Happy Valentine's Day!

For the sake of blogging on Valentine's Day, I'm sharing you this:

Paolo's Facebook status. ♥

 I'm so excused to be all mushy today, so don't blame me. Our Valentine's Day dinner is in a few minutes. I don't know how it's going to be but we're gonna spend it at his home. He said he'll cook a blackened fish with salsa and some sorts of chicken and pasta. Let's see. 

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Enjoy the remaining hours! ♥ 

Beach-a By Golly Wow!

I can't seem to move on about Iloilo/Guimaras.. believe me, I still wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy I'm still in the beach. And I want to avoid the umay factor because of too much posts about this place (sorry I really just can't help it), so I will try to make this the last, at least for this week. Hehe. 

Btw, I am happy about getting good feedback about my polka-hearts fuchsia pink bikini and my Jerks ♥ Me hoodie shirt. As I've said, the polka-hearts bikini is not polka-dots and that the color is fuchsia pink, not red. :p

Here are some my outfits during our stay. You can click on the images to enlarge.

Jerks ♥ Me hoodie shirt, Topshop denim shirts, personalized vintage snaked-skin sunglasses, zebra-printed bag, Havaianas Top.

Above is my "arrival" getup. I chose to wear something comfortable to avoid the "Who's-that-girl-and-where-is-she-coming-from?" stare. I also wanted to feel good while leaving Manila. We just took a cabbie to the airport, so this one's safe.

Floral dress from Landmark Department Store, Zara shoulder bag.

Wore this during our island hopping activity, instead of wearing a cover-up for a major, major change! I thought of having a photo-op by the sunset while wearing a long, floral dress in the beach as inspired by my cousin's wedding pic HERE. I failed because I forgot.

Topshop twist bandeau bikini top and pant in baby pink and lavender.

I decided to wear this strapless bikini top because I was too shy to wear this in the resort where we stayed. Paolo and the two boat men were only the few ones to see me wearing this in flesh. Hehe.

Topshop triangle bikini and pant with ruffles and heart embroideries in fuchsia pink.

 Scared of having a wardrobe malfunction (and nip slip), I wore this when I took a dip in the sea. I am really happy that I got these two pairs of bikinis for sale last January 14. Good times!

Topman plain white tee, and navy-inspired high waist shorts from Landmark Department Store.

This outfit made me feel more relaxed while going around Iloilo City and carrying a bunch of big bags and bayongs at the same time! I also anticipated tricycle rides so this is really perfect!

Until my next trip! :)

Iloilo and Guimaras 2011

Surprise, surprise not! For our 7th year, we went to the beautiful city of Iloilo and the enchanting island of Guimaras. Paolo and I have been traveling together since we got back together and gosh, Guimaras is the place to be!! The people, the food, e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g! 

I seriously don't know where to start, but as of the mean time, I think this is where I want to spend my retiring days in the future. Need not to explain why, photos can speak for themselves:

Iloilo International Airport. Airport pa lang, talo na ang NAIA Terminal 1!

Ted's Oldtimer Batchoy--Super Extra Batchoy for me. I forgot to check the worldwideweb on which food Iloilo is known for. Thanks to my phone, LA PAZ BATCHOY IT IS!! All I can say is SARAP!

This is the Trappist Abbey. Our tricycle driver is so kind that he also toured as around Guimaras. Driver, tour guide and photographer in one! I'm also happy to see Pao appreciating Catholicism. In fairness, he behaved in the monastery.

Overlooking Iloilo City.

When we arrived in Alubihod Beach, we checked in at Raymen Beach Resort. Plan A was Villa Igang but since we found Raymen good, we stayed there instead. We just slept the whole afternoon and had our early dinner by 6. Well, dinner was.. again, batchoy! Almost every store there serves batchoy and we we're very open to try all the batchoys there. Hehe. Then drank beer by the beach. It was freaking cold, perfect ambiance for our beer sesh and some Happy peanuts!

