Renewal

My passportvis about to expire by March next year. But since travelling abroad requires atkeast 6-7months passport validity, I needed to apply for my renewal so we can book a flight this January for niece's birthday.

Good thing that during the time I checked the online schedule, the closest was a week and a half. The scheduling system has improved since the time mh brother renewed his passport early this year.

My current passport was the older version which was not yet electronic thus when I go to other countries, data entry was longer. I still remember the old process when passport renewal was still being done in their Libertad branch. There was no appointments neede, it was a first come first serve basis. You had to come early to get a numbef and if you are not familiar with the process, there's a possibility of getting fooled by fixers telling you all sorts of things like pointing you to another place and asking you to pay more.

Although the new process had negative reviews in the beginning, it is slowly improving.

Once you have set up an appointment, you can be at the DFA office in Macapagal Blvd at hour earlier. It is recommended to always get the 8 am schedule. People start coming in at 6. Gate 1 is for agency renewal and Gate 2 is for the scheduled applicants. You would need to first get your form that you will receive after setting up an appointment verified. Proceed to step 1 were they will process you papers and issue you a receipt for payment. Charges are P 950 for standard processing of 20 business days, or P 1200 for rush processing for 10 business days. There is a total of 23 counters for step one but not all are usually occupied.

The next step is to pay the procesing fee. Once paid, you will need to get a number and wait for you turn for your applcation be processed and get your picture and biometrics taken. After that, you will just need to wclaik your passport based oj the processing time you have chosen, or you can go to the delivery service and have your passport delivered to your home instead for P120.

For requirements and to schedule an appointment, please visit www.passport.com.ph

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Lime Stones and Lakes

Last week, I was able to finally able to go to Coron with my mom's friends. It was a spontaneous trip for me bacause I was originally not included in the trip, but since I really wanted to go, I was able to get my way and book a ticket. Airphil has only two flights to Busuanga and we chose the later flight, which was adjusted to 2:20 from it's original schedule of 1:50 and was delayed a few minutes.We finally boarded the Bombardier and was headed for Busuanga.

I did our last minute booking at the hotel 2 days before our flight and also scheduled a pick up from the airport to Ralph's Pension house in Coron. Once we arrived at the pension house, we were grated by the owner Jun, who was hands on with welcoming guests. Our accommodation was in the center of the town, near the market place and just at the foot of Mt. Tapyas, plus near the port for island hopping.

After Jun's orientation, we headed for dinner at went to Maquinit Hot Springs. The hot spring they claim is the only salt water hot spring in the Philippines as per the locals. From the main town, it costs P 300.00 per tricycle with a capacity of 7 persons, but due to the rough road, it is advisable for 4 people to ride a tricycle.

The hot spring is really hot and is best to be visited during night. They accept people up to 8:00 PM but is open until 10:00 PM. Most people visit the hot spring after climbing the tiring yet refreshing Mt. Tapyas which consists of 700 plus steps. But since we arrived late, we decided to climb the mountain on another day.

After an hour or so of soaking in the hot spring, we decided to call it a day. The following day, we went island hoping and visited some of the main attractions of Coron including the Kayangan Lake which is considered the cleanest lake in the Philippines. The lake is like a big swimming pool that is very deep but the water is very clear and you can actually see the reflection of the suns rays underneath.

There are several tour packages available in Coron for island hopping. You can opt to rent a boat, buy food for lunch, and pay for entrances or buy the complete package at $ 650-750 that is already inclusive of lunch and entrance fees. The island hopping usually starts from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM where you get to visit Kayangan Lake, Banol Beach, Barracuda Lake, and the Twin Lagoon among others.

Coron is rich in lakes and rock formations, and there are also several dive sites with several ship wrecks. There are sites that you can see easily see the sunken ships with having to go very deep. The nearest is 5 meters deep. But if you are a licensed diver, you can check out one of the many dive sites in the area.

Since the island hoping is an all day event, do not forget to put on sun screen because you will surely get a sunburn.

