[Project FeeTrail September 2014]: Hello Hong Kong, Merry Macau

This trip to Hong Kong and Macau has long been booked since last year. Aprille and I scored really cheap tickets online and decided to book a trip to Hong Kong as gift for our mom's birthday. It's our first ever trip together as a family. My parents have been in Hong Kong years ago and our mom's last visit in HK was back in 1997 so with all the new technologies and improvement, it's like seeing HK again for the first time.

Since this trip is a gift, 95% of the total expenses was shouldered by my sister and me. And because we already knew that beforehand, we saved up and researched all the possible discounts, made our own itinerary (to save up from tour agency fees), bought USD and HKD as per recommendation of friends who traveled to HK before.

When asked how's the HK-Macau trip was, I could sum it up as: Learning experience. On top of the other stuff that I already learned when traveling, here are my discoveries in this trip:

1. When travelling with a Senior Citizen (SC), it is important to have a big, nice, very comfortable accommodation. ( I flunked this part because we stayed at a traveler's inn/backpacker's inn. The photo looked nothing like the one on the internet and I was not informed that we have to pay cash upon arrival. But it turned out good because we just really need a place to sleep with wifi, and we saved a lot on transportation as we are situated in a good location, few steps from the MTR)

2. Check your itinerary, make sure it is SC-friendly. ( Macau is probably the best decision for the SC-friendly tour as we walked and discovered the city, watched the House of Dancing Waters-stay tuned for that post-and rode a comfortable ferry.) The other travel boo-boos we had was we had Ocean Park and Disneyland as part of the trip. It requires a long walk under the sun. Although my mom enjoyed the trip to the Peak Tram and Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, all the walking tired her out at the end of the day.

3. Book your tickets in advance to avoid the hassle. I got discounted tickets from Madame Tussauds (due to early booking online), and discounted Ocean Park and Disneyland tickets (from Travel and tour office in MTR stations). My sister booked the House of Dancing Water a week before the trip so we will not be lured in getting the priciest tickets when we get to Macau (it's a tactic, I was told).

4. Coins are important and handy, especially in MTRs. Important to pack your own tissue (restaurants/eatery don't usually give them out freely), bring an umbrella, bring a huge garbage bag for luggage protections when it rains, and when shopping, use a stroller bag. Bring your own toiletries, HK doesn't have the retail (tingi) culture, so no sachet shampoo or conditioner available.

5. Check the weather, dress accordingly. HK weather in September is HOT. Like Summer in Manila. When we were there, it didn't feel like we are in a different country at all. I also downloaded a lot of smartphone apps to help us get around including currency converter, MTR map, and journey planner in HK. I also printed out a day to day itinerary (that I made myself) and instructions how to get around HK. We were able to roam around HK like locals, made friends with other fellow pinoys (there are a lot of them!) and if only I took a picture of every Filipino that my mom made friends with, I will have a collage.

6. When in HK/Macau, pay when you can pay using a credit card (provided you are a responsible spender, of course) you never know when your actual HKD cash will come in handy.  You can buy HKD at the airport, and it is surprisingly cheaper. But always make sure to have a USD with you. Another lesson I learned when buying dollars is it is illegal to buy dollars in the Philippines if you are not travelling. You can't just buy dollars and deposit it in a dollar account. That is why some banks require you to present your passport/plane ticket/itinerary. Some banks don't allow you to buy dollars from them unless you are an account holder and charge Php 100 for it (read: PNB).

7. Forget what it says on the internet, ask the locals to show you the good finds. Everyone was saying shop at Mongkok, but there are other places for really affordable goods.

8. Earlier this year, my sister and I traveled to Japan. Japan was the comparison point we had since it was the most recent out of the country trip we had this year. I learned a lot of culture and values stuff from HK locals, that in respect for HK locals, I will not write them in this blog.

9. Overseas Filipino Workers are really nice to Pinoy Travelers. Of course, not 100%, but we were blessed to have met really nice pinoys who gladly, and willingly showed us where to go. Also, its a good thing my friend Rogus and his wife Carie are based in HK, they delighted us with stories about life in Hong Kong.

At the Venetian, in Macau

At the Ocean Park Observatory, Hong Kong 

The night before our flight, Hong Kong released a Typhoon 8 warning signal and all business establishments shut down. They sent everyone home, regardless if there are still customers in stores. I was worried that our flight might be cancelled (I never experienced that before). Carie told me not to worry because storms in HK only lasts up to 6 hours, it'll be gone by the time of our flight. But at 3am, I got an email and text from our airline that our 10:40 am flight was moved to 2:50 pm. That's alright, but when we got to the airport, I found out that all flights were cancelled due to bad weather. To make the story short, I fought to get seats for the next available flight. Although it's no one fault, I learned that:

10. In the event of a cancelled/moved flight due to a force majeure, You will have to call the airline call center (Cebu Pacific Manila Office) to rebook your ticket, otherwise you will just be considered as a chance passenger. Re-booking your ticket means your names are on the list and secured. But you can only do it once, if you re-book again on another time, you will have to pay the charges. I also found out that when your mobile phone's roaming is on, Globe charges you Php 120.00 per minute. I spent the first call to Manila for about 5-7 mins then got cut off. The second call was a success lasting 13 minutes with secured plane tickets. The next day Globe cut my line off saying I exceeded my line credit and that I have to settle it first. But my mobile phone plan was on auto-charge in my credit card, so they definitely heard from me. They heard a lot from me.

