Showing posts with label Places. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Places. Show all posts

27 March 2011

Prepping for Holiday 2011

Four days more and I am off for my short holiday.  There is a small change of itinerary and I think it will be much more exhausting than I thought the first IT I had.  I will have to squeeze my schedule in between P.I trips to fit in my Singapore holiday.  I had a bit difficulty adjusting my days  because my friend in SG just confirmed so late just after I have finalized my destinations to the islands.

I am still glad anyway that I will have a chance to visit my long-time friend I have not seen for ages.  Plus, the SG adventure I can't wait to try.  So now, the hike to mayon volcano will be staggered for the time being and replace it for a more exciting, exhalirating SG adventure that awaits my 4-day visit to the place.

This is how my 2-week holiday most likely will become: 

01 Apr - Departs UAE
02 - 03 (night) Apr - Arrives Manila / La Union and departs for Samar islands
04 - 06 (night) Apr - Samar stay and departs for Cebu
07 - 08 (night) Apr - Cebu stay and departs for Singapore
09 - 11 (night) Apr - Singapore stay and departs for Manila / La Union
12 - 15 (night) Apr - La Union stay and back to Manila for my early morning flight back to the UAE on the 16th.

I am so breathless by merely looking at this schedule.  This is my first time to plan as hectic as this.  I will just make sure I've got all my backpack essentials for a nomadic experience I will have for 2 weeks.  So much energy I have right now and I hope it will continue 'til I am done with my half-month break.

Have some sneak peak of the places I am planning to visit for that 2-long (short?) week round:


Might have few more places to visit too so stay tuned and wait up for the photos, sure!

Have a blessed Sunday everyone! Be safe! - xxx

26 December 2010

Christmas will always be merry

Happenings on the eve of 24 December 2010! Celebrated the Christmas with friends at Rotana Hotel in Al Ain.















Hope everyone had a Merrier Christmas, as always.

30 November 2010

Bohol – The Land of Endangered Tarsiers

I will talk about Bohol briefly.  Apologies if I may not able to cover every details Bohol has to offer travel-wise. I will just be gossiping and will just show some photos about the places I visited and the rest of activities I have done on my week stay in Bohol.  But if you do have some queries about Bohol, feel free to post your comment and I will be more than happy to reply you back the soonest.

Let me touch on a little story of Boracay as well before I proceed with Bohol’s.  Who did not hear about Boracay? Unless you don’t know where Philippines is and you are hydrophobic to hate the beach waters.  Ok, assumingly you don’ t know, Boracay is an island of the Philippines located approximately 315 km (200 miles) south of Manila and 2 km off the northwest tip of Panay Island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. In 1990, it was voted by the BMW Tropical Beach Handbook as one of the best beaches in the world and again in 1996 by British publication TV Quick as the world's number one tropical beach. Sounds interesting to pay for a visit, dear beach lovers? Thanks for the info wikipedia.

Having mentioned that Boracay is known to be one of the best beaches in the world, which means being one of the favorite beach destinations of local and foreign tourists in the Philippines.  Over the years the island receives massive tourists and have been overcrowding the place especially during summer times (well, it’s a must experience to visit if you are a beach bum!).  The neighboring provinces graced with white beaches like Bohol started developing their own to attract tourists minimizing ones from Boracay.  I myself, to escape the Boracay crowd with my uncontrollable desire to soak on white beach waters, I headed to Bohol instead. 

In Bohol. Definitely not just for the white beach.  Of course I already heard about the Tarsiers and would love to see one. And what about the beautiful picturisque impression of Chocolate Hills? Surely my first love when it comes to sight-seeing with nature. The must-try floating restaurant in Loboc River.  These invited me more to fly to Bohol and just so right, I did not fail a truly amazing adventure.

We have the same eye circumference ;-)


Did I just mention about Bohol so brief? Let the photos speak for it. Have a good day everyone!



The Old Baclayon Church in Bohol


Amazing, isn't it?



Hmmmn, you will definitely have a huge appetite with your surrounding like this
 

15 August 2010

Giving Myself a Break!