Our last activity before we went home on our third day was to finally climb Mt. Tapyas to get an overlooking view of the whole town of Coron. We started climbing the mountain 6:00 AM to be able to get a view of the sunrise. After an hour climb and 30 minutes of rest on top to marvel at the view, we came down and arrived at the bottom of the mountain at 8:00 AM.

Palawan is known to be abundant in cashew nuts, but unlike Puerto Princessa, Coron does not have that many cashiews available and most of the cashews harvested in the area is taken to Antipolo for cracking. Please note also that it is prohibited to take home shells from the island and bags are manually checked at the airport due also to the lack of x-ray machines.

If you plan to stay in Coron, 3-4 days should be sufficient. Prepare a budget of P 3,500.00 that already includes accommodation, food at tours.

Our Present Day Heroes.

Every year, from 2003, OFW remittances grow yearly an average of 14% (with the highest growth in 2005 with 25%) according to Banko Sentral's remittance report with 80% of last years remittances from land based OFW while the rest from seafarers. As per the census' report for 2010 released this July, the number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who worked abroad at anytime during the period April to September 2010 was estimated at 2.0 million with almost one-third being laborers and unskilled workers (32.0%). Those who worked as service workers and shop and market sales workers made up 15.1 percent. The trade and related workers (14.9%) and plant and machine operators and assemblers (14.3%) registered similar proportions.


Why do most Filipinos believe that the grass is greener on another country? There are many factors why Filipinos opt to work abroad, but I believe that the main reason is the lack of appropriate work and low salary.

Almost a third of my cousins in my mother's side are working abroad. A few in America and most in Middle East and Asia. Our reunion attendees decrease while most of relatives go to work abroad. If given a choice, would you chose to work abroad?

Never in my travel in Asia did I miss to meet a Filipino. As you get to hear their story, you will see that some are happy with the achievements they have made, being able to help with their families left in the Philippines, being able to give their children good education. But for every choice, there is an opportunity cost, a sacrifice that is made by choosing one thing over the other.

Approximately 78% of OFWs work in Asia. If it because the size of the continent or because the proximity of the countries to the Philippines? If I was to choose which country I would go to to work abroad, my best choice is Singapore. The reason is due to the distance of the place to the Philippines and the cheap cost of going home.

When you convert most of the salaries our present day heroes, it is really not that big especially for unskilled workers who comprises the 35% of our OFWs. But they still decide to work abroad mainly because they have no choice. Just to earn and save money, you will see Filipinos do part time jobs aside from their main jobs, you will see 10 people compressing themselves in a house that is only good for 5.

Not everyone gets to be lucky and not every gets what they want. Just remember that when making these decisions, make sure not to only think twice, 3,4,5 or more times, is it really worth it? Is it worth losing the chance to see your child grow? Is it worth it to not be there when a loved one is sick or passes away? Is it worth it to possibly lose your partner to another person due to the long distance relationship? Is it worth it to sacrifice what you have to sacrifice?

If you have a loved one that is working abroad, remember the sacrifices they made in order for you to live a good life, so don't waste that.

Those in government, remember the sacrifices the OFWs made in order for them to be able to support their family, remember the help that their incomes brings in to our economy. And remember that if it is not for the lack of work and support of the government, these people could have a choice to stay with their family.

WTD in Cebu: Tourist Spots

Much Ado About Nothing. Spent the weekend at home after having a busy June schedule. I missed sleeping all day, and that was exactly what I did on a rainy Saturday. Since I don't really have much activity this weekend, I'll discuss most of the known places to visit in Cebu.

Let's start of with Magellan's Cross which is found in Cebu City near the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño/Sto. Niño Church. One of the contributions of our Spaniard colonizers is bringing Christianity to the Filipinos and we have embraced it ever since. We are symbolic people and as Catholics, Filipinos also have the love for catholic artifacts. Another artifact that you may find in the area is the sculpture of the Sto. Niño which was believed to be given by Magellan to a Cebuana local and which was spared from fire during the time of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. A church was built where the icon was found and was later promoted to a Basilica.

