yourfallengrace

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Review: Anvaya Cove

Been a while since I write a review on a place. Anyway, thanks for reading my Review for Sofitel Manila, it was a real hit!

I wasn't able to go out of the country this year so I'm posting a review on one of the places I've been this summer. This is where we spend Mother's Day.

Anvaya Cove Beach & Nature Club

Anvaya Cove is located in Morong, Bataan, just in the of border Morong Gate. You can actually stay in Subic if you can't afford to stay in Anvaya's hotel. Anyway, you need to be a member of Anvaya Cove Beach & Nature Club for you to experience pleasure in this paradise, but they also accept visitors of the members, you just have to pay an entrance fee.

Just outside the Library

Lake view. They have ducks here.

Beach side

See the fishes in a crystal clear water? This is just in the shore.

Shoreline

We had lunch buffet in their cafe. Bamboo Cafe. Price is more or less 500. Not so sure since we have to pay it in the information desk once we checked out. So how would they know that we ate here? We have a card that we need to present in every transactions we make. Buffet starts at 11:30 am.

Shawarma and Chiken BBQ

Eclairs are to die for! Yum!

Assorted breads and salads...

We also ordered tea, halo-halo and puto bumbong.

They also have pools. Kiddie pool, Lap pool and this and there is another one......lol

They had a mass upstairs for Mother's Day. They also gave mom a long stem rose.

Brother at the Library.

Pros:

-I love the ambiance.

-Perfect smooth sand and beach.

-There's a lot of activities you can do here. (kayak, jet-ski,swimming, beach volley, table tennis and other games, spa, and I think I saw someone paddle surfing)

Cons:

-Food is not so great and you can't bring your own food. Not worth your 500php, better eat at Yakimix. Oh, eclairs and pita breads are exceptions here.

-Billing is a bit confusing.

Overall Rating: 4.5

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Ninoy Aquino Parks & Wildlife Center

We (me and bf) planned to visit a park on Valentines Day but given that we're both in a business, Feb 14 is quite impossible for us. So we decided to visit at the end of the week (Feb.17).

2nd gate entrance

It's been ages since I've been here and I remember it somehow like a zoo since there is "wildlife" in its name but now most of the cages are empty. But seeing as we went here for the park, we definitely can't ask for more.

Entrance fee is Php 8.00 for adults and Php 5.00 for the kids.
Parking fee is Php 25.00 for buss, Php 15.00 for car/jeepney and Php 8.00 for motor/motorcycle

Lagoon

view of the Lagoon from the Fishing Village

That's the Tea House behind me :)

We are planning to come here again and hopefully it'll not rain. :)

TIPS:

-Bring your camera. It's a must!

-You can bring picnic mats or you can just dine in the stone tables within the park.

-Bring your food. The karinderia inside doesn't have much in their menu. Dirty ice cream all around.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

REVIEW: Sofitel Manila

My favorite hotel in Manila..

They have this set-up every Christmas season...

with fireworks and folk dances at night.

The view. Manila Bay.

Pros:

It is a 5-star hotel

Nice view, the rooms and hallway smells really good,

nice facilities (gym, pool, spa, restaurants, lounge area, bar, etc.),

good food (Spiral & Galette),

near MOA, seaside, Star City, Manila Ocean Park, PICC, museums, hospitals, etc.

Price is (for me) reasonable.

Better if you have their membership card which gives 50% when you dine in Spiral.

Cons:

uhmmm :)

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Sayang

Maaga ako nagising, 4:30 am pa lamang ay gising na gising na ako kahit na 8:30 pa ang pasok ko. Hindi ako mapakali, para bang may kung anong bagay akong nakalimutan na kailangang kailnagan ko ng gawin kaagad ngunit hindi ko maalala kung ano kaya hinanap ko agad ang aking organizer para tignan kung may dapat ba akong gawin pero nakita ko na wala naman.