The feeling of excitement begins when you start counting days and wait for the grand day-1 of your vacation. The time that you will let yourself finally escape from strenuous schedule and activities at work, avoid the nuisance of city life. All you look forward is to forget the busy lifestyle…of taking a break from the unending phone calls in the office, emails that seems to always demand a very urgent reply, pile of documents in front of you to review, etc. and just embrace the ecstatic feeling of being free for a while!

The above might be just one of the reasons people want to escape and off for a break. Others have different. Mine? A combination of work-related and personal concerns so to speak. Not for anything else, but I am taking a break for myself! To rejuvenate myself to a new me.



….and now, the 30-day vacation is over.

Time flies so fast. I am back to face the real world I live. To get back to things I am used to do and take care responsibilities that have been entrusted to me. But the question is, how much am I ready to face the new challenges at work and life that awaits in my return? Well, whatever it may be, I just hope that I will always be the best of myself with confidence to start anew and resolve issues and challenges that may come my way!.....and be a better, stronger person me!

Some snapshots during my may-june 2010 vacation…..

Have fun!

(written sometime in june 2010)

29 June 2010

The Weekend to Escape a Weary Mind

I have been enjoying my weekend so far for couple of months now. Earlier was entirely a boring one! So typical, routinary and energy-buster as I used to stay in just one place by merely doing boring activities to mention such as watching TV, eat, sleep, do my laundry, internet browsing, etc. There were no chances of seeing the outside world as I was in an isolated place that cannot be reached by rays of opportunities. Until one day, I realized I should not put myself the way others would want it to be. This is my life and my happiness does not depend with others. I should do things that make me fulfilled, independent and a solid person on my own.

And now I am starting it………………

Given a 2-day off, basically my weekends, is a huge blessing for me. This means I am able to do and enjoy more my personal inclinations.

Speaking of weekends, it isn’t a typical one nowadays. Every weekend gets more exciting. So many things can be done. It’s the variation of activities that make it exciting because I do things that I do not normally or never have done before. So just to give a pinch of idea what I am talking about, I will highlight how did I spend my last weekend:

1 – Attended mass and met my girl friends after in the church.
Had small catching-up conversations and ended up of deciding to spend the weekend in Dubai. It was a good opportunity though for 3 of us as we rarely have the chance to have day-off that falls on Friday and Saturday. I have mine with these days but my other 2 friends vary every week.
So, as 3 of us agreed to go to Dubai, I needed to have a 15-minute pack-my-things because friends are waiting down the building. Just imagine what did I get with that 15 minutes of grabbing girl’s stuff. Certainly a lot of things have been left out – took the wrong shoes for my outfit, incomplete make-up set and wrong accessories. But it was still exciting. The can-i-share theory with girls (not with any other stuff, purely material) really works!

2 – The Friday dinner in Dubai. Planned to have it in one of the big malls but due to a huge crowd of football fans, we ended up a restaurant in Al Rigga Street. I was so amazed with the huge screen that was placed with much effort in one of the big malls for the football matches. I wanted to stay for a while in the mall especially it was Brazil’s game, but I feel my friends did not like it so I did not spoil myself this time.

3 – After dinner. I was so confident I will be able to lead my friends in of the clubs we used to visit before when I was staying in Dubai back in 2005. Gosh, a lot have changed in the place and no way I can remember where that building is! I just felt sorry for my friend who kept on driving and leading to nowhere. She was just too patient.

Since we’re not able to find “whatever” that place, we ended dropping at Avenue Hotel and was told to watch the stand-up comedians. For a change of disco-dancing, I felt it was interesting. And it was! There was even a singing contest and was not even over yet at 1AM!

The rendition of each participant was over and names of qualifiers for the next elimination were identified. This means that audience are now able to sing as the club is a mix of karaoke and comedy bar. Those who like to sing should stand in front / on stage while following the lyrics of the song on screens walled every corner in the bar.

I just envy my 2 friends who can really sing well and brave enough to perform in front of people when we speak about singing profession. There was no sign of hesitation but had the full courage of doing it! That’s how confident my friends are and I just love it.

