Pagudpud Sights and Sceneries

Last month, I have been given the privilege to travel from Manila to Ilocos Norte for a news travel segment shoot. Thinking how hot it was in that province, I was having second thoughts on whether to push through or not. But honestly, I’d completely be an idiot if I said no. And so I went.  Lil did I know that I would be enjoying the whole trip. The gang (composed of an officemate and 3 ABS-CBN crew) was so cool, the sceneries were breathtaking and the experience was undeniably fantastic. It was fun except from the scorching heat and humid which made my skin turn a lil bit darker. But who cares, It was overall an exciting work/leisure escapade. Here’s where we had been:

Bangui Windmills

Kabigan Falls

Cape Bojeador / Burgos Lighthouse

Patapat Bridge

Kapurpurawan Rock Formations

Bantay Abot Cave (Lovers Rock: Female)

Timangtang Rock (Lovers Rock: Male)

 

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Apparitions on Baclayon Church's wall

Considered to be one of the oldest churches in the Philippines, the church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Concepcion or popularly known as the Baclayon Church in Bohol was constructed late 17^th century.  There was a rumor that some natives were forced to construct the church from coral stones which they took from the sea, cut into square blocks, and piled on to each other. Bamboo trunks were utilized to move and lift these stones in position; a million egg whites were also used cement them together.   Some claims says that the church has a dungeon which was used to punish natives who violated the rules of the church during the Spanish regime. This might explain why apparitions appeared on the pillars of the church.

How many apparitions do you see? I found 10 but there might be more..

Aside from these apparitions, here's what i found inside the church

An old confessional booth

An old dim room filled with carved images of different saints and patrons. The effect of lighted candles contributes in making the room an eerie place

The grandiose altar piece

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Water Bottles

Are you wondering what this is? At first glance it may seem to be just plain bottled water. That’s what I also thought, but it’s not. Now, try to make a guess…..

I saw this at the restaurant of Hannah’s Beach Resort and Convention Center in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte couple of weeks ago. It was around 10 pm when we arrived at the resort from a 6-hour air and land travel. At that time, we were so starving that we went directly to the restaurant. Being also thirsty, I immediately noticed the water bottles on the table. I was about to open one when I suddenly noticed the warning in it.

 

I told my colleagues about it but we didn’t ask what it is for: we were challenged to think what it could possibly be. Sadly, our thirst and curiosity didn’t bring us the right answer. Thus, we ended up asking the waiter. 

This is no ordinary bottled water.  Believed it or not, It’s a fly repellant. Yeah, it really is.  

I’m sure you’re wondering how this works.  The water on the bottle acts as a convex mirror that projects a bigger image whenever flies alight. As a result, it scares them away; making it as an effective repellant when placed over dining tables. True enough, we didn’t find flies hovering over our table.  Cool huh! ^_^

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D.I.Y. Yakult Green Tea

A few minutes ago, I was thinking whether to gulp in Yakult or green tea. And then I realized, why choose one if I can have both. That’s when the idea came out. I remembered how the Yakult green tea on tea houses tastes like: I gathered what is needed and created my own. Here’s how to make one:

What you need:

1 pc green tea

1 bottle Yakult

1 cup boiling/hot water

Ice/cold water

Sugar to taste

Procedures:

     1.       Prepare tea mixture following usual package directions.

     2.       Pour in Yakult and ice/cold water

     3.        Add sugar to taste (optional)

     4.       Viola! Enjoy!

     Isn't this simple? Try this on your own and let me know hot it goes ^_^

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33rd Manila International Book Fair

Are you a bookworm? Then you shouldn't miss this.

I haven't been to a Book Fair as big as this before. I am sure this will be fun. See you guys ^^

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Chef d' Angelo's Eat-All-You-Can Buffet

It has been 3 weeks now since I last saw this Eat-All-You-Can Promo of Chef d’ Angelo posted on a social networking site. I ignored it back then; thinking that the promo was valid only on selected branches which apparently were too far from where I am. Until last Friday, I saw the same ad hanging on the glass panel of their branch in SM Mall of Asia. Without a second thought, I persuaded my friend and gave it a try.

As the mechanics says, for only Php 170, you can already devour all the pasta, pizza, salad, soup and rice meals available on the buffet table. Though drinks are not included in the promo, I wasn’t that bitter. In fact, I prefer to just have lukewarm water to aid my digestion. For those who would want to upgrade, just add Php50 for a bottomless Iced Tea or Soda.

