travel secret: my saviours

i know people who travel out of town frequently like every week, that must be really tiring. when i was in republic, i got to travel (officially) like twice or thrice a year  while once a year i got to have a personal vacation if i'm lucky enough...depends on my budget moolah :((

most of the time in republic, i organized the travel. from the tiniest detail to the crucial ones ( itineraries, contacts, the tour, the official event of the trip, lodging, transport, etc. etc.) before i knew it i myself haven't packed my luggage yet. 

so i decided to make this: THE List.

i have this since 2004 i think, or before that..i'm not sure. divided into three separate list which i myself laminated: Toiletries, Clothes, and Others (which means gadget and office supplies).

if you think you have all the things you need to bring in your mind, believe me, you'll never get it all right. so this List always saves me. 

i still use The List in my personal travels...

and i added this: My Travel Notebook.

i started using this last year when i wasn't in republic anymore. this is what i use when planning a trip with my family. even local ones, like resort overnights, i jot down the numbers, addresses, the websites, even the taxi driver's cellphone number.

this is another travel savior: my Tablet. (Samsung Galaxy Tab)

you will never lost your way if you have the goggle maps, never go hungry if you have the places, navigate using GPS, translate the language if you don't understand, know the weather in advance, travel guides to lead you to most visited places of your destination, know the bus stops and bus numbers. just.download.it.all. and you're good to go!

now you know where i want to go next. if luck is with me.

travel safe everyone!

sweet life

photos from last week...

we are still enjoying the holidays, tomorrow's gonna be the school's annual intramurals. no classes until monday...

love it.

Survival Guide: Divisoria

when my niece April asked me how safe is Divisoria, i wanted to answer: DIVI is definitely Not Safe, but April is now an adult living her life in Manila, so i just said, 168 Mall is okay but don't stay in Divi until dark, getting a cab is very difficult.

photo from google maps via metromaniladirections.com

so here are some of my tips based purely on my own experience in Divisoria, especially in 168 Mall.

DIVI Survival Guide. 

1. In getting there, i take a cab, since i do not know how to ride an mrt/lrt and jeepney in manila . (note:  i haven't done this alone, always take somebody with you when shopping in divi) expect a cab driver to decline to transport you the moment you say the word divisoria. decline to transport is an LTO offense but, hello, real world. Fare by cab from Makati to Divisoria is around Php200.00 or less.

2. wear something comfortable and discreet. Don't attract attention. Take off your dangling earings, or better yet, don't wear any jewelries at all. i wear my knee length cargo or jeans and cotton tshirts with my slippers. very 'pambahay'. lol

3. use sling bag. neutral colored sling bags if possible, nothing attractive. AND bring a sturdy shopping tote with zipper where you can stash all your purchase.

4. don't bring your large rectangular wallet. use a coin purse. very easy when taking out your cash payments. if possible, bring small bills and watch out in handing your payment and taking your change, count the money and make sure you know how much did you give and  how much is your change.

5. bring hand sanitizer/alcohol, tissue, and disposable toilet seat cover, and small towel. if you're planning to spend the rest of your shopping day in 168 Mall, then you don't need a pamaymay. but just bring a foldable one just in case.

6. before you enter the labyrinth-like pasilyos in 168 Mall, buy bottled water first.

7. speaking of pasilyos or aisle, i have somewhat have a system in doing my shopping stroll. the pasilyos in 168 Mall will really get you lost. i have to draw it (haha) so here's how:

 

what i did in the drawing is just five pasilyos and the square thingies are the stalls, but believe me, they have like hundreds of pasilyos. from first floor to third floor, one day is not enough if you follow my system. (this is also applicable in Greenhills)

8. while shopping, bear in mind that made in china apparels are not, or different from the usual sizes we know. some Large blouses will actually fit a medium you. gets? or to really be sure, you can fit the jeans you want BUT there is no fitting room. blanket fitting room only. so be extra careful.

9. don't be too compulsive. there a lot of cute stuff in 168 Mall that you don't need. have a target on what to buy. and of course, the art of haggling comes in. just haggle as you can.

