Surfing – a History of Conquering Love and Fear

October 20, 2016August 9, 201922 Comments

When I started this new blog, I’ve shared with you that I’m re-reading Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project because I want to bring more happiness into my life, the kind that really comes from within me and not the type that is pressured into my life by other people or caused by pride and envy (which is why I started this whole new blog and let go of my old persona even if people close to me advised me against it). I want to be just me. Be me. Be Jen. Which is why I am writing a lot more now about my life, my thoughts, my past experiences, etc. because I am first and foremost a diarist more than a typical blogger, more than a marketer or any other kind of writer. I like looking at my own past experiences, enjoying those happy forgotten memories and using the positive energy they give me to bring more good things into my present life so I can forge ahead with a bit more wisdom, inspiration and strength towards a brighter future. And one thing about my not-so-far-off past that gave (and still gives) me so much joy is SURFING.

This is more of a story of love and letting go of fear rather than a pure guide to surfing. Although there’ll be bits and pieces about how to surf, where to surf, how much it costs and what not, more than anything, I’d be sharing with you a photo journal about it and how this water sports activity has changed my life and influenced me (hopefully for the better). Continue reading →

Sonya’s Garden Tagaytay Restaurant Review

October 16, 2016November 30, 201610 Comments

Sonya’s Garden’s full name is Sonya Garcia’s Secret Cottage Restaurant Inc. At least that’s what it says on their menu which someone handed out to us as soon as we stepped out of our car after parking. And I’m just so happy that finally, I’d be able to eat here… and during our 2nd Anniversary at that!

Amidst the verdant and flower-laden garden, with nothing but thick hibiscus shrubs and romantic hydrangeas as witnesses, the young man knelt on one knee before the lady and asked her if she would be his sweetheart. She replied with a single-minded “Yes!”

And what better way to celebrate the overflowing of the heart than with the filling of the belly? Dinner had to be served! The table was draped with fine embroidered linen and laden with freshly picked lettuce and arugula, sweet-fleshed mangoes, pineapples, and other fruits in season, and an array of dips and sauces for drizzling over salads and pasta. It was an explosion of flavors and feelings. From this proposal began the public’s love affair with Sonya’s Garden. – SonyasGarden.com

I can’t believe it’s been two years since Mahal asked for my hand from my grandfather, parents and siblings in Cagayan de Oro. Two years? Wow! It seemed like only yesterday! I can still feel my surprise when for the first time my grandfather talked to a suitor of mine. He never did that to any of my exes!

Anyway, it’s actually our 26th monthsary yesterday, October 15, which we almost forgot because we were in Eastern time zone, we had so much going on with baby Tuz’s vaccine, checkup, errands and work around the house (that got a bit flooded recently during a sudden heavy downpour) and we were so busy with so many other things (like soap making) that we didn’t have anything special planned. The weather is also not very cooperative with typhoon Karen making a landfall this dawn and another one on the way come Monday (stay safe, everyone!).

But last August, on our 2nd anniversary, when the weather was still so nice and cozy, we had a series of anniversary celebrations (in case you haven’t read about some of my posts about that yet) and we headed to Tagaytay once again. It was just a simple lunch but we super loved it because we had it at Sonya’s Garden! Continue reading →

Siargao Cheap Accommodation – Ocean 101 Cloud 9 Beach Resort

October 13, 2016October 23, 201811 Comments

Siargao is one of my most favorite islands in the Philippines! There are so many things to do here, so many places to visit, so many natural wonders to explore and even at night, there are so many parties to go to (yep, I really couldn’t believe that Siargaonons are such party animals). All of these things I will share with you one by one as I blog about all of my visits to the famous surfing capital of the Philippines.

Siargao According to Wikipedia

Siargao is a tear-drop shaped island in the Philippine Sea situated 800 kilometers southeast of Manila in the province of Surigao del Norte. It has a land area of approximately 437 square kilometres (169 sq mi). The east coast is relatively straight with one deep inlet, Port Pilar. The coastline is marked by a succession of reefs, small points and white, sandy beaches. The neighboring islands and islets have similar landforms.

The island is composed of municipalities of Burgos, Dapa, Del Carmen, General Luna, San Benito, Pilar, San Isidro, Santa Monica and Socorro.

And all these municipalities, I’ve already visited! Weeee!

But first things first — where to find cheap accommodation in Siargao? Continue reading →

Lambug Beach in Badian Cebu Day Trip Guide

October 11, 2016October 16, 201610 Comments

This is the continuation of my previous post, Kawasan Falls Cebu Day Trip Guide.

As mentioned, I was coming from Manila and was heading to Siargao with one day of stopover at Cebu. Since I wanted to explore a place in its southwestern part that I’ve never been to before, I did a day trip to Kawasan Falls and Lambug Beach before I headed back to Mactan Airport to catch my flight to Siargao.

So if ever you have a day to spare in Cebu and you’d like to explore it’s southwestern part, you can also do the same. Check out my Kawasan Falls Day Trip Guide followed by this post on Lambug Beach Day Trip Guide. Continue reading →

Bag of Beans Athena Tagaytay Restaurant Review

October 1, 2016November 30, 2016Leave a comment

I used to travel all the time before the baby came. I am out of the house and exploring the country more often than I was at home. It didn’t even stop me when I got pregnant. As soon as my obstetrician gave me the go signal to travel, Mahal and I did so for almost two months straight during my last trimester hopping from one province to the next all over Mindanao and the Visayas and some parts of Southern Luzon before we finally got back home here in Manila. I’ll blog more about that soon.