In my many visits to Cebu, my latest trip was actually the first time I was able to set put at the Cebu Cathedral. I have always had the idea that the Basilica was also the Cathedral. The Cathedral is found just a few blocks away from the Basilica.

Another tourist spot that is just within the area is Fort San Pedro. It is considered the smallest and oldest triangular bastion fort in the country built to protect Cebu from Muslim Invaders. Two of it side faces the sea, which is now covered by new buildings.

Macau Experience

Wow, it's been a quarter since I last blogged. Been busy with work and travel. Now I'm back again to write some non-sense and pollute the cyber world. And let's start the second half of the year with a few things about my trip in Macau.

We were actually planning to stay in the Venetian hotel care of a friend that offered a discount as part of their privilege but it was too late when we confirmed. We could have saved half the price. I really wanted to stay but it was also a good thing since it was still like 15 grand that we saved for a 2 day stay.

We arrived late at night and was greeted by my cousins neighbor who is now working in Macau for about 11 years. We took the shuttle from the airport to Venetian and wandered through the hotel/casino. Most hotels and casinos have shuttle services from the airport and ferry terminal. You can be able to tour most of the tourists spots without even spending a dime on transportation.

Macau is known as the Las Vegas of Asia and you can see various casinos everywhere you look with attractive lights at night that makes the area more lively. The area is more active at night and even way past midnight, the sky is still bright due to the reflection of lights.

Not only will you find plenty of casinos, Macau also composes of many churches which I find a bit ironic. One of the famous site in the area is the Ruins of St. Paul or as the Filipinos in the area call it "putol (unfinished)". The site is walking distance also from the Senado Square and other major areas in Macau.

Being a Portuguese colony until 1999, you can see several European inspired buildings and cuisines. One of the best pasalubong (goodies) you can bring home to your friends is their Pasteis de Nata or egg tarts (similar to the egg pies in the Philippines only in smaller servings).

Macau has limited shopping options compared to Hong Kong, but you can always visit its neighboring SAR via ferry with a 1 hour transit time. You can get specials when you play at the casinos and get the return trip back for free. For people not comfortable with traveling via ferry, a bridge connecting Hong Kong and Macau is in the works, but considering the distance of the two regions, they are considering placing artificial islands between the two. Once completed, this should be one attraction people would like to experience.

Based on my experience, if you are planning to visit Macau, best option is to also include a trip to Hong Kong because if you are not that into gambling, you will run out of activities in one or two days.

Cravin' for Chicken

Saw Kenny's poster for their new product, their version of the chicken rice I so so love. This is one of the few things I am excited about when going to Singapore. I never forgot the taste since I have first tasted the Singapore delicacy.

When I saw the poster, I started to have cravings for it. But since I was still full when I saw it, I decided to try it some other time. I never was able to get it out of my head until Sunday came. After dropping of my dad to the airport, we headed to SM MOA to eat.

Before eating, we droped by the supermarket to by some honey, lemon and ginger. Icurrently have sore troath and is a sucker for herbal remedies.

Finally, it was time to eat some chicken. The line was long and Kenny was packed, fortunately we were able to get a table and ordered. My order came first and it was time to give the verdict.

Having been able to taste the original version, I was actually dismayed when I got to ate Kenny's chicken rice. Let's break it down to each piece.

The chicken actually tasted like the normal roasted chicken although it was white. It also seemed to be a bit dry.

The rice tasted more like garlic rice rather than chicken rice. The sweet soysauce was good, the ginger sauce and chili sauce looked different but tasted ok since they consist of basic ingridients so how could they go wrong. The only thing I actually liked was the souo that came with it.

They should have boiled the rice in the soup so it could taste better. I am nit sure if that is the actual rice they served.since it seems to be just plain rice with.a bit of garlic added so it did not really taste like chicken rice.

Overall, I would still rather visit Makansutra in Ocean Park than eat it again. I'd give it a 4/10. Maybe they tried to modify the taste to adopt to Filipino taste but it does not have the feel of the chicken rice anymore.