Brunch on a Sunday, our 7th anniversary! Sinigang na lapu-lapu, ensaladang talong and fresh ripe mango shake. AHH!!

And then for our most-awaited island hopping, which is by the way I looked forward to because of good reviews I read and the cheapest island hopping fee:

TURTLE ISLAND. Meet Sibuyan, a 15-kilo pawikan. People of Turtle Island take care of Sibuyan and 3 other big turquoises. Big, healthy turquoises!

AVE MARIA ISLAND. This island is owned by the Lopezes, good thing it's still open for the public. Been to Boracay? This island is exactly like Boracay.

BARAS CAVE. Hundreds of bats live here! The cave reminds me of Puerto Princesa Underground river, less darker--not scary at all!

BARAS BEACH RESORT. The caretaker of the rest house is also hospitable enough to let us in! The people there, I ♥!

FAIRY CASTLE ISLAND. Too bad it's closed for the public already. :/

TATLONG ISLA ISLAND. The best among the rest! The best, the best! *With pompoms* I love this to death!! This small island just won over Boracay, Bohol, Pagudpud and Palawan!

THE SAND IS AS WHITE AS SNOW WHITE AND AS SOFT AS A BABY'S SKIN!

During our second and last night, we drank by the bay again. The beach was even more serene that time because Koreans (I guess 50% of Koreans occupied the entire resort) already left. There are still locals and some foreigners though. We watched the locals play "tsinelas baseball" with two Americans. I had so much fun watching them and I even caught myself screaming! A girl sat beside me and said hi, she's Farah. She is so beautiful! I offered her some grilled fish and never hesitated to taste it. Farah said she wanted to join the game but a sea urchin bit her right knee. It was kind of terrible when she showed me her wounded knee, it was swelling! We talked the whole night while her boyfriend, Justin, played with the locals.

This is Farah, a Pakistani who grew up in England and is currently working in Shanghai.

"You are very lucky to live in the Philippines. You can visit beautiful islands anytime you want. Filipinas also have beautiful bodies. You are petite and that is very feminine," Farah said. It's one of the conversations that made me feel so proud about being a Filipino. I totally agree with her. I remember my blog entry about the Philippines, and that of course, another story to tell.

Going back to our Guimaras trip, we also met a bunch of wonderful friends. They are good people of our age, and they asked us to join them in their drinking sesh.

Our Ilonggo, British and American friends who made our stay really unforgettable!

On the morning of our last day, Pao and I had our last plunge in the clear waters of Alubihod Beach. We had the entire shore exclusive on us, people already left the resort, thank God for Monday madness. No more guests, just us two and Farah and Justine (who were still sleeping). 

The beauty of Alubihod is beyond words! SPEECHLESS. People, this is in the Philippines! No need to go to Bali, Curacao, Saint Barths, Maldives etc etc! Comes with new good friends too, for free! Come and visit, please! :)

We left the resort by 12:00 noon. I had a hard time saying goodbye to this paradise, but yea, we need to!

When we finally left Alubihod, we opted to have lunch in Jordan, Galvez Kakainan to be exact, before going to San Miguel market, where the famous golden mangoes are.We had ginisang hipon, adobong pusit and kalderetang kambing.

And here we are--San Miguel market in Jordan! Mango Wonderland!! Kilos and kilos and kilos of  mangoes and other mango products made our arms real hard. Other products we bought are mango bars, mango scotch and polvoron, barquillos, tarts, biscochos with mango flavors too!

ILOILO CITY, again! Paolo wanted to watch Green Hornet in SM Iloilo City but our newly-found friends told us to try out Perri Todd's in Jaro. Its description reminded me of Bite Club (in Katipunan and Boracay)--big buns of burger, American grilled patties, fresh veggies. Waaah. Mouth watering! (WHILE TYPING THIS, I HEAR MY TUMMY ROAR!)

We ordered Grilled Cheeseburger with Bacon. The burger is even bigger than my face and it only costs P160! Finished mine in 10 minutes! YUM YUM YUM!

