Tumalog Falls

Tumalog Falls can be found in Oslob, and has become a common part of the itinerary of tourists coming to experience Whale Shark watching in the area. Its unique horseshoe shape and clear blue waters has left tourists awed; wanting to extend a few more days just to enjoy the lovely destinations Oslob has to offer. We went to Tumalog Falls after our Whale Shark watching activity.

Hey, everyone! This will be a quick update because I'll be gone for a while. Work has been really crazy; but again, it's the good kind of crazy. Offline and online life has also been extremely busy due to several events I've committed myself to, lol. So here's what's up, aside from the numerous food trips I've been to lately!

1. The boyfriend and I went to the UP fair last week. Contrary to last year's schedule wherein I attended all days of the concert, the boyfriend and I only attended Wednesday and Thursday's line up. Since he brought me to Paskuhan last December and toured me around UST, I thought it was high time I show him around my school. 

2. Seeing my favorite bands again! Some of the bands I really love weren't in this year's lineup, huhu. Hello, Giniling Festival! But I'm glad I was able to watch Pedicab, Join the Club, UDD and Sandwich all over again. I wasn't really a fan of Spongecola until I saw them perform last Thursday. Yael was phenomenal! I posted live snaps while watching, hihi. 

3. Taking lovey to his first fair! Going to the UP Fair involved a lot of firsts for the boyfriend. If you follow me on Snapchat, you'll see his delighted face. He tried most of the games and thoroughly enjoyed everything, lol! He felt accomplished every time he would hand me a prize from all his winnings, haha! Such a cutie! He was also giddy while trying most of the rides!

4. Trying a new Korean restaurant. I blogged about it here, so not much to say. 

5. Valentine's day surprise from the Pastorals.  Not just from the boyfriend but from the whole family! I'm the only one who hasn't been treated to a Pastoral Valentine and they made sure I enjoyed it. Collaborative effort from the boyfriend and his brothers! I'm not one to expect Valentine's surprises but this sweet of a gesture right in front of me, I couldn't be more thankful! 

6. I'm going to Davao tomorrow! As a post-valentines treat to ourselves? LOL! If you have any recommendations on where to eat, where to go, what to do and what to see, let me know on Twitter! I can access my blog but sometimes comments take a while to load; and since this is happening tomorrow, your recommendations will be most accommodated on Twitter. 

That's about it for me. I'll be getting back on Friday, and going straight to work, haha! What a vacation, right? I'll try to minimize my time online since I'd like to be able to spend quality time with the boyfriend. Plus, work on Friday sucks! Should've taken the whole week off! Hope you guys have an awesome week. Despite my crazy schedule, I'm pretty sure I'll have the time of my life!

 I am not a good person, which I know for a fact. After the Outreach, I can’t say I will be good one. All I can promise is that I’ll try to help as much as I can. I may not have much, but I know it’s more than enough to help those who need it more than I do.  I hope you guys can find it in your hearts to help out, with whatever you can. For donations and visits, you can contact Mommy Ludy at +639175022529. You can also find a list of their needs at their Facebook page.

I’m a sucker for all-you-can-eat buffets. The boyfriend and I make it a point to go to at least one all-you-can-eat buffet every month. For January, we went to Sofitel and I was able to scrupulously enjoy probably one of the most exquisite dish I’ve ever tasted in my life—Foie Gras. Once in a while, I’d tag the boyfriend on Facebook whenever I come across a promising restaurants on Facebook that satisfies our criteria. Earlier this month, I saw an article on my newsfeed about all-you-can-eat Wagyu Beef Cubes for the price of P500. I was skeptical because we all know how expensive Wagyu beef is. I read the article several times to make sure there is no catch before finally telling my boyfriend, “I found the one.” 

The talked about holy grail of unlimited Wagyu beef cubes would be Urameshi-Ya in Little Tokyo. I blogged about Little Tokyo last year and didn’t even bat an eyelash when I saw this establishment because it looked old and worn out; thus proving, never judge a book by its cover. Let me take you in on a tour of the place, the food and our dining experience. 

