Overnight Swimming At The Living Water Private Resort

This blog is long overdue and for some lame reasons, it was only today that I decided to write about this overnight escapade I had with high school friends. Funny 'cause we normally do this thing once a year, only when Adrian comes home from Spain 'cause usually, he's up for planning trips. After days of planning, finally, they decided to settle for a private resort located in Pansol, Laguna. Pansol is very famous in my work place 'cause usually teams go here for their occasional team building, also famous for the affordable for-rent resorts and accessibility to commuters.

Last April 15, 2018, we drove to The Living Water Resort after making an over-the-phone booking.  It was a two and a half hour drive away from the north and good thing we had rented a car to accommodate all 13 of us. We were asked a down payment of at least a half of the original rent before hand. We had troubles finding an available private resort on weekends so when they found out about this, we had to lock it in immediately. This annual trip should happen at least.

We were there at about 8:00 PM. We surveyed the place, quite huge and nice for group escapades. There were two pools, one is about 4-6 feet (for grown ups) and one intended for kids and kids at heart. There's one slide which I didn't have the opportunity to utilize and I regret it just right now. The pool was about 5 feet on the part where the slide is located so I could've drowned if I swam alone.

There was also the karaoke hub part where we have limited access to songs all night. This is where girls spent most of their time. I envy Olive because she got such a nice voice!!!

There was a small kitchen for cooking. Adrian packed uncooked food back in Valenzuela and he was tasked to cook for us. I helped a bit, of course. :P

The air-conditioned sleeping quarters were something I forgot to take a picture of because they were full of back packs and seem to be in complete disarray by the time I thought of it. Nonetheless, I appreciate that there were three of them, with about 3-8 bunk beds if my Math is correct. After Adrian and the boys cooked all the food, we had a boodle fight at about 9:00 or 10:00 PM, I guess. We had hotdogs, longganisa, steamed eggplants, okra (ladies' fingers), kangkong, tilapia and milk fish.

After eating, we just spent the night doing anything we could think of. Some just kept on playing songs, others were swimming in the cold water, and I, together with other girls, enjoyed learning how to play billiards the most though I kept losing! We also played cards with a different twist! It was seriously fun because we have to be alert while playing the game. Sir Vigo would distribute 4 cards each and the first one to get all four similar cards should place his hand in the center the table. The last person to tap loses. The losing person should choose between the famous truth or dare. And there the fun began!

To be honest, billiards took much of my night hahahah! It probably my greatest take away!

Now for the moment of truth, we had to go back to Valenzuela and pack up at 6:00 AM the next day. It took us less than 2 hours to drive back safely because the traffic was moderate. I really enjoyed this day and it was like a reunion for all of us after not being able to see each other for quite a year. I just wish Mawu and Coleen will be there the next time!

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Manila Bay Cruise With Set Dinner Experience

I've always dreamed of cruising. I remember a year ago when we were doing our thesis and though I couldn't give the credit to myself, we decided to tackle the lives of fellow Filipinos aboard cruise ships. We planned a lot and because we don't have the money to afford paying for a tour, we always waited at the terminal whenever a cruise ship arrives. We used to watch them from a distance and even right after we passed our thesis, our team and I had to pinky swear we'll have our own time of our lives aboard soon. While I don't have the money yet for a month-long cruise, it's a good thing we have this 90-minute Manila Bay Dinner Cruise that we can take advantage of.

Manila Bay Cruise offers us an hour and a half of bay cruise. You will have a tour across the Manila Bay wherein you'll see city lights from afar. A dinner set will be served up together with some romantic serenade all throughout. They do have schedules and basically, you need to be there 30 minutes before the ship sails away. For your convenience, I'll be linking down the schedule and contact persons here.

To be honest, Adrian was the one who brought me here. He's always the more adventurous so he planned all the trips we had every time he's here for a quick vacation. Basically, he called in advance to reserve for an 8:00 PM tour on a weekday. We luckily made it by 7:30 PM at the Esplanade Seaside Terminal and upon arrival, we went to the Sun Cruises reception area to confirm our booking and have our tickets. We were then instructed to pay for the terminal fee of P30 per person. While waiting for the ferry to arrive, we just took photos of whatever we saw.