But since I gave birth and had Tuz, travels were limited to once or twice a month. We’d just visit nearby places and mostly our goal is to eat. If before, we scrimped on food so we can travel some more and have more money for plane tickets and hotels, this time, since we can’t really travel much until baby Tuz completes his rounds of various vaccines, we splurge on food instead! And one of the food places nearby that we love to visit is Tagaytay, particularly Bag of Beans. Continue reading →

The Day I Met Richard Branson

September 7, 2016November 4, 20163 Comments

Just a little TBT post…

This photo above was taken on May 12, 2013 when I got invited to go to Malaysia by Air Asia and there I saw in person Richard Branson, one of my ultimate idols. I’ve been reading his blog since and this one really struck a chord in me: LIFE IS NOT A JOURNEY TO RETIREMENT.

Growing up, I was programmed to believe that life is a journey — that I should live a good life, I should finish my studies, I should find a good job and climb its corporate ladder, I should marry and build a family, while saving up for retirement, then I can die. When I think about it, it’s quite morbid, isn ‘t it? But the truth is, subconsciously, I’ve been doing that in one way or another all my life. Like what Stephen Covey taught me in college, “Begin with the end in mind.” While that principle is indeed very helpful in terms of goal-setting and reaching for your dreams, once you’ve achieved your end, it doesn’t really end there. That’s just one lesson in life out of the multitude we’re gonna learn as we traverse this little spot in the universe. And that, for me, is more exciting!
Continue reading →

Ayala Malls Serin in Tagaytay – Not What We Expected It to Be

August 29, 2016November 30, 20163 Comments

So I have been hearing about Ayala Malls Serin that opened in Tagaytay 2 years ago (April 2, 2014) and the few times Mahal and I went to Tagaytay and passed by it, I kept getting intrigued by it. It looked so elegant and serene from the outside.

So that one particular day we were celebrating our second anniversary, after our little excursion to Marcia Adams and Puzzle Mansion Museum, we dropped by Ayala Malls Serin. We were waiting to get hungry (Marcia Adams’ dishes were so yummy and filling that even after several hours, we were still quite full!) so we thought of going around this prestigious lifestyle mall in Tagaytay. Continue reading →

Puzzle Mansion Bed and Breakfast in Tagaytay

August 23, 2016November 11, 20161 Comment

This blog post will be part of a series of posts that I’ll be doing about Tagaytay Must-See Food Places and Tourist Spots. And since we’ve just celebrated our second anniversary this month (Aug. 15), there’s no better way to spend it on a rainy afternoon with our baby Tuz than by heading there not just for some fancy meal but to also explore some places we’ve never been to before as long as the time and weather will permit it.

~~~oOo~~~

Tagaytay is the nearest tourist place to my home and so most of the tourist spots here I’ve already visited since I was in college (circa 1995-1999), the first one being Tagaytay Highlands with my wealthy classmates from AdMU. It was a spontaneous little out-of-town trip with a few boys and girls to celebrate the fact that classes have just been suspended that day if I recall correctly or maybe we just finished our exams and we had lots of free time to kill… Hmmm… Whatever the reason was, I remember feeling so lucky to be invited by my block mates to such a high-end place which is via membership only and I fell in love with Tagaytay since.

Anyway, I digress…

So it’s really nice when new places to visit in Tagaytay would crop up every now and then and one of those places we’ve never been to before is the Puzzle Mansion Bed and Breakfast. Continue reading →

Marcia Adams Tagaytay Restaurant Review

August 22, 2016November 30, 20164 Comments

This blog post will be part of a series of posts that I’ll be doing about Tagaytay Must-See Food Places and Tourist Spots. And since we’ve just celebrated our second anniversary this month, there’s no better way to spend it on a rainy afternoon with our baby Tuz than by heading there for some fancy late lunch.

~~~oOo~~~

I’ve been wanting to go back to Tagaytay for a long while now and I was really planning to do that on our anniversary month (We turned two last August 15). It just kept getting pushed back because of the monsoon season until one Sunday afternoon, when the weather wasn’t as bad as the last several days that we finally decided to go. Should the weather get worse once we’re there, then we can stay somewhere in Tagaytay City. But if not, at least we’re just almost an hour away from home (with light traffic).

Mahal listed a bunch of places that we can go visit in Tagaytay. Some of those places I’ve already been to so when he mentioned Marcia Adams, I immediately got intrigued and told him “I haven’t been there. Let’s try it!” Continue reading →

Momtraneur’s Love Story

July 27, 2016May 2, 202331 Comments

Overview

Like I mentioned in my welcome post, I am an introvert which is why the work that I do as a virtual assistant makes me so happy because I don’t have to face people and deal with them every day. I prefer to be on my own and not talk to people. I work on my own time, in my bedroom or in my study, on the beach, in the mountains, at a cafe, or wherever I feel like working at the moment. It’s just me, my computer, and of course with my Mahal and bebe Tuz in tow and voila — I am very happy!

Needless to say, the lack of social interaction with people, I do make up for by writing down my thoughts and feelings and this is why I’ve always loved blogging. It’s not the kind that pays though because I am a diarist after all. I don’t blog to sell stuff or to earn from ads or to get invited to events which naturally happened before. I got tired of it coz again, it involved being with other bloggers and as an introvert, my energy gets expended much more quickly when that happens. In short, attending events with lots of people drains me. As for the ads though, that might be an option I could explore in the future like maybe do affiliate marketing and the likes. Anyhoo, I blog because I want to express myself and share my thoughts and experiences and not to earn. I already have more than enough money anyway from my investments and other sources so blogging is just really FOR ME — to make myself happy. And now that I am back to blogging, I am so much, much happier! Thank you to my best friend and life partner who generously supports me in everything I want to do. And not just the kind of support that lets me be or the “do-what-you-want-and -I’ll-do-what-I-want” type of support, but he teaches me things and suggests things I can further do so in that area I really am lucky.

Continue reading →