Happy 2013!!!

Happy New Year my blog readers! :)

from stylemepretty.com

I've been blogging for almost 3 years but it's only this year that I've intended to share this blog. Well, I know that blogs are meant to be public but that was not my first purpose in making this blog. I just wanted to have an online journal since I gave myself a break from a handwritten journal but I learned to believe in inspiring people in my own little way and sharing a part of my life is a teeny weeny tidbit of that way. :) I hope I've inspired you this year and I pray that I can inspire more! Thank you for always taking time to visit my blog. It really means a lot coming from a newbie blogger. :)

I'm not really a 'texter' you see and I also seldom make calls (my bad) so this is also a way of staying connected with my friends who are now living away from this city. My another prayer this year is to rebuild long-lost friendships, stay strongly involved with the existing ones and enthusiastically create new ones. I'm not quite good on the last one because I tend to be so shy so if ever you'll bump into me, please say hi. :)

I'm sure you have a lot in your bucketlist by now. May we all together enjoy realizing each dream, achieving each goal, and loving every step of the way!

May our next year be the best year yet! Happy new year to you and me! :)

Ems

Tuka Marine Park

Looking for clear blue waters? Rich coral reefs? White sand beach? Quiet and peaceful getaway? I'm sure you have your own favorite places. I, on the other hand, find it hard to pick one most admired nature getaway because a lot of places in the Philippines, have really beautiful beaches to boast. And no matter how the same beaches seem to be, each has really something special to offer, right?

Tuka Marine Park in Kiamba is one of the must see places in Sarangani Province. It is one of my most admired beauty, with its pristine waters and shores. Well, not the whole of it but it was good seeing that majority of it remains to be "untouched". With the absence of commercialism on most parts of Tuka, that makes it a perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city life.

We were invited to a small gathering... or did we just persistently show interest, Rendon and Laiza? Haha! Thanks to Ma'am Berl for the invitation, to Mary Ann for the free boat ride, to the rest of the group for the bountiful lunch.

Manny Pacquiao's new beach house

Pacquiao's old beach house which is now for rent.

This old beach house has five rooms - one air conditioned and four non-air. The right photo of the collage above shows a non-air room which can accommodate 6-8 people (according to their brochure). The four rooms will share a portable comfort room - not really comfortable in my opinion.

The aircon room, however, is quite spacious. It will be good for a group of ten (for sleeping purposes only). It has a very decent bathroom and a lovely deck fronting the beautiful sea! It is lovely because the curtains are in sunny yellow which compliments well with the blue colors of the sea. Love!

Room rates: Php1000 (non-air), Php1600 (aircon).

Kiamba has a very pretty park, too! Since I love everything pretty, I melt for this. Luuurrve! I've been here a few times before and I must say, it still is a pretty thing, even prettier during Christmas season. 

How to get to Tuka Marine Park in Kiamba?

(1) From Gensan, ride a van. Terminals are located at Osmena St. I recommend the Ablog vans.
     Approximate travel time: 1.5 hours
     Fare: Php 90

(2) Ride a tricycle to Lourdes park, the touchpoint for Tuka. Look for the Tourism Office and pay the
   necessary fees.
      Fare: Php 10

  Entrance fees:
      Adult: Php25 (Daytime); Php50 (Overnight)
      Child: Php10

  Boat:
     Php1200 - maximum of 15 heads

  Snorkel:
     Php100/set

  Cottage:
     Php300 (Daytime) ; Php500 (Overnight)

  Jet ski:
     Php3500/hour

(3) Ride a boat to Tuka 4.
     Approximate travel time: 15 mins


Prepare to get wet. If you don't plan to swim, just at least bring extra clothes. Bring everything you need. I doubt there are stores in the beach area. 

HB Girlfriends

I TURN TO YOU. This is my high school girl group's theme song. We call ourselves the Healthy Babies :) You see, we were part of Christina Aguillera and Britney Spears' shining days. That's not so long ago, yes? :) And I'm so glad I was born in those years when songs were very meaningful and understandable. :) I don't understand why teenagers of today are so into KPop. I doubt they know every single word of their songs. Hehe. (Nothing against Kpop, though.)

I don't know if this is still true today but back in our HS days, we loved giving letters. Those endless I'll-be-there-for-you's and you're-the-best-friend-I've-ever-had's are just so wonderful to remember especially because I have the best girl friends ever! :) I belonged to a group of talented and beautiful ladies. :)

I'm so proud of how we turned out to be - happy and successful women. Insert teary-eyes here. Has it been that long? Oh, I miss you :)

Other girls are already in other parts of the Philippines and the world so it's really seldom that we see each other. But some of us met one night to plan the class reunion this month. (This is another thing I look forward to!) We were giggling over those happy times, catching up on each others' lives, cracking up in between the planning. I hope we can do this more often girls. I really miss this :)

Luv, me, Chichi, Loudette with Luv's niece - smartie little KC

Raya, Rain, Shine, Hannah, Rose, Bibay, Jervine we miss yah! :)

Yummy Gensan: Shabu-Shabu at Tong Yang

Shabu-shabu style of dining is something new on this side of the world. This is the reason a lot of Generals have been eyeing Tong Yang at SM Gensan. And of course, that would include the attracted-to-newly-opened-restaurants me! :)

Technically, this is not already new as it has started operating few months back. Since it was opened, my friends and I were itching to dine there. I didn't understand what took us so long. Hehe.. So anyway. This was what happened...

The waiter assisted us with the hot pot by providing us with the chicken and sinigang stock for the soup. Plus butter for all the grilling. Then he guided us to a chain of trays of raw food - vegetables, beef, pork, chicken, fish. Name it. They have it. They even have condiments and eggs and hotdogs which amazed me. :) This is when I started to get confused. A lot of choices! What would I get first? 

While still figuring out what to eat, I went to the ready-to-eat corner. Aren't you glad to hear that? Yes, they actually have something for the very hungry people. I got myself a vegetable salad and slices of watermelon and went back to my seat.Then Laiza and I were discussing our battle plan. Haha!

Look at these choices! How could you not be confused? I suggest that when you go there, you already have in mind what to cook. :) You can have as much as you want. This is unlimited! You can eat for straight three hours! Oh, how much more awesome could that get!

I love chicken and fish. Laiza loves shrimps and everything else so that's what we decided to have.What came out of our plan? We let the boys cook for us. Haha! They couldn't resist Laiza's charm. And I guess they were too shy to say no to their Ate Ems. :) Thanks boys!

Laiza and I in a bliss

Rendon and Jypzie almost regretful of dining here with the too-lazy-to-cook ladies.Hihi

Rendon is happily serving us. :)

Trying to look Koreans here. This is an after effect of unlimited ice cream plus unlimited drinks. Ahuh! That's a complete meal, from appetizer to dessert, for Php299 from 10am to 3pm on Mondays to Fridays and Php399 from 3pm onwards on all days of the week. (Note: Weekend lunch buffet is also at Php399) - the most sulit price for an unlimited meal ever!

The gang of five. The young ones of the office. The four of them are batchmates while I'm two years ahead. Now I feel old. Haha!  

Jypzie, Laiza, me, Rendon, Rommel

Location: 2nd floor of Alfresco Strip SM Gensan