Here's what they served that day:

A choice between Italian red sauce pasta or Carbonara 

Hawaiian Pizza

Chicken Salpicao and Baked Vegetable Melt

Create-your-own Green Salad

Corn Soup

Like any other buffet, Chef d' Angelo also has the same policy with regards to sharing of food. A wrist stub is provided for those who availed the promo for easy identification. In addition, a reminder printed on a versa board is available at the buffet table for the same reasons.

Promo is valid  at the following Chef d' Angelo branches:

Chef d’ Angelo is an Italian-American fast-casual restaurant which offers delectable chicken, pasta, pizza, burgers, salads, rice-based meals and waffles. Established on December 2001 in Manila, this restaurant continues to draw crowds due to its reasonable price considering the big serving of its products.

MY RATING:

FOOD: 7/10

AMBIANCE: 6/10

SERVICE: 5/10

PRICE: 8/10

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Lovely Legazpi

Last month, I went to Legazpi in Albay, Bicol along with my two other officemates. That 2 days escapade was actually a business trip with a little leisure; but not so much of a vacation.  There wasn’t anything special about that trip except from the fact that (i thought) I’d be able to visit some good Bicolano friends. Unfortunately, I was surprised to know that we didn’t have much free time to spend; as we were booked to a flight back to Manila the next day. Nevertheless, we performed our job and made the best out of the trip.

Here’s the finish product of what we did

Click HERE for a great Tour Package from Mango Tours

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Mochiko: Not your ordinary Ice Cream

I have been seeing this kind of ice cream on malls for months but I didn’t give it a try not until I went to Tagaytay last week. I don’t really know what got into me but I just really felt like gobbling up ice cream while staring at the refreshing view of the greens and the Taal Volcano. At that point in time, I was torn by choosing either Frogurt (Frozen yogurt), FIC (Fruits in ice cream) or these.  Obviously, I went for Mochi since I wanted to know how Japanese ice cream tastes like (I just didn’t know if it’s authentic); not to mention that I was intrigued by how it was served.  Here’s what I got:

Green Tea

Strawberry Yogurt

There is an array of flavors to choose ranging from the common flavors like Mango, Chocolate, Strawberry to the bizarre ones like Black sesame, Green tea and Azuki (red bean). I opted to try the Green Tea since am a fan of tea ever since summer of this year began. I also devoured  Strawberry Yogurt which i also found scrumptious. 

If you will be visiting Tagaytay anytime soon, try to hang-out at the Cliffhouse. There are a number of good restaurants within its compound that will definitely satisfy not only the cravings palate but your eyes as well.

Mochi is a Japanese confection made of glutinous rice flour or Mochiko. It is usually filled with a sweet center such as anko or red bean paste and eaten as a snack

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TAGAYTAY: Temporary Escape

For me, Tagaytay isn’t much of a tourist destination. But if you are craving for relaxation outside a busy city  without going much too far, this could be the perfect getaway. A mere 2 to 3 hours drive from Manila brought me to this cool city in Cavite. I took the bus in Pasay en route to Batangas and asked the driver to drop me off at Olivarez. It cost me around 78php.

fog/clouds obscuring the view

That day, the weather isn’t that cooperative as there are constant rain showers all over Luzon. But who cares, i still pushed through with my travel plan. I took it on the bright side; at least I got the chance to really feel the cool and cold winds of Tagaytay. The only downside is that I didn’t got the chance to visit several attractions within the vicinity. I was not able to visit the people's park, palace in the sky and Tagaytay zoo: but am not that bitter. I know that there are a lot of places where I can get a good view of the Taal volcano and its lake; that’s what I am looking for after all.

 

Cliffhouse viewdeck

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Aglio Olio: A complicated name for a simple dish

I decided to test my kitchen skills by making out a simple pasta dish. Honestly, am trying to save up for something so I decided to cook my own food instead of dining-out tonight.  I actually haven’t done this before but I have no doubt that I can make it; and I wasn’t wrong.

Aglio Olio (pronounced as ahl-yo oal-yo) is an italian phrase which means “Garlic and Oil”  

I didn’t know much about its ingredients and I am to lazy to browse the net for some recipe. I just gathered and mixed every item my palate could remember.