10. Lost in 168 Mall? easy. though there are areas in 168 Mall that cellphone signal is zero. so all you have to do is find the escalator. go to the 3rd Floor, that's the foodcourt area, then you'll have that sense of direction again. or call your buddy to meet you there and grab some cheap fooda to recharge your shopping energy.

so there you go, Happy Shopping!

p.s. 

as much as i want to visit Divi again, JITB doesn't want to because according to him, the chances of being robbed/snatched is very high. so why risk it.

mabe's closet finds

off to sunday mass with mama...

Top: purple/pink plaid blouse by Gap Kids courtesy of papa; 
Bottom: Levi's Slim Jeans courtesy of Lola Lucia; 

Footwear: Havaianas Fit Style Sandals in purple

Top: blue/pink plaid blouse with tie from Red Tag courtesy of papa; 
Bottom: Vanilla Star Slim  jeans courtesy of Lola Lucia; 
Footwear: Ipanema Giselle Bundchen Sandals in beige w/ white strap

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

yes it's true. our kids mirrored what they see from us. even in the simplest thing like this:

i am no gadget freak (hmm, not yet), but i have a boxful of gadget chargers AND a bagful of gadget cords as well. one way to keep them together and to keep my life easy is to label each of them.

then the other day mabe got a new gadget for herself too, and look what i found today:

made me smile. my eight-year old always amazed me.

as parents, we have to be very careful of what we do and NOT do in front of our kids. bear in mind that you are a mirror.

happy long weekend everyone!

this is what happens if you crave for ice cream...

you gather all your ice cream photos...

AND you read all your books with ICE CREAM covers all over again :)

lol!

BELIEVE in Santa Claus...

and you'll be rewarded.

last week mabe watched a santa movie (i don't know the title), after asking me never ending santa questions (when you're a mom i know you can imagine the scenario) she scribbled a note:

no way. i will not buy a cellphone, i thought. so i just kept her note. 

this afternoon i paid my internet, and the cashier asked me if i already claimed my retention. no i haven't, and ...

there you go...a cellphone.

see? just BELIEVE and you'll be rewarded.

thank you santa claus! 

twist and twirl and round

we have a week long vacation ahead of us, with holidays and all sorts of school activities...

so let's twist and twirl and have fun in our little world mabe!

Earthquake today

image from Phivolcs

today, at 10.17 A.M. a 4.5 tectonic earthquake hit Antique, (a nearby island from where i live, for friends outside the Philippines, i am situated in that socks-like island called Negros).

believe it or not, i was still in bed and sleeping when that happened but since i am a quake-sensitive person, i felt the shaking and i was waiting for it to stop. eyes closed, i did not do anything until i dozed off again. (bad)

no damage in Antique according to Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology or Phivolcs.

thanks God.

keep safe everyone!

what to do on a rainy afternoon...

1. get yourself chased by the rain. (happened to me a couple of times already) hearing  that rumbling sounds and you look around and wonder.... then finding yourself running for cover. fun!

2. eat alone. 

3. buy a book. being in a bookstore is heaven for me. i can stay here for hours, seriously.

4. buy a water proof shopping tote. i discovered cheap shopping totes in cute designs for as low as Php20.00! i got the black one with tupperware print, why? because i know a lot of tupperware (plastic)  people, lol!

5. eat gelato. while waiting for the rain to stop, sit back and enjoy every spoonful of pistachio flavored gelato, watching people and cars in a rainy afternoon.

i love rainy afternoons.

how would you spend yours?

trying to be organized

i can be extreme. one day i'm organized one day i'm crazy lazy. 

since i am living like a hermit in the four corners of my room, what else is there to do but to keep this box far from being a box of dumpster. believe me, i'm trying.

Growing so fast...

two months old baby mabe and eight years old mabe...and still my baby.

all grown up...but,

please don't grow so fast!

My Little Digital Artist

she saved her works well in my netbook...some i saw just now, she probably made it while i'm sleeping, she even put dates!...imagine a child making a bishop's hat, who would ever think of that...i love all of it mabe!

happy saturday!

Trip to the South: Chasing Colors

last thursday the weather was sunny when sue and i left bacolod, with gigi driving (there, i mentioned gid ha). on our way to the south of negros, the skies went gloomy, then rain came....after the rain it's perfect for chasing colors!

love it.