At about 8:00 PM, we had to board the ferry and we were welcomed warmly by the crew. I find it so funny that is was only me and Adrian and another couple who reserved for an 8:00 PM tour. It was like we had the whole ship for us. Haha! After about 10 minutes, the ferry sailed across the open sea. There wasn't much significant views at night aside from the city lights coming from not so far, so we guess everyone else opt for the 6:00 PM tour where there was still light coming from the sun. If I could just wake up earlier, we could have taken photos of the sunset, of the great scenery while we're on board.

When it started to sail, I just couldn't help myself looking at the waters and surveying the whole interior. It was a breezy night perfect to battle the humid summer weather. We were allowed to go to the front deck too where the air was even cooler and you get a better view of the city from afar. Adrian and I were crazy talking about the almost exact scene from Titanic.

We were served up with a rice set dinner at about 7:20 PM. On our plate was rice, roasted chicken, fish fillet with mayonnaise, bread, and pancit--all with a twist in flavor. For the dessert with had this butterscotch/tart-like delicacy which I failed to know  the name of.

Sorry about my hair! It was breezy! Hehehe!

It was around 9:30 when the ferry docked and we disembarked. Overall, it was a breath of fresh air from what Adrian and I usually do. If you love to wander, this is a perfect activity to do as it would also help you appreciate the beauty of Manila Bay and the nearby city. It was overall unique, fun and memorable without you having to shell out a huge chunk of money. If I am to visit again though, I'd rather take the earlier tour to capture a nicer view and get to see more people to liven up the night!

💕💕💕

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Summer at Hana Natsu Resorts Pool, Morong, Bataan

We were treated to a Bataan summer escapade last April 30, 2017 by my cousin, Kuya Jojo. Originally, the plan was to go to a beach resort where he and Ate Janel had been before (due to hospitable staff probably) but we ended up basking under the sun in a pool resort instead. I'll tell you why.

We left at around 2:00 AM that day and arrived in Bataan around 7:00AM. That was hours of journey but I do not mind because I was very sleepy lol. Upon arriving to the place, we were greeted by queues of buses, jeepneys  and other private vehicles waiting for parking and cottage reservation opportunities. We should have known that the next day was holiday so people were really running into beaches to relax and beat the heat of the sun. We spent more hours looking for beach resorts which was not so hard because they seemed to be built just beside each other. Seriously, there were so many beach resorts just around the area! Unfortunately, we can't find even one which still accommodate new comers.

Because of this, I am advising you to book a cottage prior to visiting the place especially during peak or holiday seasons. In search for more resorts, we traveled farther to Morong, Bataan where we found a place just not exactly where we were aiming to spend the day. We have no choice but to stay at Hana Natsu (sounds like my name, I know). We were advised though that the beach was not too far away and that we could go if ever we wanted the ocean breeze.

We know people are aiming at beaches, probably the reason why Hana Natsu was not crowded at all. Still, there was this huge parking space not too far from the pools.

There were also lots of shower rooms and although showers are functional, I was kinda disappointed with the place's hygiene.

If you want to cook fresh food, there's this cool grilling area which can accommodate almost five cooks lol. The big boys in the family went to the nearby market to purchase tuna which was really huge. I was really amazed as it's my first time eating ONLY a slice but the size of my two hands combined!

For our lunch, we had grilled porks, tuna, etc that add to the summer vibe!

There is only one cottage in the area and I don't know if they are having this for customer reservation. The place that we rented were just tables and monoblocs and that's about more than a thousand bucks for more or less 15 seats. Seriously, the cottages were too few given the number of people that could fit the sizes of their pools.

On the brighter side, I think I prefer this because the people were too few, sometimes we think we rented a private pool because we're only the ones swimming from morning until noon lol. If you are wondering, they charge P200 per head which was already a relief given the fun and enjoyment that we gained for spending summer here.

MAIN SELLING POINT (FOR ME)

• 2 Slides - The pool resort has two slides: one which directs to the most shallow pool and one to the deepest.

• A large pool divided into 3 - the first one has 3 feet water, then 4-5 feet for the middle and maybe 5 and a half for the deepest part. Each pool was really wide so we if you really want to practice your swimming skills, you might want to try going here!

