Ilocos La Paz Sand Dunes

Check out this video I uploaded where you can see my mother rocking Ilocos La Paz Sand Dunes.

The place was okay, but really really hot. We planned to go there early in the morning, so the sun will not be that much in effect, but the place was still blazing hot even at nine o' clock in the morning!

My advice for you folks if you plan on going there, wear rubber shoes, or anything with think soles. The sand was so hot it almost burned my feet!

Our lunch at Big Buddha Greenbelt, Makati

Just had lunch at Big Buddha located an the 2nd floor of Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center Makati. Just right after the Cinema in G3, you will find a row of restaurants and Big Buddha is at the end of that row.

The ambiance of the place was nice, the service was not so bad either 

Big Buddha serves mainly Chinese dishes, but they also serve other Asian Cuisine as well. For a group of 3, we ordered three dishes:

• Fried Crispy Chicken
• Beef Broccoli
• Fish Fillet with Taosi Sauce

We ordered one plate of Yang Chow Rice, to share and bottomless Red and Lemon Iced Tea for Drinks.

We chewed on these crackers while waiting for our order to come.
Big Buddha also served us their House Tea

from L-r: Fried Crispy Chicken, Beef Broccoli and Yang Chang Rice

The rice wasn't enough for three persons so we ordered 2 plain rice for 60php each, a bit expensive for a small cup of rice I think.

Among the three dishes, I liked the Fish fillet the most, although I am not sure if that's really the name of the dish. The chicken and broccoli were also delicious but there were other restaurants I knew that served these dishes better.

I think this is the Fish Fillet with Taosi Sauce, it also has mushrooms and tofu in it

On the Spot outing: Cheap Hot Spring Resort in Pansol, Laguna (Bonsai Resort)

Last weekend, my boyfriend’s relatives from Cabanatuan visited us in Cavite for a semi family reunion, because his Tita came home from Japan. We decided to have an on the spot outing that day and the nearest and most ideal place to go to was Laguna.

I initially looked for a nice but affordable private hot spring resort in Pansol, Laguna online but since our outing was on that same day, I had difficulty looking for an available resort. There were some I have found to be available but the rates were a bit higher than our budget.

We realized it was pointless to look online because of the time constraint and decided to drive to Pansol and just look for a nice resort on the spot.

Luckily, when we got to the main highway of Pansol, there were already guys with placards with “Resort for Rent” or “Private Pool for Rent”. We talked to the first guy who approached our car and quickly made the deal. It was 7pm already.

He escorted us to the resort that met our qualifications (he was on a motorcycle), just less than 5-minute drive from the highway. Bonsai Resort was a compound type of resort divided into three pool sections. We had bonsai 2 which was in the middle. We rented the place for P4000 pesos overnight, for a group of 15 persons.

It had the following amenities:

• 1 adult pool (3ft-5ft) warm water
• 1 kiddie pool (which is more like a Jacuzzi for me 
• 2 rooms with 4 double decks per room, air-conditioned 
• 3 bathroom 
• 2 sinks for cooking with stove   a refrigerator with 1 pack of tube ice
• Tables and chairs
• unlimited videoke
• wide area parking

BONSAI 2

 

kitchen

2 bathrooms inside

4 double decks per room, air conditioned

The water in the pool was clean and warm. At first I couldn’t bear the temperature of the water in the kiddie/Jacuzzi pool but it felt better after a few moments.

 The only thing I did not like about the place was that blankets were not provided. I had difficulty sleeping because I was so cold and I could not turn off the air-con because some of us were okay with the air-con turned on.

BONSAI 3, a bit more pricy than bonsai 2

This was the sign at the corner of the street going to Bonsai Compound

Of course, our trip to Laguna wouldn't be complete without stopping by to Colette's, famous for it's bukopie. :)

Colette's

You might also want to check out our trip to 88 Hotspring Resort also in Pansol, Laguna.

On the Spot outing in Pansol, Laguna (Bonsai Resort)

Last weekend was a blast for me. Finally, I have met my boyfriend's relatives, (on his mother's side). They visited us from Cabanatuan with his Tita who came from Japan. We decided to spend our time together by having an "on the spot outing." We were already in San Pablo, Laguna at that time, so the nearest and most appealing place to go to was Pansol, Laguna.

We tried to look for a private hot spring resort in Pansol online at first but decided that it would not be practical. Aside from the resort that we found were a bit higher than our budget, we were not sure if these were still available because we would rent the resort on that same day. So we decided to go to Pansol and look for a resort ourselves which was actually not hard! The moment we reached the main highway of Pansol, guys with placards that said "Private Resort for Rent" approached us. After 5 minutes, we arrived at Bonsai Resort. It's a compound type of resort which we rented for P4000 from 7 PM to 9 AM. After seeing the place, I realized that I have seen the resort online when we were still looking for a nice resort that day. As I remembered, the price was a bit higher than P4000, it was P6000 in sulit.com if I was not mistaken.

Bottom line is if you are going on an on the spot outing in Pansol, Laguna, it will be more practical to go there and look for a resort personally than look online. There are many guys along the highway of Pansol who would be happy to assist (because they have commission, hehe), and recommend an affordable and ideal resort for the guests.

Bonsai Resort, more pictues at viacommute.blogspot.com

You can also read my other blog here for more details about bonsai resort. :)

PLDT has once again added more WiFi hotpot zone in its  list. Now, PLDT subscribers can enjoy unlimited internet connection in these establishments. Whether checking your Facebook account, tweeting, chatting with friends, or just simply surfing net, PLDT provides you the premium internet connection you need even outside your home.

All you need is to register your WiFi ID on their site.
But this is exclusively for PLDT subscribers only. For MyDSL subscribers, just add P150 on top of your monthly service fee. For landline subscribers, just add P300.

For more information and full list of their WiFi Zones, just visit their website www.pldtwifizone.com

2011 Top Quotable Quotes in the Philippines

Here are the top 11 quotable quotes for the year 2011.
I got this through email, kudos to the one who consolidated this. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

America's Next Top Model All Star Finale Controversy

Lisa d Amato became the winner of America's Next Top Model All stars. But the show ended with a little bit of controversy. This is brought about by the disqualification of one of the three finalists, Angelea Preston.

During  the finale episode, which was shot in LA, before starting the “judging ceremony,” Tyra Banks announced first the disqualification of Angelea. These was her exact words;

“It turns out, our production and the network learned information from Angelea that disqualifies her from the competition.”

And without further elaboration, she started the ceremony where Lisa D’ Amato, “the Wild child” was declared the winner against fellow contestant Allison Harvard.

Some speculators tell that the disqualification was brought about Angelea bragging on her personal Facebook page that she has won the competition. This might be true because the judging ceremony was not originally done in LA, this was only a re-shoot as confirmed by CW