Travel: Trip to Subic (Day 3)

June 10, 2012

Our travel to Subic is almost at an end.  We're going back to reality in just a few hours.  We spent the morning lazing around the hotel room, enjoying the airconditioning :)  The kids woke up late because we didn't have any plans during the morning.  They just feasted on cable's Cartoon Network for entertainment.  Believe me, that's luxury enough for them since we don't have cable at home :)

After checking out, we headed to this spot along Waterfront Road to take pictures of Ghost for the article that Patrick will be writing.  For a brief moment, we thought that we'd be in the middle of a thunderstorm because the clouds were really rolling and looked angry.  There were raindrops for sure, as you can see.  But the sky cleared in a jiffy and we were in the middle of a bright summer day in a few minutes.

Raindrops keep falling on our head! :D

Ghost and us :)

Can you tell how much he loves this car? :D

 After the photoshoot, we headed again to Xtremely Xpresso because we simply loved the food! :) There weren't many patrons as of yet and the kids were able to watch Mr. Pizza Man craft the dough.  We also drooled over the handcrafted ice cream but we weren't able to take pictures.  We ordered the same stuff as yesterday, except for the chicken pesto sandwich which I had.  It was really good! ::)

Chicken Pesto Sandwich

Dana and her bubblegum flavored ice cream

There were some misses on this trip but over-all it was still a restful vacation.  The highlight was Xtremely Xpresso (for me, at least) but it's still the beach for the kids :)  Patrick's just happy enough to sleep in an air conditioned room hahaaha  Till Next Time! :D

Travel: Trip to Subic (Day 2)

June 9, 2012

Dylan waking up to Chips Ahoy and Milk

Day 2 of our Subic getaway started early.  Everyone wanted to get a move on because our itinerary today involved going to the beach.  We originally planned on visiting Sunset Cove in Morong, Bataan because we saw pictures of our friend who went there over the summer and we became curious too.  So, we set off on our adventure for the day because we didn't really know where it was located because the directions and the map from the Net were a bit vague.

The travel from Subic to Morong was quite easy because the road was direct and Patrick was familiar with it having passed by this area on many occasions.  However, finding Sunset Cove was a little daunting especially when you reach the part where you have to travel on a very narrow road, passable only to one vehicle at a time.  The area on both sides of the road were occupied by residents so expect to see people, chickens, kids and dogs crossing in front of you.  There was a part of the road that was cemented but by the time you reach the gate of Sunset Cove, it's no longer cemented and it was rather gravelly so you can just imagine our fear of getting the Subaru scratched.



When we got inside the compound, we were a little dismayed, although the people who came out to talk with us were very warm and accommodating.  It wasn't the right time to be going there as the water was very high and there was barely any sand to walk on - not really the kind of picture we saw from our friend's trip.  There were sandbags everywhere.  They offered us a "family room" within a family bungalow but it was too narrow and really not worth the price.  So, we just decided to leave and chalk it up to experience.

Our next stop was Dungaree beach in Subic.  We went there before and we had a good time then so we thought it would suffice.  We were surprised to find out that now, since it's under new management, everything is being charged and I mean everything!  The cottage that used to be P1000 is now P1500 and you have to pay an entrance fee of P150/head.  Even the floaties and the water toys that you bring in has a corresponding charge.  The cost will be halved if you bring your own but you still have to pay a "corkage" since they're also "renting" these things out.  In computing our costs, we would end up paying a lot more for a swim on the beach and as much as we didn't want to because of the prohibitive expense, the kids were really looking forward to it so much so we still went with it.  I personally didn't have as much fun as before because this time the beach was rather dirty too.  It was filled with lots of garbage and by garbage I don't mean the seaweeds that were everywhere.  Rather, there was a lot of plastic stuff that must have come in by way of the tides.  The kids though didn't mind and they loved being in the water and on the sand! :D

After burning ourselves up on the beach, we went back to the hotel to freshen up and then headed to a Subic staple, the Xtremely Xpresso Cafe, for lunch.  Before the trip, we decided that we'd try eating at Subic mainstay restos so we can really appreciate the trip.  Xtremely Xpresso was number one on the list since we already ate at Meat Plus Cafe in previous trips.

We were ahead of the lunch crowd and easily found a table for the four of us.