Anyway, when we finally reached home, I wrote this lengthy Facebook post to commemorate the day:

Braved Hong Kong's Typhoon signal 8; got drenched running in the rain trying to get to the airport; reached the airport found out that all flights to MNL were cancelled; called airline in Manila and fought for the last seats for the last flight of the day; got stranded for 12 hrs at the airport; camped out and napped at McDo couch; had limited pocket money; read the news about the bad weather flight to HK from MNL hrs before our flight; concealed anxiety over expected turbulence by chatting with friends via Viber and Line; finally got our new flight ticket boarding pass; flight back home got delayed by an hour, landed in the Philippines at almost 2am; and now I finally get to sleep on my own bed by almost 4. Hong Kong was fun, but I am really glad to be home! Thank you Lord! Good Mornight!

Ladies and Gentlemen, here's Meryl Streep

That feeling when you come across something that's written or said by someone, and it happened to be the similar theme that's been playing in your head these past few months, over and over again?

Ladies and Gentlemen, here's Meryl Streep:

“I no longer have patience for certain things, not because I’ve become arrogant, but simply because I reached a point in my life where I do not want to waste more time with what displeases me or hurts me. I have no patience for cynicism, excessive criticism and demands of any nature. I lost the will to please those who do not like me, to love those who do not love me and to smile at those who do not want to smile at me. I no longer spend a single minute on those who lie or want to manipulate. I decided not to coexist anymore with pretense, hypocrisy, dishonesty and cheap praise. I do not tolerate selective erudition nor academic arrogance. I do not adjust either to popular gossiping. I hate conflict and comparisons. I believe in a world of opposites and that’s why I avoid people with rigid and inflexible personalities. In friendship I dislike the lack of loyalty and betrayal. I do not get along with those who do not know how to give a compliment or a word of encouragement. Exaggerations bore me and I have difficulty accepting those who do not like animals. And on top of everything I have no patience for anyone who does not deserve my patience.” 

You're not supposed to keep The Secret, a secret.

I wrote early this year how the Universe does not play favorites. Then I kept blabbing and blabbing about The Secret, the book, the law of attraction, Universe, positivity and more. I got The Secret book in 2008 on a Kris Kringle. I read it once and just shoved in the shelf, I understood, but did not take it to heart. A year later I read it again and finally felt it.

I sent pdf copies of it to some of my friends, encouraged them to make vision boards, taught them how to wish to the Universe, and I am happy to share with you that a bunch of my friends whom I shared it with got their wish. And it seems like they all wanted the same similar thing: a car and they got it! This year! It was only this morning, while doing my regular morning walks with a friend that I was able to tick off people (with wishes granted) from my list  that I shared The Secret with.

I've blabbed about it for so long, and I must admit that I do not have high spirits all year long (read: trade offs) and my little milestones are not as huge as theirs. But do I get envious? Absolutely NOT! It only shows that the things I asked for were granted! The Secret works! Now, my only concern actually is...I am now on a different stage. What do I want? Because, apparently, this is true...

Therefore

1. I have never met someone who is happy with their lives, who is not genuinely happy for others' milestones. Therefore, what we feel towards others is a direct reflection of our self.
2. There are guys who are great guy friends but bad boyfriends. Therefore it doesn't really matter that much if you start out as friends or how long have you known each other. A person is different when in a [romantic] relationship.
3. Better to complain about the workload after it is done, not before it is done. Therefore, it always seems impossible or difficult, until it is done.
4. In this age of social media, we take it very seriously to spread information or be sources of knowledge. Therefore, we like to be relevant.  
5. You can tell a lot from a person by the way they handle their finances. Therefore, a person's character tells a lot by the way they handle their chosen and given responsibilities.
6. Never talk a person who is single into marrying when you are in a horrible relationship yourself. Therefore, before you even think of putting in your (sometimes unsolicited) two cents, make sure you set a good example.
7. Also, do not influence a person who is single into having a child than be single and childless for the reason of having no one to take care of them when they get old. Maybe you want to raise caregivers, but some want to raise champions. You never know what kind of child you will be getting, therefore, never impose your fears unto others.
8. Those who like to talk about other people's business and personal lives don't have much going on in their lives. Therefore, that is what they do because they have plenty of unproductive time.
9. The bigger the risk, the greater the milestone. Therefore, if you want new results, befriend the unknown and do something different.
10. Mornings are reset buttons to get things right while yesterday is now part of history. Therefore, you can create a good history right now, one step at a time.

