2014 Plans (First Half)

Since these 2 might need more time of planning and saving, I've decided to give this a 6-month timeline.  Aja! :)

Ilocandia Tour

Home Theatre System

Sydney Tower Eye and Skywalk

For the past weeks that I've been strolling along Pitt St., there's no single moment that I did not glance at the Sydney Tower Eye.  I'd been wanting to see the entire Sydney in a panoramic view and most of all, I'd been looking forward to witness the sunset 250++ metres above the ground, something that I haven't experienced before.  So, I really carefully planned my trip up there.

Wednesday, I went straight to Westfield after work to inquire if the slot that I want is still open and yes, it is! :D  And since I'm still 2 hours early, I spent an hour or so taking photos of Sydney at different views and angles.

And finally, the wait is over! :D

There are several sections of the tower but I only visited two, the observation deck and the Skywalk.  The observation deck is an enclosed viewing platform featuring 360-degree view of the city.  You can also find here the souvenir shop and multilingual touchscreens that give information of each area seen from the angle where these screens are located.

There's a 4D short film about Sydney before going up there

That's the Queen Victoria Building

And there is the Skywalk experience where you can walk in an open-air, glass-floored platform that encircles the Sydney Tower Eye.   The view and the experiene are breathtaking.  Enjoy the pics! :)

Third Weekend in Sydney (Sunday)

Lee and I met at 9am in Townhall Station and took a train to Blacktown and a bus going to Featherdale Zoo.  It was freaking, damn cold and the non-stop rain made the weather even worse.  But  it was all worth it after seeing in flesh all these adorable animals.

Kangaroos

Koala

Wombats

There are of course other animals like bats, peacocks, pelicans, crocs, snakes, etc. but I won't post any photo of those since they are commonly seen in all other zoos. :)  It only took us around 2 hours in exploring the place.  But if there were animal shows, we would have stayed a little longer.  It so happened that the weather was pretty bad and there were no school field trips so, there was no single animal show.  But still, it was worth it for a tourist like me.

After the meet and greet with these wonderful species, we had a typical burger, fries  and coke for lunch and found some weird souvenirs at the shop.  How weird is it?  Check this out.

This item costs 26AUD in the Zoo, but I bought it for 12AUD in Darling Harbour :D

Thanks for an amazing experience, Featherdale Zoo!

NOTE:  To those who are planning to visit the place by public transport, if you're taking a bus from Blacktown Station, the zoo is at the right side and in a residential area (surrounded by houses).  You won't notice the zoo name as shown in the picture above because it's facing the other side.  We almost missed it! :D

Third Weekend in Sydney (Saturday)

This is my second time in Manly Bay.  First, when I was invited to a dinner at Bavarian Cafe last Halloween night.  No, we didn't attend a costume party, it was a farewell dinner for Irish (who was set to fly back to Manila in 2 days) by her teammates.  And since it was an evening event, I didn't get to see the beauty of the beach so I decided to return today, thank God for a wonderful, sunny weather :)

The Plane, The Bridge and The Boat

Manly Beach (Bay)

Manly Beach (Bay)

Fish 'n Chips 'n Beer for lunch :)

Facetime with Nanay and Josh while on board the ferry

Second Weekend in Sydney (Sunday)

Thanks to Lee (my officemate)'s friend who took time to tour us around outside CBD.  Our first stop is at Sydney Olympic Park, the home of 2000 Olympics.

Afterwards, we headed to 2 outlet stores in Sydney: DFO and Birkenhead Point.  If only I had much money to spend, I would have shopped more but since it was only my first week, I had no reason  to overspend.  I bought 2 perfumes (for nanay and tatay) and a set of lip gloss.   There's an Oroton bag that I really wanted to buy but I had to wait for sometime until I have enough budget. :)

Second Weekend in Sydney (Saturday)

Let the photos speak for themselves :D

Bondi Beach

from higher view

up close

The Gap, Watsons  Bay

stunning view!

hazy....

First Weekend in Sydney

4 months into my new job, I got a chance to spend a month of work and training in one of the well-known cities of Australia.... SYDNEY! :)  And since this wonderful opportunity has come my way, I promised myself to make the most out of my stay in the Land Down Under.  Though I would be staying here for work and training, of course I will never let this golden opportunity to pass without exploring its wonders.  So, let me share with you my adventures and misadventures while touring around Sydney!