4 – 3AM at Al Rigga Street, Dubai – Returned back where Paz (my friend) parked the car. And gosh, 2 police patrol cars were behind the car as if waiting for us to be questioned! Oh my gosh, what would have been our violations we asked ourselves. We knew that we needed not pay for the parking space for that wee hours. But still we checked around if we’ve got a ticket and thank God there was none. Two guys were sitting nearby the car and told us that the police cars are for others violations and not for us. We felt so relieved with that and not needed to dare ask the police officer what our violation was. And to be noted, and might be unbelievable but yes, we did not have alcohol. That might have been an issue if we were checked by the PO and found out that we are! Folks, don’t get yourself in trouble! POs are really clever and you wouldn’t just know you’ll already behind bars in a blink of an eye.

5 – Still got a day to spend in Dubai. Now to Atlantis, Dubai Marina and Dubai Marine (hmn, quite confused with the two!).

Atlantis – who does not know this place if you are in Dubai? With the spectacular hotel structure built in the man made island of Palm Jumeirah. The human palm look-alike islands in Dubai.
It was my first time to visit the place. Was amazed with the structure but didn’t stop me comparing its amenities with other hotels / places I went to. The water park is incomparable with Dreamland. Dreamland is awesome! The Surroundings? I better go with Madinat Jumeirah and the Souq. And the aquarium? Dubai Mall has it!

6 – Dinner at Dubai Marina. 3 ladies are dead hungry and whoever is on a diet will never think about it. I love this place. Everywhere in this place is a restaurant, cafĂ© and more dining place. The walk ways are so relaxing and make you feel you are walking in a village nearby the sea. So good to be away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Don’t just go to the other side as you will see the high rise buildings on their way and cars bumping inch-to-inch.
Will certainly keep coming back to this place. And hmn, what about accepting a 3-month stay in one of the flats nicely situated here – for free! I’l think about it.

7 - Clubbing time to Dubai Marine. I thought the club is on Dubai Marina but we still drove almost an hour with the traffic jams to Jumeirah road. Not a bad place for a first-timer like me coz you’ve got plenty of bars to choose from.
We headed to El Malecon, a Cuban restaurant providing an exceptional combination of dining and entertainment. On the menu there is a typical Cuban cuisine with a fusion of international styles. The restaurant provides live Latino entertainment every night with a no holds barred attitude to entertainment making this is a place to visit if you don't want a quiet evening.

So speaking of with no holds barred attitude, I was about to be in slight trouble at this time. Since it was all latin music the whole night and just 1 song we got familiar from, we grabbed the chance of dancing with this “lambada” in latin tune. And to my surprise, a latin guy just came up from nowhere and took my hands and start dancing with me! I wanted to push him so bad but I reserved. I didn’t want to make such troubles in a crowd and the thought that we’re the only Asians in the bar. Reserving pride, you know. So I just danced and smiled while grudging inside. And still, he did not take off my hands. It does not mean that because he’s really a good latin dancer, I would admire him. I actually wanted to kill him! Lol!

To get out from trouble, I insisted to sit down with a tiresome gesture so he would release me from the dance floor, paid off our bill and time for a much lively dancing!!!

The night did not stop at El Malecon! Now to Boudoir - a French Bar and Night Club. A French bar and and Indian night, how does it sound? It was all spontaneous. We had no idea what’s going on this place. All we know, a much lively dancing and music happens here!!

On entering this fabulous place, you will notice the glamour, finesse and grandeur of the interior. There is an air of romance, enflamed by the French Renaissance period, yet with an added twist of Baroque arrogance. The Lounge music will gradually dissolve into the more trendy sounds of Deep House, upping the tempo and volume as the evening progresses.

Fashionable, chic and trendy are not the only images that Boudoir reflects. Add it's qualities of elegance and class.

It wasn’t a bad weekend at all. I did enjoy it very much. Although we ended the night early (1AM) as we needed to be back Abu Dhabi for work at 7AM!

And while on our way back, as early at this time we’ve already planned out something for Thursday and Friday as we’ll have common day-off still. What about trying a shooting at Caracal Shooting Club? Not quite sure if this will be pushed through coz Friday is going to be Brazil and Holland’s match.

Surely we’ll find time to try it. It’s been boss’ long time invitation as well to try out his new hobby in town.