After pleasing our tum-tums, we walked around Jaro. We found an Ukay-ukay galore near Graciano Lopez Jaena Park. Checked out some stuff but unfortunately, most items are pambahay only. Beside where the bunch of Ukay-ukay is a perya! I don't know what this game's called--tataya ka ng isang number tapos kapag huminto yung roleta sa number mo, panalo ka! Kung magkano taya mo, yun din ang amount na ibibigay sayo ng lahat ng tumaya. Hehe. So Pao placed his P5-coin on box number 3. I asked him to place it on box number 6 but he didn't listen, the roleta stopped by number 6. For the second time, Pao placed his P10-coin on box number 5. I said to place it on box number 8. Waley, the roleta stopped by number 8. What is sayang diba? Haha! 

Behind me is the belfry or the bell tower of Jaro Cathedral located in Jaro Plaza. It used to hold the bell of the cathedral and also served as a look-out for sea raiders in the past. Quite disappointed with how it looks like now. Right beside this tower are numerous streamers and posters of the city's government officials, winners of beauty pageants and singing contests and the like. The tower is beautiful, historical, amazing. Let's leave that area to the tower alone.

By 5:00 pm, we headed to the airport already. We anticipated the traffic on our way there but, nah, there was no traffic at all! Hence, the early bird feel. But it's still a blessing in disguise coz a few minutes after we checked in our baggage, heavy rain poured. Earlier flights bound to Cebu and Manila were canceled. While waiting for our boarding time, we stayed in a coffee shop and watched an Arnold Schwarzenegger film. God is good that the rain stopped half an hour before our boarding schedule. No to canceled flights!

At Zooz Wooz Coffee Shop in Iloilo Int'l Airport.

An hour after, we're back in Manila's arms! Paolo and I are both excited to go home to our families. We really had a great time! ILOILO, ILOve, ILOve! :)

But wait, there's more! The most important part of this Iloilo-Guimaras experience is the fact that we celebrated our 7th year anniversary. Venue of the celebration is nothing if you aren't happy! I guess the magic of love that we have made this trip really special. 

PS: Special thanks to the very warm people of Raymen Beach Resort! I'll see you again! // To my lovely readers and friends, it will be my pleasure to answer your questions if you plan to go to Iloilo-Guimaras! I am sure you'll love it here! 

♥,

Marianne

A Dozen of Kimmie Ice Cream

They say you can't choose friends. But in my case, I choose my friends. Why? Life can be much, much easier to live with people who share similar interests as yours. Differences are good, I know, but sometimes, a friend who agrees with you most of the time is better. 

For example, my good girl friend Kim and I share a looot of favorite things:

 1. Going to the beach. We've been to Boracay, Bohol, Pagudpud, Batangas. And I chose this pic coz this is the safest for public viewing. Haha! At Boracay, September 2006.

 

2. Spending "after school hours" in the mall to waste money and gain calories! At Seattle's Best, The Block, Summer Class 2007.

3. Being jologs about everything, as long as we get a good picture together (i.e. holding flowers and doing a "hand gun" gesture). At Angono, Rizal, Summer Tour 2007.

4. Beating the odds just to be in the same group where your good friends are. In that way, school works become bonding moments! At Makati Shangrila Hotel, July 2007.

5. Dancing anywhere, we don't care. That's me in white, ready to fly and Kim's in yellow, on the climax of her tumbling stunts. Haha. At FEU Freedom Park, Summer Class 2008.

6. Wearing dresses in a theme park. Statement. At Enchanted Kingdom, September 2008.

7. Going out of the country. It's everyone's desire, but we were so serious about traveling that we took up Tourism. At Hong Kong, November 2008.

8. Taking pictures in front of the mirror. It's foolish to hear a girl say she haven't tried doing this in her life. Lol. At Intramuros, April 2009.

9. Modeling together just like Tricia Gosingtian and Crissey Si aka Trissey. At Hair Shaft, The Fort, July 2009.

10. Getting new hairstyles from a prestigious salon. It's a girl's best friend, not to mention if it's for free! At Phillip Louis Kee Salon, The Fort, January 2010.

