in life are free.. 

on the other hand,

ngayon palang, nalulungkot na ko na last 2 or 3 games na lang ni Monfort as an eagle.. hai..

092011tuesday

sleepingBEAUTY

did you know that i hold the world's record for being the woman who have fallen in love with the same guy for 886 times (and counting)?

oh well, now you know.. :)

sorry, ganun eh!!

091811sunday

londonSTREET

it's been a month now since we moved in to our new place. from a condo life we are now experiencing how it's like to be in an apartment. although condo life was kinda good (i really love the place because it's very accessible), monthly dues got more expensive. it was for this reason that we decided to look for a new place.

our new place is quite a challenge for us in terms of the distance and time we need to travel to and from work. on the other hand, the apartment looks pretty cute. it has 2 rooms, 2 bathrooms.  it's also newly constructed apartment so we are actually the first tenants of it. here's a peek on my new haven..

we now have a bigger living room.. meaning we can now bring in additional friends. problem is, we still haven't purchased a sala set..so right now, its japanese style seating or, we make use of those small stools which perfectly fits kuya dyllan and princess dynnelle. (hopefully, we'd be able to have our couches before the year ends.. hehe.. :)

here's the staircase going to the second floor.. looks pretty cute, but i also realized this thing only meant more areas for cleaning.. lucky me, i am not in charge of keeping it dirt-free.. :) another thing, having this is also good exercise for me.. although i must admit, when i'm still to sleepy in the morning, i sometimes wish a studio type was way better..

wind beneath my wings :)

we have a small kitchen too. i actually like the cabinets. not so perfect but it will suffice.. :) we got really excited when my youngest sister brought us a fridge (which we did not have in the condo). now i can cook my favorite tuna setti and prepare my tuna spread.. 


here's our laundry area. it's  a lot bigger than the one we had in the condo. i was actually so happy that my sister's boyfriend prepared a sampayan for us. gee... i think that's the one thing i thank heaven for.. that is, giving my sisters wonderful partners..:)



we have two comfort rooms.. it's kinda small though but we're really glad the place got two of this.

here's also a peak of our bedrooms.  i really love that i now have a room (and it's colored yellow-green). i also love the built-in cabinets. view outside the windows are not as magnificent as that of cityland too.. outside my window is no longer the sight of my #manilamoon.. oh well, i'm starting to get use to it. besides, i know too well the picture of my moon, even

heart says, NO TO DUST PLS

with my eyes closed.

i miss cityland already. i miss the good morning and good evening greetings of the security guards.  i miss 7-11 and its crew. i miss st. francis church. i miss the elevator. i miss the swimming pool. i just miss everything...

but then, i believe this new place will bring me good memories too.  i think i better start gathering happy memories now..




091711sabado

comfortZONE

kahit hindi mo pa rin ako kinakausap, know that i wish you happiness all the time.. 

happy birthday RuSs... :)

091411wednesday

wickedlyCRAZY

no matter how bad a day turned out, just seeing him play simply changes everything (talk about simple joys).. :)

written081811thursday
posted091311 tuesday

myMVP

he calls the play.
he passes the ball.
we score!

he calls the play.
he passes the ball.
we score!

he calls the play.
he passes the ball.
we score!

thank you God for weekends!
thank you for the saturday smiles :)

written 081311 sabado (amdu-feu, 1st round)
posted 091311tuesday

doubleJEOPARDY

this entry.'s actually more than a month old already.  i guess august was just a sad month for me (and will run true as long as i'm alive).. nonetheless, i remain hopeful that some things can change.. in the meantime, here's another sad old entry.

----------

it is still hard to imagine that i am leaving this place.  this has been a home for me for a year and although it's far different from my true home, this place became a refuge for me.  this room has been a source of comfort in many moments of solitude and pain.  the bathroom has been a sole witness to my hidden tears of longing and sorrow.  and this view of the city especially at night has granted me the blessing to learn to embrace and love my new moon.  artificial as it may be, that blue&red light became a real comfort to my deepest sighs and questions.  somehow, in one way or another, it had its own way of bringing me closer to people and places i truly miss.

one year, sometimes i feel that it came on too fast.  at other times, i also feel that it had been long enough to still keep me holding to some crossroads i chose.

i don't know, maybe deep sighs will have to remain the same. and  i guess, some things are meant to really stay a little longer (if not forever that is)..

for now, i know i have a couple of things that i'll surely miss about this place..

and on this same day, you let go of me for the nth time.. 

written on 080411

posted 091311