Nagaalmusal ako kasama ng kapatid ko, muntik ko na matabig ang baso ko ng mainit na kape dahil sa kakaisip kung ano ba ang nakalimutan ko. Pumasok ako sa paaralan ng wala pa rin sa sarili. Talagang wala ako sa sarili dahil muntik pa ako madisgrasya dahil sa pag-iisip, pati mga classmates ko ay nagtataka na din sa akin dahil parang adik daw ako na bangag. Pagkatapos namin kumain ng tanghalian, habang naglalakad papunta sa classroom, bigla na lang akong kinabahan, yung hindi talaga ako mapakali, parang isusuka ko lahat ng kinain ko kaninang tanghalian, hindi talaga ako makahinga, naisip ko baka may ipapagawa lang sa amin professor namin. Pagdating ko sa classroom, may tumawag sa akin, sya, alam nyo na, yung lalaking una kong minahal at inisip na siya na rin ang huli pero pinagpalit lang ako sa iba. Nagungumusta lang naman at kung pwede daw ba kami magkita pagkatapos ng klase ko. Naisip ko, ayos lang yun dahil hindi naman malalaman ng girlfriend nya at magkaibigan na lang naman kami. Pumayag ako. Noong uwian na namin, nakita ko sya sa tapat ng gate ng school namin na nakatalikod sa kotse nya. Tinawag ko sya, ganun pa din ang itsura nya, gwapo pa rin. Nagpunta kami sa madalas naming pinupuntrahan nung kami pa, kumain kami ng paborito naming pagkain. Pagkatapos namin kumain ay nag-aya na akong umuwi dahil marami pa akong gagawin at kailangan nya pa bumalik sa Maynila pero sabi nya daan daw muna kami sa simbahan, nagulat nga ako kasi noong kami pa, tuwing inaaya ko siya na pumunta ng simbahan ay lagi na lang sya nagdadahilan, “baka umusok ka dun!”, sabi ko, “okay lang, minsan lang naman eh!!!”, tapos tumawa sya ng malakas, nakalimutan ko panandalian yung bagay na iniisip ko simula paggising ko at hindi ko na rin nararamdaman yung kaba na naramdaman ko bago sya tumawag, naisip ko, siguro ito lang yung kailangan ko gawin at kaya lang ako kinabahan dahil hindi ko inaasahan na tatawag sya. Pinagmamasdan ko sya habang nagmamaneho, parang bumabalik sa akin yung mga araw na kami pa, parang gusto ko siya biglang yakapin tapos sabihin sa kanya na “balik ka na sa akin, hindi pa ako nakakapag-move on”, napansin nya yata na nakatingin ako sa kanya, biglang nagbiro na “ang gwapo ko ‘di ba? Kaya mahal mo pa rin ako eh!!!” tapos bigla na lang sya tumawa, napalo ko nga, nakakainis kasi eh, pero masaya ako dahil nakasama ko ulit sya. Pagdating namin sa harap ng simbahan, paglabas namin ng kotse nya, hinawakan nya agad yung kamay ko tapos pumasok kami sa loob ng simbahan, walang tao, siguro dahil gabi na… hawak pa din nya kamay ko hanggang pagharap namin sa altar. Nakatayo lang kami ng mga ilang minuto tapos biglang nagring cell phone ko, mommy nya tumatawag, sinagot ko “Tita, bakit po? Kasama ko po anak nyo, nasa simbahan po kami, pagkagaling po namin dito uuwi na rin sya”, tumahimik lang mommy nya pero naririnig ko yung mga hikbi nya, naghello ako ulit sa mommy nya tapos nagsalita na sya habang umiiyak “tinawagan kita dahil alam ko na gusto ka na nya makasama at sa aking palagay ay dapat mo na itong malaman, wala naman siyang ibang kasintahan, ginawa nya lamang dahilan iyon dahil ayaw nya na mag-alala ka sa sakit nya, gusto nya na mabuhay ka ng walang iniisip na problema, pumunta ka dito sa bahay ngayon, para makita mo ang bangkay ng anak ko, bangkay ng lalaking nagmamahal sayo”, pagtingin ko sa tabi ko, naroon pa rin sya, pero iba na itsura nya, maputla tapos may dugo sa gilid ng labi nya, hawak pa rin nya kamay ko tapos sabi nya “hindi ba, bata pa lang tayo sinasabi ko na sa iyo na ikaw ang una at huling babaeng ihaharap ko sa altar, gusto ko tuparin lahat ng pinangako ko sa iyo, dahil ikaw lang ang babaing minahal ko kaya gusto ko bago ako mawala, kasama kita dito, dito sa harap ng altar, ito yung bagay na kailangang kailangan ko gawin dahil gusto ko gawin …. Mahal na mahal kita at patawad dahil iiwan kita muli”, bigla na lang bumagsak yung cell phone ko, napaupo na lang ako habang nakaharap sa altar. Kung kailan hindi ko na sya pakakawalan, huli na pala.

-END-

The Jade Bracelet

this is a true story. a story of a very close friend.

START

After giving him a jade bracelet, the girl said to her fiancé... “I can see my future wedding with you waiting for me in front of the altar”. He didn’t say anything... he just stared at the girl with those small innocent brown eyes. Haha. She felt goose bumps with that look.

It was really a perfect love story. She loves him more each day. He will do anything for her. But they live in poles apart. Not actually “poles” apart, they are still living in the same country but he preferred to stay in their province. Well, they have the same province but the girl needs to stay in the city because of her studies. Anyway, back to the story... he is so perfect. He is 2 years older than the girl, not childish but childlike and she was his first serious fiancée. They have lots of things in common, they love the same genre of music, they both love to eat and they are both born on March. She knew him 2 days after her 20^th birthday. Well, not all perfect love story ends up happily.