1st weekend:

It wasn't a nice way to start off my journey:  horrible traffic from home to the airport, delayed flight and a kid who had uncontrollable behavior during the flight.  Good thing though, I was totally tired and sleepy and didn't have a hard time falling asleep the entire trip.  But before that, I met a lady doctor at the boarding gate of NAIA Terminal 1 while waiting for our plane.  We talked about the typical topics: why are you going to Sydney, where do you work, are you travelling alone, etc.  And her story has really caught my attention and I guess, it is worth sharing.

World's Best Destination

I guess for most of you, this isn't a big deal... and for some, probably, they've already been to almost all the wonderful places listed here.  But I don't care! :D  I swear.... I'll go to ALL these places before I take my last breath!!! :D My only consolation for now is that, at least I've been to the 2nd best beach in the world several times and been to (and will be back to) the 10th best destination in the world! Wanna join? :D  Click on the title to get an idea what I'm talking about ;)

Bellarocca

Something to look forward to (and save for) this 2012.... or beyond :D

 

Boracay 2011

After 3 months of preparation, everything is settled and all I could do is to pray for a smooth trip and a perfect weather.  This is going to be a mix of a well-deserved vacation and witnessing the union of 2 wonderful people in holy matrimony.

Day 1:

3-hr flight from Singapore to Manila, waited in the airport for 5 hours to take another short trip from Manila to Kalibo.  And from Kalibo, a speedy 1-hr land travel to Caticlan and finally getting to our destination a little past lunchtime.  Whew! It's been long and tiring journey but it was all worth it upon assuring myself: "Yes, I am in paradise!"

 

See You Very Very Soon!

It's been 2 years since the last time we were together.  I must admit, I missed you terribly.  Yes, I've been engaged with lots of stuff that I find it so hard to spend time with you.  Fortunately, the universe conspires to bring us back together again.

Whenever I'm with you, I forget how crazy the world is, even just for a moment.  With you, I can be my damn self.... with you, I feel loved... with you, I find solace...... 

  see you real soon, Boracay! :)

Summer Officially Starts, NOW!!!

Thank You, CebuPacificAir

Almost a year and a half ago when I told myself that I wouldn't get an International Flight from CebuPacific anymore. This was after having some trouble with my booking in October 2008. But since I have to keep my New Year's Resolution as real as possible, I grabbed the airline's 50% online seat sale in time for my vacation in April.


For just SGD188.00 (approx. Php6000.00), I booked a roundtrip ticket to Manila with the inclusion of the following: 5kg of excess check-in baggage (MNL-SNG) and seat reservation on both flights.

This is pretty damn good ;)

Malaysia 2008

When I learned that Tabel and her friends would be coming over for a short vacation and they would be going to Malaysia, I quickly asked If I could join them. I've been planning to go to KL and been waiting for the perfect opportunity and this is it! :) And of course, she couldn't say no to me hehehehe.... It was last November 22nd when they arrived and went straight to my place to leave their luggages. I wanted to be their guide around the city but because I just came from a very early shift in the office, I couldn't. After lunch that we had in Kopitiam of White Sands, they went to Orchard while I went back home to get some sleep. They got back at around 7pm together with our tickets to KL, they rested for a while and at 10pm, we left the house and took bus-mrt rides to Golden Miles Complex.

It was a smooth travel to KL. Just needed to 2 stop overs for immigration. We arrived in Puduraya at 5am, took 2 cabs (we were 7 btw) to Doth's cousin's (Bing) place. In the middle of the trip, a policeman (or was it policemen) chased one of our cabs and inspected their passports and bags. Our driver told us that the policeman/men just wanted money. But since all of us brought only enough money, these crocodiles did not get any from them. Good thing, nobody got hurt. We arrived at Bing's condo safely, rested for about 2 hours and we got ourselves ready for our trip to Genting Highlands.

Bus to KL ( we welcomed Tabel's bday on this bus :D )

Waiting for a cab going to Genting Bus Terminal

Genting Bus

inside the cable car



Happy Birthday, Tabel!

at Ripley's Believe It of Not Museum

yan ang pose! (minus the bags hehehe....)

tinulungan ko yung mamang kinagat ng pating....

nanliliit ako....

hehehehe.....

After Genting, we were supposed to go to KLCC to take shots with the glowing Petronas Twin Towers. But since it was already half past midnight when we arrived at the city and it was raining, we just decided to go there the next day. I was a bit disappointed 'coz I really, really wanted to take a shot of Petronas at night but I knew it wasn't safe to push thru with it. Next day it is! :)

Mabuhay

Thanks to Tabel (i'll wait for the photos ha ;)), Doths, Bing, Elaine, Ana, Lod and Nanay (ni Ana) :)

*Special thanks to Bing, Doths and Lod for the additional photos