Heeeeey, how are you guys holding up? Cheer up! It's the last day of the week and we've managed to hustle through it! I've had a crazy week myself, and I haven't been sleeping well, to be honest. Something has been bothering me the past few days but I can't quite put my finger on it. To cope, I've been trying my best to eat healthy and prepare my own food. I've also been drinking tea instead of coffee. And the biggest revelation of all, I think I've drank so much water this week more than my entire life. Lol of course tha's an exaggeration, but I'm quite surprised myself how eager I've been the past few days. With that, here's this week's Friday's 10 Happy Things!

1. Monday date with the boyfriend! Mondays are usually sucky because my body is always having a hard time adjusting to reality, lol. But not this week's Monday!

2. Bought my first ever action camera! So, I was throwing tantrums because I hate not seeing lovey during weekends. The boyfriend then said let's go get your camera, lol. Such a wondeful person, this guy. I'm not sure if I've ever said it here, but hey, I love you!

3. Three days of sleepless nights. And yes, I'm grateful for this because I've been using it to explore my new GoPro, hihi! I've been downloading numerous apps that can help me be efficient in taking action shot. E'm eggzoited to use my little toy in Davao!

4. Acquiring a new skill. Since I now have an action camera, I've been watching several Youtube tutorials online on how to edit videos. I've also downloaded a couple of video editing softwares to practice on. I'm currently practicing with GoPro Studio. Aside from it, do you guys have any recommendations?

5. Food from the boyfriend. I'm sorry if I keep on talking about my boyfriend; he's just been a significant part of my week--well, my life. *insert kilig emoticon* The other day he went to my house and brought me fruits because he knows I've been trying to eat healthy. Fruits are fvcking expensive, at least in the supermarket that I go to. So he made it a point to bring me some.

6. Fitting into my clothes again! Prior to and after the holidays, I couldn't fit into most of my work wear. I felt that I had limited clothes 'cause my high-waisted skirts won't fit me, huhu. Fortunately, losing weight is one of the benefits of eating healthy. I'm glad I can now wear my old clothes, haha!

7. Facilitating a level-up class. For a while, my boss was only letting me train a certain group of individuals in the office because he felt that I wasn't ready to handle this powerhouse group. But this year, I get to work with them. Achievement unlocked!

8. Reunited with one of my best friends in the office. One of my closest friends at work resigned earlier this month. I've mentioned in the past that I'm not the type of person who has a lot of friends. I probably keep about five at work; sadly, he's one of those. Had a great time catching up with him yesterday.

9. Going on a family trip! Well, excluding my Popsy 'cause he has scheduled biking sessions. We initially planned to go to Daranak Falls, but my sister Ney (who's in Med school), all of a sudden had a smorgasbord of requirements she has to do. So instead of going to the falls, we're coming over to pay her a visit to make sure she's still alive, lol.

10. I will be in Baguio over the weekend! I miss Baguio so much I almost cried at the thought of going there again, lol exagg! The last time I was there, I went with the boyfriend and his family. This time I'm thrilled that I get to show him around--with my family. Yay!

I can't wait for what's in store this weekend. I've dedicated so much time for work this week that I forgot to take breathers in between toxic days; which is why I can't wait to finally have some time for relaxation. Ah, can't wait!

My work has piled up big time but I don't care, I love what I do. There are times where the stress gets to me, but not this week, for some reason. Maybe because cooking has been extremely therapeutic; or it could also be that I've been trying to eat healthy too. My sleeping pattern is still all sorts of fucked up but I'm trying to normalize everything. Working out? Uhm, nah. I don't think I'll ever get back to working out which is why I'm eating healthy, lol. 

I know I haven’t been updating this personal space on the intarwebz; but that’s only because real life has been crazy. And I mean crazy in a good way. I’ve been going out a lot not just with the boyfriend but with his family. We had a lovely girl’s night out last week at La Vie Parisienne. I intended to review the place while at it but I was too overwhelmed with all the wine choices, so I opted to enjoy the experience first and review it some other time. 

This week has been equally crazy; both at work and in my personal life. I’ve been spending more time with my colleagues who are about to leave the company. I’ve also been doing a lot of effort in developing new training materials to be used this year. So far, I’m certainly enjoying creating culture modules because of the deeper understanding you develop in knowing different countries. With that, here are the things I’m grateful for this week. 

This has been a great week! I’m getting some more work done before I go home just so I won’t have anything to worry about over the weekend. Hit me up with your Friday’s 10 Happy Things too! Aah, can’t wait to reunite with my bed. Have an awesome weekend, folks!