There is an intruder in a perfect love story who loves the girl so much but took her for granted and let her go when they were still together. The intruder wants to win back the girl and thus he keeps nagging the perfect couple.

One day, the girl decided to see the intruder to prove him that she already have a fiancé and that they were happy but the intruder still do not believe the girl. He brought the girl in an unfamiliar place where they had a conversation. It was a long talk between the girl and the intruder. At last, she convinced the guy to leave her and let her be happy with her fiancé but the intruder insisted that he will only do that if she would kiss him. She did kiss him. What’s on her mind? She loves her fiancé so much that she would rather hurt him for one moment than let the intruder nag them for the rest of their lives. She called her fiancé and told him everything in exact detail, but her fiancé was hurt and became so impulsive on his decisions and so he decided to leave her. She did not choose to stay with the other guy (intruder) but that guy wants to own her again and so he ate his pride even the guy knows that the girl was with her because the man she loves left her. She doesn’t know how to get out of that unfamiliar place so she decided to be with the intruder. (don’t know who is nakakaawa in this part, as if panakip butas ung intruder) Her friend once told her that, “you can’t get anything you want, and sometimes you need to settle for the worst because you have no choice”. In this case, it’s true.

Days after they broke up, she received the bracelet she gave to her fiancé. She found it in her mail box with a letter saying that “I will still be at your wedding day waiting for you in front of the altar, and I swear I will love you until forever ends”. The girl felt very disheartened and depressed that she tried to end her life by cutting her wrist. She cut her wrist using a cutter and when she saw blood running like a river on her arm, she let her hands fell to the ground, that’s when the bracelet broke. The bracelet made a clashing sound with the floor tiles that caught the attention of someone near her. Unluckily she’s still breathing and also the jade bracelet was broken.

Days, weeks, months and years passed and there were still no signs of him since she received the letter and the bracelet back... so she was still with him. Whenever her new fiancé tries to kiss or hug her, she resisted. Whenever her new fiancé obliged her to tell him that she loves him so much, she always close her eyes and think that she was telling it to “him”.

Still with a broken heart, she accepted the proposal of her fiancé. She decided to get married the same date she and her true love became an official couple.

The wedding day came. Upon walking the isle, she was so surprised to see the guy she love, the person who she wants to spend the rest of her life... waiting for her in front of the altar. Her heart wants to jump outside of her chest, as if her chest barely contains her heart, as if her heart wants to run beside him, hug him, and kiss him. It seems that she felt alive again since she died the day he left her. He was standing behind the priest, not too close to be the priest’s assistant and not too far for her not to see him. At the end of the isle was her soon-to-be-husband waiting for her. The wedding goes on. The moment the priest ask if there was anyone who do not want the wedding to continue, the guy she love smiled at her and nodded gesturing to go on with the ceremony... Sadly, she continued the wedding. She said “I do”.

On the wedding reception, she asked her friends who invited him. Her friends were so confused who she is referring to, so she told her friends that she saw the guy she loves standing behind the priest and watching the whole wedding ceremony. Everyone was so shocked hearing was she was telling. Her friends told her that everyone knew that he died days after they broke up. He met an accident upon leaving the girl’s house after he left a message and the bracelet. The guy told their friends the story of the jade bracelet that the bracelet will protect its owner and as it breaks, it means that the bracelet saved the owner, so he said that he needs to bring back the bracelet because her new fiancé may not protect her the way he can so he will be sending back the guidance the girl gave him.

The affirmations from her friends made her sob. As she shed tears of glumness, all of a sudden, blissful memories from their past came to her mind swiftly but seeing and feeling the events clearly as if it was currently happening to her. However, she knew that it was only her mind refuting because her heart knew the truth, thus making her feel the twinge more intense and passionate.

END

Monday, April 25, 2011

ONE MORE CHANCE

oh! I'm sorry I have to post this. I really love this movie though when I saw this movie the first time with my girlfriends, I don't really understand the true meaning of the movie, well I just admire JL and Bea's acting.. Now that I know the feeling to have a broken heart, I realize that this movie seems very important to the writer/s.. I was actually thinking if the writer/s was a broken hearted when s/he had the script. :)

Nonetheless, read the lines as you reminisce the scenes. Prepare tissues! Enjoy!

ONE MORE CHANCE...

A story about how true love waits for, hopes for and needs…

One More Chance

For anyone who has ever loved.

“Mahal na mahal kita, at ang sakit-sakit na.”

how do you move on?

“Ui ano ‘yan?”

“Bagong baby ni Popoy”

“Ako naman ang may gusto nito diba? Pero bakit ang sakit-sakit?”