• Fresh and tranquil surrounding - the environment was surrounded by coconut trees and plants and greeneries which calmed my senses. I don't care anymore that we did not end up swimming on a beach because I was contented already just by looking at the trees lol.

• Dolphin statues emitting waters - There's a lot and we spent time enjoying the gentle massage it gives lol.

At around 6:30PM, it was time to go home. It was just a scene I always wanted to see so I captured this view of a stunning sunset with trees silhouette. I hoped we spent overnight but everyone has to rest, of course. No worries though, at least I get to discover a paradise where I will always be looking forward to be coming back into. If you are headed to Bataan, maybe you could drop by Hana Natsu and chill with your families!

Hello from my family! We're not complete because some were eating. -_-

Reunion at Music 21, Quezon City

Meet my friends! Left to right: Sir Vigo, Mark, Chalton, Janselle, Jason, Victor, Olive, Me, Adrian

And so it seems that we only get together every time Adrian's on vacation here in the Philippines. I remember that we saw each other last year for a night swimming for the same reason. In short, we only get together once a year. I know this reunion will never happen again for the next few months so I'll be writing about it here to keep track of where we go each year.

This year, we agreed to go to a karaoke destination in Tomas Morato, Quezon City where we rented a room for 15 people. Turned out, only 9 of us joined this rendezvous lol. I did not have any idea what happened to those who promised to come but had not appeared haha!

We did not do much actually, just sing and eat. No, I did not sing, but I'm pretty sure I've eaten the most haha! I was so full at the end of the day and glad I watched them fight for the microphones lol.

We went to the area at around 6:00 PM and because the package is good for only 4 hours, we went home past 10:00 PM with Mark as our driver. Thanks to his car, we saved for the fare lol.

Because some of our friends promised to come even late, we ordered for the food package good for 15 persons. There were for 5, 10, etc if I'm not mistaken. The package includes three towers of drinks (We ordered Pineapple, Orange, and Iced Tea.). rice, barbecue, whole chicken, two kinds of pancit (the ordinary which I don't know what it's called and the canton), lumpiang shanghai and crispy pata. We ordered dynamites too which, for me, are the tastiest and yummiest among all meals. The servings were okay but we did not eat pancit much so there were left overs.

It was just a short meeting but I enjoyed it. We would probably enjoy it more if we're complete haha! I hope next time Kim, Marho, Coleen, Ralph, Radimaye, Nats, Duff, etc. could make it lol.

Day 5: Rihanna Goes Places (SM Cinema, Gerry's Grill)

Nothing much happened today just like yesterday. Yesterday we just took care of our NBI Clearance and watched Baby Boss at SM Megamall. Today, I just went to school to claim my toga for graduation and since SM Manila's the nearest mall to Intramuros, we just decided to do our plans in there. To be honest, it was the heat and humidity of the weather which forced us to stay at SM Manila lol. Adrian and I were supposed to go to Divisoria to buy a new pair of cheap closed black shoes after I figured out I bought the one that's prohibited inside the PICC. I was also supposed to find a dress for my Baccalaureate service tomorrow. But...we ended up doing more than just those.

After getting my toga, we decided to eat our lunch at Gerry's Grill. We ordered Pork Sinigang, Chicken Barbecue and Grilled Squid for our main course and Halo Halo as our dessert. The last time I dine at Gerry's Grill in Tagaytay, I was still young so it felt good to be back and taste favorite Filipino viands the "Gerry's Grill" way.

The Pork Sinigang was really the bomb! Two of the most appetizing meals for me are super spicy and sour food. The squid tasted good too but we weren't able to finish one serving because we were already full! Ha! I love my lunch today yey!

After that, we just watched Can't Help Falling In Love (Kathniel Movie) which, I think, was just an okay film. I do not say this to garner hate or bashful comments. I like Kathniel, don't get me wrong, but I'm never an avid fan of theirs and it was just that, it was getting more and more boring as the film progresses. I laughed a little but there was not an even single scene that made me cry or lines that really caught me.

After that, we just roam around the area looking for a pair of shoes and a dress, and I ended up not giving a damn about the required shoes for graduation lol. And...I got a printed cold-shoulder dress!

That pretty much summed up my day! How have you been?