 11. Attending birthday parties, Christmas parties and all kinds of parties and getting drunk. I'm kidding. And kidding. :)) At Meatshop, Katipunan, March 2010.

 12. Finishing college together. From uniform to dresses to toga. Although graduating isn't considered as a favorite hobby, this becomes a favorite personal favorite. At PICC Plenary Hall, April 2010.

There's even more than a dozen of shared favorite things with Kim. That's one of the reasons why I chose her to be my friend, my sister. The possibilities are endless. And entire Blogspot wouldn't be enough to enumerate all good things in life about our rollercoaster friendship. 

Dear Kimmie,

Happy 22nd birthday! I pray for all your heart's desires. I may not be a perfect friend and we no longer hangout like we used to do before, but I want you to know that you're one of the pieces that make my life complete and that I'm still, and always, here for you. Cheers to our 5 years of friendship! I love you.

Happy birthday again! Never let your ice cream melt, keep it freezing!

Love,

Yannie ♥ 

PS: Look at the pictures and see how we evolved from teenyboppers to drama queens! :D
 

 

 

7/Forever

Shameless plug: My boyfriend, whom you all know as Paolo, hehe, and I will be celebrating our 7th anniversary this Sunday, February 6. 

I am so happy that even though we missed a year apart from each other, here we are, together again, ready to celebrate l-o-v-e! Heeeee, cheesy as Mr. Jones' Wicked Truffle Mac n Cheese (which I love), I'm giving the world a shout-out that yes, we're on our 7th year as a couple. 

And this year, we're going to somewhere else for a change since we have both finished college, earning our own money, and legally legal! Wohoo! :)

LOOKING BACK ON OUR FIRST YEARS:

1. First  - Went to Galleria, had lunch in Greenwich and watched Racing Stripes. Haha, Racing Stripes because I used to crush on Mandy Moore. :) I will never forget how Paolo cried while eating, saying these words, "Hindi ako makapaniwala na aabot tayo sa ganito.." Haha, yes! I swear he said that!! :D

Haha we look so cheap! HAHAHA!

2. Second - Went to Glorietta, had lunch in Mangan and Pao gave me a pair of Havaianas High with heart prints as his gift. I also gave him a pair, which by the way he didn't use, because he doesn't like flipflops!

College days.. those days when I started using eyeliner. And him--gaining weight.

3. Third - Went again to Glorietta, had early dinner in Jollibee! Jollibee, because, we didn't have enough savings! And then after our dinner, we spent the night together in Greenbelt while eating Haagen Dazs ice cream. We also had our petty fight that day because he suddenly became quiet! I don't know what happened--I just walked out and found him looking for me somewhere near Chowking in Glorietta. Hehe.

MY MOST FAVE ANNIV PHOTO!! :D

4. Fourth - Since Ayala opened TriNoma up here in North, we skipped Glorietta! We had dinner in Pizza Hut and watched a movie--I can't recall if it's The Mist or The Happening, but I'm sure it's not The Ring or The Grudge. Hehe. This time, we no longer exchange gifts because to quote Pao, "Regalo na naka-4 years tayo." Again, believe it or not, he said that.. thru SMS nga lang. :P

Paolo's necklace creeps me out. Lol

 5. Fifth - We were both busy in college when we had our 5th anniversary, blame it to NSTP! Haha, we had dinner in Yellow Cab TriNoma. It was also raining cats and dogs on our way to the mall from school so during dinner time, we're both tired.

We looked like we're on an aging process. Heehee.

And then we didn't realize it was our last anniversary together.. 

6. Sixth - On our 6th year, we were apart. I'm on my own, his on his.  

But then, we didn't realize we're going to have another first, or the seventh.

7. Seventh - We're together again, and we're going to fly like Peter Pan and Wendy! 


This is the start of our 7 of forever. :)

And this makes me so proud and happy!