Here’s my simple Aglio Olio recipe

Ingredients:

Olive oil, Garlic cloves, Fresh parsley, Pasta noodles, 

Salt and ground black pepper to taste, Cashew nuts (optional)

Cooking Instructions:

Boil  pasta noodles on a saucepan of salted water. Stir well and boil until the pasta is al dente.  Drain and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a sauce pan, add in chopped garlic and minced parsley. Saute the garlic until it turns light golden brown. Cook over low heat for 3-5 minutes to allow the oil to absorb all the flavors.

Add cooked pasta, 3-4 tbsp pasta water and cashew nuts to the garlic & oil mixture.  Mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately. 


Try this one and let me know how it went. ^_^

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A Folk Dance Presentation by Kultura FILIPINO

It has been a long time since I made my last post and am sorry for being lazy. Honestly, there are a lot of things that I want to share with; including this nice video I got from SM Makati.

I was on my way home when I overheard a commotion somewhere near the 2nd floor escalator. I am not a tattler, I rushed into the hall because I knew that it was different; it sounded like someone was performing and I wasn’t wrong. Here’s what I saw:

I apologize for the poor video quality

 

The staffs of a local brand (KULTURA FILIPINO) dancing on a traditional folk song

 

It’s great to watch folk dances every now and then. Kudos! to the team behind the idea, aside from it promotes the brand, it also uplifts the Filipino spirit of its viewers.

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Gelatissimo: Stress Buster

Nothing beats a hot sunny day but a cold and creamy treat. Generally, I am not an ice cream fan; at least not until I discovered Gelatissimo few years ago. 

 

There are a lot of ice cream parlors that offers hand-made ice cream but i must say Gelatissimo is different. They offer a range of irresistibly creamy, low fat gelato in various flavors that everyone will surely enjoy.

Gelatissimo is undeniably one gelato brand I fell in love with. Having one just makes me feel like a kid on a toy store. I like the feeling of scooping three flavors of rich and smooth gelato on a cup; savouring the fusion of flavors bursting into my tongue as I lick the ice-cream-filled spoon. What I like most about this ice cream store is that they provide their customers a teaspoonful of the Ice cream on display for free; just to help them decide what to pick. 

Here are some of my favorites:

Crème Caramel

Chocolate Rhum

Roasted Almond

Biscottino

Green Tea

 

Gelatissimo offers Australia’s most popular and award-winning gelato that is made daily to the highest standards using the finest ingredients and freshest produce.

Gelatissimo has branches in:

2nd Level, Ayala Center, Greenbelt 5

Level 4, TriNoma Mall

Piazza Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

Oops..   thanks to my Enjoy card for the Buy One Take One deal :)

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Peri-licious Peri-Peri

Last night, Paula and I went out for a movie at SM Megamall. As we were peeking through the movie list, we discovered that the film we wanted to see just started and the next one will be shown exactly 3 hours after. And so, we were left with no choice but to have our dinner whilst killing time. While looking for a place to dine, we came across this restaurant whose menu board was attractively displayed outside. Our eyes caught a familiar phrase. Written in bold red letters it says ”Soup and Beverage ALL YOU WANT”, without a second thought we gave it a try.

 

We both ordered chicken and availed of the promo, off course. The staff asked us if we wanted the charcoal-cooked chicken hot and spicy, mild hot and spicy or lemon and garlic. I opted to try the latter since I am not certain if I can bear the flavor of the two other choices; and besides there’s a chili sauce available right on our table if in case I decided to try it hot. As I took the first bite on the chicken served, I immediately savoured its distinct delicious taste. Indeed, it was different from other grilled chicken i have tried. I must also say that the chicken gravy is good, (except from its runny consistency) it has the distinct chili flavor (without the spice).

 My meal wouldn't be complete without a vegetable salad.

 

A buffet table for soups and beverages is available for those who will be availing the +49php promo. For soup lovers, Peri-Peri serves chicken, mushroom, pumpkin and carrot and corn soup. As part of the promo, we were given the liberty to get any beverage we want, ranging from juices to sodas, coffee and chocolate drinks. 

 

Peri Peri Charcoal Chicken is a fast casual style restaurant that specializes in Portuguese-style grilled chicken with African bird’s eye chili known as Peri Peri. It also offers an array of delectable dishes ranging from fajitas, quesadillas, rappa, pizza and more

Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken
3rd Floor, SM Megamall
Mandaluyong City

Overall, it was a satisfying dinner despite the fact that i wasn't able to maximize the +49php promo. One thing is for sure, ill be coming back soon!

MY RATING:

FOOD: 7/10

AMBIANCE: 8/10

SERVICE: 6/10

  PRICE: 8/10

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