Dana had the Carbonara

Dylan had the Tuna Mayo Sandwich

I think Patrick had the Meat Lasagna

I had the Meatball spaghetti

Big Ben Pizza

Patrick was enamored of the Spicy Chocolate

We really enjoyed the food at Xtremely Xpresso.  The cost of the food was pricier than "normal" restos but the serving on your plate and the taste of the food more than made up for it.  In the end, the price was just right for the quality, presentation and ambience in the restaurant.  You see even when the restaurant was filling up with its regular patrons, the service wasn't diminished.  You didn't have to wait an eternity for your order.  That in itself is a plus factor! :)

After a filling lunch, we just drove around Subic, testing the driving potential of the Subaru. We went up the mountains and looked at the interesting houses with their garages that are detached from the house. I don't know where that is exactly but it's really cool! :D  All that driving around lasted a good couple of hours and by the time we got back, the kids were itching for a round in the hotel's pool.  I've never seen my kids' feet so clean at the end of the day :D

their VERY clean feet :D

Travel: Trip to Subic (Day 1)

June 08, 2012

Our summer vacation came a little late this year but as they say, "better late than never".  The kids, Patrick and I went to Subic for 3 days and 2 nights and we were lucky enough to be test driving the 2012 Subaru Impreza WRX STI for Top Gear Philippines in the same trip.

Our first stop on our trip was the Teriyaki Boy Restaurant in the Petron compound along the North Luzon Expressway.  We all love Japanese food and Dylan especially loves California Maki as you can see from this picture.

The rest of us had Katsudon,gyoza and the rest of the Maki.

It's just great that my kids really love trying out new food for themselves. :)

After having that hefty lunch, we all trooped back to the Subaru STI we named "Ghost" in honor of John Snow's direwolf in Game of Thrones.  Why Ghost?  Well, he's silver (close to white) but he's so ferocious on the road.  He can reach up to 200 kilometers per hour and there's not even a hint of hardship on the engine.  He's as cool as they come.  I didn't even know we were running at that speed!  But sshhh! I don't think that's allowed :D  I did have a problem with it being too sporty as I felt it was a bumpy ride.  I ended up getting a headache upon arriving in Subic.  This car is an animal on the road!!





We arrived in Subic in record time. We checked in at the Bayfront Hotel which was were we usually stay when in Subic.  We were surprised to see a new hotel in front of Bayfront.  It was still under construction when we last came to Subic.    Now it was called the Terrace Hotel and it looked interesting from my vantage point.  At first we had a problem with checking in because the room that they assigned was not the one that I requested when I made the booking.  Then they couldn't accommodate the request because they were fully booked.  Good for them so I settled with a different room.  This one had twin beds which still wasn't what I asked for and not what I paid for.  Eventually, they got it right.  It was a good thing I was still in a good mood or else ...  With this setback, I was considering trying out the Terrace Hotel on the other side the next time we came to Subic.


So we just rested for a while with the kids just watching TV.  In the end, we opted to go to Royal Subic to buy our snacks for the beach trip tomorrow and to see if there was anything worth buying :)


Right after buying what we needed to buy, it really didn't take us long, we went to Meat Plus Cafe for dinner.  It was a good thing we didn't take too long at the Duty Free because when we reached Meat Plus, there wasn't that many people lined up and we were able to get a very cozy table.  Right after we ordered, the people started coming in...

Here are pics of us waiting for our orders at Meat Plus Cafe.

And here are our orders:

Tenderloin Meal

Meat Plus Burger Meal

Hamburger Steak Meal

After a satisfying meal, we all went back to the hotel to rest.  I also had to pack our stuff for our trip to the beach the next day.

A Year in the Life: 2009

Here it is again.  A Year in the Life : 2009 , a look at our year's high and lows.. joys and sorrows.. This has been a very hectic year, filled with a lot of changes and activities.  Read on !

January - A new month, a new year.. and what a way to start the year than with meeting your father's mistress and their family!! Technically, she's no longer his mistress since my mom is dead, but still, never in a million years, right?! This is also our first time hiring a nanny which meant a major house redo to accommodate her.  Broken windows were replaced and major furniture shifting was undertaken.  Tiring, tiring, tiring!

February - A tough time because it's Mom's first death anniversary.. the first time I'm even (is it right to say) "celebrating" it.  Our nanny left the household, enough said.  We did have a Tadeo Triple Birthday celebration in honor of Patrick, Dimples and their mom who shared February as their birth month.  Oh and another milestone - my ten-year old bookcase gave way!! Needless to say, I had to replace it and I did!