I forgot the brand of the Spicy Gourmet Tuyo that I bought, but it wasn’t salty which is why it worked perfectly with the pasta sauce. The store-bought Pesto sauce tasted fresh, I love it. This is not a sponsored post but I highly recommend the brand Bravo. Calorie-wise, it’s also perfect for a person who’s on a diet. I compared the calorie content among other Pesto sauce in the supermarket and it had the lowest calorie count. 

There you have it, easy peasy! I whipped this up a few nights ago when I didn’t have enough time to make my baon. But I’m really trying to keep up to my resolution of bringing food to the office as much as I can so I know how my food is prepared. I also want to make sure I use up most of the ingredients I have at home. I get giddy all over when I’m in the supermarket and I have a tendency to overcompensate my excitement by buying things I don’t really need. That definitely has to change this year. And, less time on the computer and more time for cooking! Okay, I have to go and prepare my meal plan for next week, haha. This tasks thrill’s me terribly, LOL. Hope y’all are having an amazing Wednesday!

The place is spacious enough, and given the number of times I've had my meals here, the temperature is always on point. Waiters/Waitresses are friendly--I even have one resident staff who takes and serves my orders all the time. Amongst the restaurants that I frequent, they're also the ones who care to remember my name. Well, aside from Starbucks. Service is also prompt most of the time, given the number of customers they get, especially during lunch time. 

Currently typing this with a full heart and a full tummy! Christmas celebrations at home went quite overboard this year, lol. We have a ton of visitors outside waiting to be entertained. I sneaked a little blog time so I can share some of my photos from last night's celebration! Here I am with my family at our usual corner spot beside the Christmas tree. My Dad lost a lot of weight due to his new hobby--biking, Mom gained some on the other hand cause she stopped gardening, lol. As for me and my sisters, same old, same old. Lost a few pounds here and there.

OMG, I can't believe I'm down to my last working day for 2015! This was such a crazy but awesome year for me. Oops, I'll save all that drama for my year-end post, haha. As I write this, I'm already done with everything I need to do for the day and I'm just giving away gifts and spending time with people who will not be in our company by next year--sad. Despite the goodbyes, I decided to focus on the things that matter and the things I'm grateful for. This may just have been the most stressful week of the year, but I made it with flying colors. 

1 | Finishing all my 2015 deliverables! YASSSSS! That includes training sessions, reports, recordings, commercials and even admin tasks. UGH, I feel so accomplished finishing two weeks ahead of time. As mentioned, this week may have been stressful but it was all worth it!

2 | Completing my Christmas Shopping list! I'm done buying gifts for family and friends! It took me two full days to buy everything that I needed including gift tags and gift wrappers. I wanted to do a DIY gift tags so bad but since I'm cramming, no time to Pinterest that shit. 

3 | DIY treats for the people in my office. It's an understatement to say that I have a ton of colleagues that I'm really close to. I didn't want to single out just the ones I always hangout with which is why I decided to give everyone a small treat! I bought small mason jars and filled them up with chocolates and cookies. Tied some sparkly ribbons around the lid and put on a gift tag! Saved me a lot of money!

4 | Getting gifts for Christmas! Officemates have started dropping by gifts over at my workstation. Some have gone on leave as early as Monday and won't be returning until January. I always get a surprise something in the morning. Doesn't matter if it's big or small, it's the thought that counts. Thanks, y'all! 

5 | The boss got me this! Now, do I have the best boss or what? I wasn't really expecting something this pricey because I know he's also giving a ton of gifts to other people, but I appreciate the fact that he made sure I got something I really want! 

6 | Having an almost perfect scorecard! As the year comes to an end, it's also a time to reflect and think about everything productive you did at work. My boss and I were discussing my scorecard the other day and I know I do my job well on a daily basis, but I didn't expect I'd be getting an above average score for the year! Weeee!

7 | I bought a dress for our Christmas party! It's difficult for me to invest in cocktail dresses because it's not something I can wear in the office, so I have to justify which other events can I wear this dress to? Instead of the sparkly ones that I usually go for, I went with a simple white dress. These cocktail dresses can range from 3K to 8K so I made sure I bought one that can really last me a long time. Will post photos on Saturday! Follow me on Instagram!

