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Manila Zoo. There was a time a long time ago when the mere mention of Manila Zoo made me feel giddy with excitement. I have committed to memory a childhood picture where I was happily posing in front of a peacock pheasant. Simple joy! I hail from the province and a trip to Manila used to be so special. What I didn't realize until I had children is that I was lucky to have grown up a probinsyana  - to have the fields, vast expanse of free space and hills as my playground. To have flowers to pluck, leaves to gather, dragonflies to catch, trees to climb, free fresh fruits to eat. My kids aren't as lucky. That's why a trip close to nature is a treat for our children. We brought the kids to Manila Zoo yesterday, as reward to our pre-schooler for winning the Interbranch science quiz bee in school. He loves animals and was happy to see the elephant, the birds, the tigers and the crocodiles. He was indifferent to the smell and the dilapidated look of the zoo. ...

We are stuck in the second floor of our apartment, hostage to the heavy and continuous rain that brought flood into our home. This is the third and last time. We are definitely moving out, hopefully, by year end. Times like these make us mindful of the here and now. Momentarily, only this hour, this minute matters. Survival instinct. Thoughts about work or the future vanish. Poof! We've been awake since the wee hours of the morning, resignedly anticipating the overflow of water yet hoping it won't happen this year. Just our luck! Thank God we have a second floor to take refuge in. We know there are a lot of people out there who are not as lucky. We hope and pray that the constant rainfall will stop soon. Cooped up half day and we're still happy campers. Cooped up a whole day and we're going to be smelly, hungry, cranky campers! Pakiusap, tumila ka na ulan at sana lang huwag mag-brownout! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

We're capping off the long holiday weekend (and TL#1's 4th birthday) here in Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (CBTL), one of our little family's favorite places to hang-out. It's pretty cozy and mostly quiet and there is free wi-fi for Swirl Rewards Card members. Hubby is a big coffee lover. I am not but I like their lasagna. TL#1 loves being treated like a big boy with a slice of cake and cream-based drink. Our TL#2 is yet to join us in this kind of weekend bonding. Maybe a year more and we can already drag him along, most probably with a book or an ipad in tow, too, to keep them from running around the place and disturbing the peace. Speaking of CBTL, they are having the Espresso Cream Open House on August 18, 2013, 10:00-11:30 am. If you are a coffee fan, that is, you can avail of the free 12 oz. Espresso Cream Ice Blended or12 oz. Espresso Cream Iced Latte (only). Offer is valid at all the CBTL stores in the Philippines except University Mall and CBTL Coffee Bar...

It's been a while since I saw a view as breathtaking and raw as that of the Blue Lagoon in Bucas Grande Island in Surigao del Norte. Stunning! As in wow talaga! I felt so close to our Creator and the grandeur of His creations. Forgive the resolution of the pictures. We only used our phone cameras. Husband and I booked a trip to Club Tara Resort last November 2012 and it proved to be one of our most memorable yet. I got the deal through cashcash pinoy . We stayed for 2 nights. This post is long overdue but I wanted to write about our unforgettable trip before I forget the details. Hehehe . My memory is becoming so unreliable. From Surigao airport, the hotel van service picked us up. It took 1 hour and 30 minutes to get to the pier and 30 minutes from the pier to the island. It cost us P6,000 good for 2 persons when we availed of the hotel transfers. Very convenient but a bit expensive compared to haggling with the van and banca drivers. Felt like we were traveling forever until fi...

Warning: OA account I am a sissy. And there's something about the sea and huge waves that make me think of morbid thoughts. But I survived my first helmet dive! Hooray! When I first heard of helmet diving, I thought people were brought down into a huge controlled aquarium (think ocean park or ocean adventure) to get up close with various sea creatures. I didn't realize that it actually entailed going down 15 feet below the open sea until our speedboat was almost to the floating barge where the helmet and oxygen tanks were stationed together with the divers. Understandably, I had cold feet. All my bravado and yes-to-adventure attitude were gone with the sea breeze. We had to go through a brief orientation before the actual experience. We were taught a few sign language to communicate with the divers while under the sea. I tried to memorize only the important ones - 'Up' and 'Not okay!'. The guide also informed us that the helmet is very heavy but it becomes light...