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Jumping High

It was another typical weekend for me. A few days ago, we had planned to finally try Balite Falls in Amadeo, Cavite. We have had several plans of going there and none of them ever pushed through until today.

Before actually going to the place, I had a haircut and also decided to color my hair red. It has been a while I have played around with my hair.

It was lunch tine already when everyone got ready to leave and after less than an hour travel, we arrived at the place. It was a bit windy in the place since it was already near Tagaytay City.

The entrance was 75 for adults and 50 for kids. The cottages ranged from P 300-800 depending on the promixity to the falls. From the entrance, you would be going down a flight of stairs to the falls. There were a total of two falls in the area, one was smaller and the water was shallower, the other had a bigger fall, but he water rapid was not strong. It was also higher and the bottom was deeper.

We ate lunch and went swimming. The water was cold, good thing the wind was no so strong. Swam for a while and took some.pictures and decided to jump from one of the falls. It took me a while to be able to jump, I was actually not worried of the deep water but on how to jump properly.

I had tried jumping from a waterfall.before in Bacolod. It was not high but the water was deep. Deep enough that when you jump you still would not reach the bottom.

Went home early since it was getting colder as the night comes closer and the road is dark at night.

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Lunch at the beach.

After being awake for 24 hours and 6 hours of sleep, woke up late for our trip to Ternate. The Marine training camp in Ternate is one of the few nice beaches in Cavite.

The trip was planned just the night before. No time for buying food, just bought roasted chicken along the way. After an hour and a half of travel, we finally arrived just in time for lunch.

The entrance fee has increase to more than double since our last trip there. From about 25, fees went up to a hundred.

The increase, they claim, is for the maintenance costs, although it would be the marine trainee's that actually clean up the place and they do not hire outsiders. But the wash areas actually are not that clean.

We enjoyed the beach, swam for a few hours and then ate some fruits. There are times the beach is great, but there are also times when the beach is dirty or filled with jelly fishes, mostly the rainy period.

The water was just right when we came. It was a bit windy so there were many waves, not so big though. The weather was also nice for sun bathing, the sun was up but since it was windy, not so hot.

We went home early since most of our companions actually hd some appoibtments the latter part of the day. We arrived 5 in the evening and just rested at home.

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Weekend Food Trip

It's March, nearly summer. After a few busy weeks, first time to have bo plans. Decided to go swimming in Antel just near our place. Arrived 2 hours.before the pool closed and just hanged for a while, taking some pictures once in a while.

The place was really nice to chill since it was windy but was bad if you are taking a swim cause it is really cold.

After a few dips in the pool, we headed to my mom's classmates to eat. Dinner was great, grilled fish, bbq, and seafood amongst the few. It was one of the few less busy weekends even though I haven't actually slept.

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Weekend at Singapore.

I was on leave last Friday to get ready for my Singapore trip. But before leaving for Singapore, I dropped by NTC to report my lost iPhone. I miss my phone but I gave up hope on finding the unit. Hoping that the unit would be blocked so that whoever was able to get would not be ableb to use the unit, I submitted a request to block the Phone.

Since I was already in QC, we decided to drop by SM North Edsa to take a look at the Sky Garden since I was curious on howbit looked. Ate lunch at Greenwichat tried their Ribs, which was also good, comparable to Kenny's but I can say I had better. It was not as pricey also.

The following Saturday, woke up early for our 5:00am flight. We arrived atthe airport and the plane took off before the sun rose. We encountered some issues in immigration but we were able to get on the plane.

We arrived at Singapore on time and headed directly to my cousin's house. Rested for a while then came down to eat lunch. I ate my all time favorite chicken rice and was good to go.

We headed to Esplanade and toured around Marina. I was not able to tour and see the new Marina Sands building the last time I visited so we decided to stroll there for a while. The Merlion at Marina was actually being fix then and was covered. It was ok since I had seen it several times.

It was a long walk around Marina. And it was so tiring. We headed home to and slept.

The next day we just strolled around Orchard after mass. We dropped by Queenstown and ate at Ikea. I really loved the meatballs and chicken wings. I can get enough of it. I loved everything from the main course to the dessert and the bottomless drinks.