8 | Catching up with friends from my old company. I have this awesome bunch of trusted friends from my previous company. Even if we only see each other once per quarter, it always feels as if we last saw each other yesterday! No dead air, no awkward moments. And I know that If I ever get married in the future, these will be the people I want standing by my side. CHEESEBALLS. They'll kill me for posting something like this, lol. 

9 | Going to Paskuhan with the boyfriend today! He wants me to see how Christmas is like in their school. Uhm, not like it's any better than our Lantern Parade with a side of Oblation run, LOLJK! We're also trying some of his favorite stalls around UST. Can't wait!

10 | GOING ON HOLIDAY FOR TWO WEEKS! I cannot emphasize enough how excited I am to go on holiday mode. My laptop has been slowing down for the past few days and seems like it went on vacation ahead of time, lol! Today is dedicated for giving away gifts and having breakfast, lunch and dinner with my squad from the office! UGH, I CAN ALREADY FEEL CHRISTMAS!

With the way things are going on the road, surge pricing and rush hour rates from Uber and Grab are horrendous. I paid P200+ the other day for a 15-minute ride home because the demand was overwhelming according to my Uber driver. I cringe everytime I see how much I have to pay just to safely get home. I'm scared to ride random taxi cabs because there was a recent viral post on FB about a girl being held up in our area--inside a cab. I don't want to tolerate the unreasonable rates since what we really need is an effective public transportation system and not more cars on the road. But, if it's the only way for me to get home safe, I'm afraid this system doesn't leave me with any other choice, sigh. But I'm really glad it will all be over and I don't have to put up with these rates any longer! Can't wait to go home to the province and live a simple life even for only two weeks, haha. Hope you guys are ending the year strong!

I've read from a recent Thought Catalog article (yes, I read Thought Catalog don't judge me!) that we lose friends and family because we choose to. I was disagreeing upon reading the first sentence because how can you choose to sever ties with family and friends, right?? Midway through the article, I found myself nodding aggressively and agreeing to what the article was pointing to. There was one scenario in the story where two best friends just entirely stopped any communication between them. There was no problem, they just stopped. And that was the end of it. 

I don't know why but Christmas time brings this feeling of wanting to make up for whatever it is you have failed to do. Whether it be at work or in my personal life. I have a lot of friends who went to study, work or live their lives abroad. We're friends on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram but I admit, we don't communicate. We just like each others photos, comment sometimes and that's it. Yes, we know what's happening with each other but do we really know how the other is doing? Admittedly, I don't. And I want that to change this year. Do you use Libon? Well, I don't until I found out about it a few weeks ago.

Libon is the Android and iPhone app that’s available for free on your App Store or Google Play. This app allows you to stay in touch with those who matter, wherever they might be in the world! Save money on your calls, with the best worldwide rates for national and international calls to more than 140 destinations. Plus, you will be able to call and chat for free with your friends that downloaded the Libon application. It's a lot like Skype, Viber, Line, WeChat etc. With all these apps already available on the market, you might be wondering, why would I still need Libon? I'll let the rates do the talking. 

In partnership with Globe Telecom, Libon is introducing an exclusive offer to enable Libon users from all around the world to keep in touch with friends and family in the Philippines at great low rate.If you’re in Philippines, United States, Hong Kong or anywhere else around the world, the Libon Out calls are always so affordable. With Libon you only need an internet connection on your mobile (on Wi-Fi or using a mobile data plan) to enjoy very low prices to call landlines and mobiles in Manila, Davao, Cebu and everywhere else in Philippines. No connection charge or hidden costs, it's that simple!

Just like Viber, Libon-to-Libon calls are free of charge plus, it’s in HD! And let’s admit it, we still have friends and family members who do not own a Smart phone and that’s perfectly fine with Libon. You can call still call their mobile or landline phones using the same app and the same address book! 

Libon is available for Android and iOS. Download it from the Appstore and the Playstore now!

I've been so busy the past few weeks that I haven't really had the time to do my 10 Happy Things. I've been heavily relying on queued posts that work any time of the day, or any day of the week, for that matter. This week, I decided to take a breather and look at the things that have been making me feel happy and content. The holiday rush and traffic might be terrible, but I still have a ton of things to be thankful for.