[Project FeeTrail August 2014]: Shabby chic, Serene and Sweet

If you've read my Project Feet Trail posts for a while now, you will notice how this shot is very similar to a certain post in October 2012 during my cousin's inter cultural wedding (also designed by my wedding/events florist sister, Aprille Araguas)

It was a lovely day for a rustic themed wedding and I love the whole feel of the exclusivity and intimate setting. The place even had a nice room for wedding suppliers to set up. I would like to gush more about the details but I'm going to save that for the actual complete wedding post at www.aprillearaguas.com.

In a previous post, I said how this is my first time in Casa San Pablo but our second time to cover an intercultural wedding. Hence, this automatically goes to my Feet Trail collection. This shot was taken after the wedding ceremony and I decided to include that little white lantern as well.

The -BER months starts tomorrow! Time flies so fast!

The kind of vacation one should be taking

" I remember one Facebook post you had, where you said you can't wait to wake up because finally, your reality is better than your dreams."Jon told me in 2009.

I remember that post. I miss that feeling, to be honest. Life happened. No need to get into details.

I do love going on a holiday, but not as often as I wish I can. I've gone to beach trips, out of town trips with friends before but I seem to always go back feeling tired and in this state of incredible resistance to go back to your real life.

I'm not much of a traveler, but I do believe that vacations are simply a state of mind. Travel is not the same as vacation. I can be walking along the cherry blossom trees of Japan having a stressful time of my life and I can be just inside my room, uninterrupted and mentally recharging. I remember taking a long weekend and just staying in the suburbs and ended up having one of the best, unexpected weekends of my life.

And just last weekend, I took advantage of the long weekend to pay my friends a visit in the city. We only had one activity (we went to a hydrotherapy water spa) and spent the entire weekend lounging in the house, watching 5 movies. We didn't have much going on, just catching up, and an entire day to be just in house clothes, taking a step away from what's bothering us, and doze off whenever we I want to. Actually, that weekend I spent majority of my time just listening, contrary to my usual talkative self, and ended up enlightened.

To make the story short, I came back grateful and looking forward to my new personal action plan. In fact, I felt inspired that I got so excited that I immediately bought a sketch pad and started sketching and finally made time for art as my long overdue creative outlet. Also, I can now squeeze in a few minutes to read my positivity books that I bought on impulse that I have on stand by for a while now. The little things that irks me are now being overlooked. I tell you, when gratitude takes over, it works like a thick shield that protects you from the littlest things that once gets the best of you.

And from that I have decided that my vacations must have an internal wellness purpose and not just to have something to post on instagram.

Travel Laguna: Casa San Pablo for a country side, shabby chic, rustic themed wedding

I've seen Casa San Pablo for quite a long time now and it is only when my wedding and events florist/stylist sister, Aprille Araguas, did the entourage flowers and table flower arrangements for a rustic themed wedding that I got to visit and see what the place looked like from the inside.

Anyway, the complete post of the rustic themed wedding is now published at www.aprillearaguas.com, meanwhile, let me show you the photos I took from my phone.

Upon entrance from the parking lot:

The other side shows a way to the pool: 

Since we just had typhoon Glenda a month ago, some parts of Casa San Pablo are undergoing renovation such as the other pool and probably this pavilion.

Below is the second pool. The other one, on the opposite side of this, is under renovation from this time the photo was taken.

As Casa San Pablo said on their site and brochures, they are a Bed and Breakfast, country style, shabby chic, cozy country inn.

 A sneak preview of the rustic wedding theme now on the blog at www.aprillearaguas.com

 This is where the buffet is set up:

 Accommodations:

I was not really able to take a peak inside the rooms, but according to the feedback of one of the guests checked in, the air conditioning is not as cold as they thought it would be.

This is the other side of the area of the buffet, the second floor is like a mess hall where they serve you breakfast:

If you're wondering, yes they have free WIFI. But when we were there, the staff gave us a different password for a non-existent router name. Probably he got confused?

You CAN outsource some suppliers such as the lights and sounds, wedding/event florist, etc. It depends on your deal with Casa San Pablo. With regard to the catering service, you can just ask the Casa San Pablo Management. I know they offer wedding packages (click here). 

Anyway, that's my little coverage for now. The details of the floral arrangements (and our second inter cultural wedding) is now up on the blog. Enjoy our coverage by clicking this link!

I will have a KOKON someday

Remember my post about the cuddling couch? I found something better! Its KOKON, Cecile Van Straten and Locsin International furniture collaboration.

According to CVS' blog post:

"The KOKON daybed is priced at Php 164,000 for the indoor version and Php 232,000 for outdoor, inclusive of mattress and plain throw pillows. KOKON is now available to order at Locsin.com or through their showrooms at LRI Design Plaza, Nicanor Garcia Street, Bel-Air, Makati, or at 4th level, SM Megamall-B."

"It is amazingly spacious. Five people can sit inside and two adults can sleep with a child"

This is perfect! I can already imagine reading books, watching movies on my ipod, and writing stuff. I don't think I want to renovate my old room anymore! Oh wait, I take it back! I need my room but this, aaaaah. I can't stop gushing. I want this in this color. I want an indoor one, but it's so expensive.

Maybe the universe will reward me someday for all the good things I never expected and thought that I would do. Haha!

More of Locsin here.