“Basha: Sana kaya ko lang tiisin ang sakit na nararamdaman ko. Kasi ako naman humiling nito diba? Ako yung may gusto. Sana kaya ko rin sabihin na masaya ako para sayo, para sa inyo. Sana kaya ko. Sana kaya ko. Pero hindi eh. Ang sama-sama kong tao. Kasi ang totoo umaasa pa rin akong sabihin mong “Sana ako pa rin.” Ako na lang. Ako na lang ulit.

Popoy: Mahal ko si Tricia.

Basha: Alam ko. Alam ko.

Popy: She had me at my worst. You had me at my best. At binalewala mo lang lahat yun.

Basha: Popoy, yun ba talaga ang tingin mo? I just made a choice.

Popoy: And you chose to break my heart.”

“Ten years from now, ganito parin kaya tayo?”

“Ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, forever and ever!”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

“I don’t even know kung tama ‘tong ginagawa ko, pero alam ko kailangan ko nang tapusin ‘to.”

“Basha, mahal mo pa ba ‘ko?”

“Poy, I’m so sorry.”

When love ends…

“Five years? Itatapon mo lang lahat?”

“Kailangan ko to, kailangan mo rin.”

“Pero ikaw ang kailangan ko.”

“what if hindi ko na gusto ‘to. what if we’re not growing together anymore? what if we could be HAPPIER pero nagtiyatiyaga lang tayo?”

“Sometimes people have to break up, so they can grow up. it takes grown-ups for relationships to work.”

“If kaya pang ayusin pilitin. What if this is really what both of you need? Then just be strong. Magiging mahirap at masakit pero hopefully all the pain will be worth it.”

“Well it’s an exciting time bash, but at the end of the day, even though things have changed, some things remained the same diba? kaya dapat wag mo kakalimutan ang lumang ikaw”

how long should you hold on?

“Five seconds lng. Promise. Five seconds. One, two, three, please, five.”

how soon should you let go?

“Not so nice to meet you.”

“Malaki lang ang katawan mo pero ‘di mo ko kayang patumbahin!”

“I wanna stop wondering what if. I wanna know what is.”

“But you’re asking for too much. Gusto mo mawala na’ko sa buhay mo.”

“Alam mo ba’yung three month rule, ha?! Lahat ng nagmahal at nasaktan alam ‘yun! Kailangan mo muna maghintay ng three months bago ka magka-boyfriend ulit! Ba’t ba kating-kati kang palitan ako?! May dalawang linggo pa’ko, eh!”

“Mahal na mahal kita…At ang sakit-sakit na!”

“I wish I could talk away all that makes you hurt. But I can’t because you won’t let me.”

“Mahal mo pa ba siya?”

“Ayokong nakikitang nasasaktan.”

“(She reaches out and softly closes his eyes.) Para kung masaktan man ako, hindi mo makikita…Mahal mo pa ba siya?”

“(He starts to sob) I’m sorry.”

I love you and I will tell you everyday,

Everyday until you forget those things that hurt.

I hate the things that make you hurt

And how I wish I could take them away.

If only it could be done, I’ll do it for sure.

…but it cannot be done coz you won’t let me do it.

“Popoy: Oh. Eh diba’t ikaw pa ang nagsabi sa akin na baka kaya tayo iniiwan ng taong mahal natin kasi baka merong bagong darating na mas ok? Na mas mamahalin tayo. Yung taong hindi tayo sasaktan at paasahin. Yung nag-iisang taong magtatama ng mali sa buhay natin, ng lahat ng mali sa buhay mo.”

Basha: I’m sorry. I’m sorry.

Popoy: No, im sorry. I’m sorry for not saying sorry before nung nasaktan kita. Nung kasing nagkahiwalay tayo, ang inisip ko sarili ko lang, yung nararamdaman ko lang, yung gusto ko lang. I’m sorry Bash naging madamot ako. Hindi ko inintindi na kelangan mo ring hanapin ang Bashang nawala nung minahal mo ako.

Basha: Yung Bashang mahal ka pa rin.

Popoy: Hindi mo alam kung gaano ko kagustong sabihin sayo na… “Sana tayo na lang. Sana tayo na lang ulit.” Pero wag. Ssa tuwing nararamdaman ko kung gaano kita kamahal, hindi ko maiwasang maradaman ulit lahat ng sakit. And I’m sorry.

Basha: Anong dapat kong gawin?

Popoy: Ako na to eh, Bash. Ako naman ang may kailangan ng panahon ngayon para makalimutan ko na lahat ng sakit. Para maalala ko lahat ng maganda at mabuti sa atin. Para mabalik yung Popoy na nawala nung magkahiwalay tayo. I want my heart to stop breaking, Bash. Para pag naging tayo ulit, kaya na kitang mahalin ng buong-buo na walang halong takot kung masaktan man tayo muli. Bash…