March - This was a big month full of red-letter dates!! Dana's 5th and Dylan's 3rd birthdays!!!  Tita Flor comes home with Ferdie and Barb!! They came with Patrick's Dad cremated ashes to be buried with their mom in Loyola.  We bought Stanley, our first family car, a green 1996 Subaru Legacy!!!

April - Our room renovations were finally done.  My cousin, Ramil, undertook for us the renovating of our bedroom turning it from a storage room to a bedroom with an en suite bathroom.  We had fun buying the materials and watching the room change before our very eyes! :D We also spent time looking at preschools and we ended up enrolling Dana at Sta. Catalina College, our alma mater LOL  She did so well in her entrance exam, better than the kids who actually spent a year in school already.

May - the perfect time to go on our first family summer outing!! We went to Island Cove in Cavite and it was the first time we've ever gone on a trip in our very own car wahahaha  We had a great time there because there was so much to see and do.  Well worth the trip!  Stanley also took a longer drive to Dau, Pampanga where we met with Patrick's Uncle Dennis and his family after so many years of being apart.  While we were in Pampanga, we also stayed at the Lohas New Well-Being Spa and Hotel as our last trip for the summer.  quite an experience to stay in an authentic Korean sauna and eat authentic Korean food!

June - Dana is going to school already! That mad me so teary-eyed but she was well-prepared and didn't make a fuss when she started her first day.  It's hard though for her to wake up but I'm sure she'll adjust soon.  We also received our handmade quilts that my best friend Kat made!! they're really beautiful and we can't wait to use them :)


July - the only milestone during the month was we got to buy a new PC and printer to replace our old ones.  We got a good deal at PC Gilmore whose staff were so helpful and pleasant ( I highly recommend them).  We also got to change Stanley's tires in preparation for our upcoming trip to Enchanted Kingdom.

August - a fun-filled month starting with a free trip to Enchanted Kingdom courtesy of Patrick's job! :D  It was the first time for the kids to visit Enchanted Kingdom so you can understand how excited and enchanted they were hahaha It was also Den's 18th birthday for which she got a new laptop and we celebrated with a trip to Tagaytay and on to a trip to Enchanted Kingdom again. 

September - this was the fist time that Stanley broke down and in the NLEX of all places.  We went to visit Uncle Dennis in Pampanga and this time with Stevie and his family.  On our way home, we all felt something weird with Stanley, the steering wheel was very hard to control and there was a very strong 'wiggle'.  We had to be towed to a service station and had to take the trip home at 40km/hr.  very slowly but surely we got home after a staggering 6 hours on a normal 2 hour trip LOL  September was also the month when Patrick test drove a Honda City and took it with us to Subic to cover a media event.  The side mirrors were stolen the night before (what a nightmare!) and we ended up having to replace them the morning after.  It was also during this month that we were beset by Typhoon Ondoy, the worst storm ever to hit the Philippines, flooding most of Metro Manila, with a month's worth of rain being dumped in 6 hours.  Stevie and Dimples were in a worse condition having the muddy waters rising to 12 feet where they lived.

October - Yehey! Happy birthday to me and I treated myself to a new sound system for Stanley and a foot spa at my favorite salon hahaha When Ondoy hit, Stevie and Toni had to resked their kids' birthday celebration because the venue where the party was to be held was also flooded.  In the end, the party was delayed for about 2 weeks and was held at Jollibee. 

November - Patrick was excited to be test driving the new Subaru Legacy Station Wagon and for good reason.. it was a super duper really great car.. and I'm not saying that because I'm a fan of Subaru but really, honestly.. you are putting your money where it's worth!! test drive one today to find out why! Oh and Patrick and I celebrated 15 years of togertherness by having dinner at Bellini's in Cubao.  It's a great authentic Italian restaurant whose pasta is to die for!! Honestly!! ;)

December - jam-packed month!! Lola and Uncle Jimmy arrived for a 3-week vacation.  Dana performs at her school's Christmas presentation.  Our family and my sister's family spent a weekend in Clark.  Christmas gift giving!!! Oh and I almost forgot, Dylan needed to undergo speech therapy (I forgot to write about it)..

Whew!! writing about all these happenings in our life is tiring but fun as I look back and reminisce about all the places we've been to and all the things that we've done.  I hope the New Year brings us a lot more to remember :)