Strolled around Marina and bought my new phone. It is big compared to the iPhone but I liked thebig display for watching and blogging.

My trip ending and from the airport I went directly to work.

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Week 8: Panagbenga Celebration

Woke up ealry in the morning around 5 to get ready beause we wanted to have a good location to watch the street dancing competition in Baguio's Panagbenga celebration. We stayed just below the mall in Baguio and we were in the front row. After an hours wait, the parade started. It was lead by the city officials and several organizations including the Korean and Japanese community in Baguio together with some DepEd members. There were so many groups walking that it almost matched the amount of participant in the dance.

It was the first time that sound systems were setup along the streets. Before, most of the participants had their own music, all of them playing the Panagbenga theme. Since I noticed the speakers, I thought that it was like the Masskara festival that had the same music all through out. It did play the same song, however, the speakers were not properly setup that the sounds on our place would suddenly turn of that when the dancers pass by, it looked so dull since there was no sound to dance to.

The parade was divided into 3 division, the elementary, high school and open division. The children were fun to watch and even though there was no music they still danced.

Most of the dancers were wearing the local dresses and bahags. The crowd cheers as the participants dance to igorot dances. Although this years street parade was a bit disappointing due to the sounds, over all it was still enjoyable.






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Location:Lake Dr,Baguio City,Philippines

Davao Bound

Our flight was 1355 and we were at resort's world waiting for time to pass since we arrived 1100. Time passed and it was already 1300 and we were still at RW. We rushed through traffic to cross the other side, good thing the line was short in the entrance. The check-in counter was already closed good thing the girl in the counter still let us check in. Even though we were late, the plane was even later. Out of all our flights with Airphil Express, our flight has never left on time.

After 10 minutes, it was finally boarding and it still took a while to take off due to air traffic. We arrived at the Davao airport and headed straight to our accomodation. Nothing much to do today.






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Location:C. Bangoy St,Davao City,Philippines

Week 6: Hot Air Balloon Fiesta - Clark, Pampanga

Been a while since I was able to go outside Cavite for some travel, and my weekends are busy again with some few trips. It is my first time to go to the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Clark, I am not really sure what to expect but I was really after taking some pictures. The fiesta, usually help during Valentines, was scheduled from February 10-13. I was able to go on Saturday, the third day due also to work. Being a weekend, there were several people in the area and little parking.

The daily schedules are the same for all the days. The balloons are shown every 5:30 in the morning, and 5:30 in the evening. Since I still had work in the morning, I decided to watch the night show, although a bit hesitant since my purpose was to take pictures and it was going to be dark then and hard to take pictures.

We finally arrived before 3:00 after a long travel along NLEX and lunch at Marquee Mall. Being an Ayala Mall, I was expecting a bit more food choices, but I liked their wide choices of apparels. Going back to the trip, we arrived more than 2 hours before the balloons would come. I checked the schedule and saw there were several events that I was also looking forward to. However as the show started, the shows took too long and started to become boring. Good thing was the place was windy and nice to hang out plus had many stores to check.

As we were waiting for the main event, my brother texted me that he was able to get near the fence and told me to go there since there were getting ready to inflate the balloons. I am really grateful that I still get to have a good vantage points each time we watch something. I took a while longer since it was windy and the balloons were having a hard time inflating until the wind subsided after 20 minutes, they were able to get most of the balloons up and finally, the balloon that I was waiting for, Darth Vader, was inflated. It was already dark that time and was having a hard time taking clear pictures, good thing there is Lightroom.

That's it for this post. Same time next weekend! - weekendswithmyql

After New Year.. (Chinese NY)

Kung Hei Fat Choi! It's been a while since I got to blog, been busy with my Birthday and the holidays. Just got my wireless device for internet trying it out to check if it is worth it, it got to be since I am stuck using it for 2 years with its contravt. My only complaint is that the battery life is not that long.

Going to be active again, I swear! Anyway, goin to eat my breakfast first. Happy eating!




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Location:Gen. Trias Dr,Rosario,Philippines