catching up

More than a month of absence from my blog. . .whew! :D Been very busy with Monster's Den, an online flash game, then got hooked with Kongregate - the site where I played MD. As I start this post, I just finished playing RAN - another game that keeps me busy these days. In that more than 30 days of (blogging) abstinence, my blog missed a lot of things:

• I was supposed to post an update about the Philippines' entries for the New 7 Wonders of Nature. Chocolate hills and Mayon Volcano were back on the list after being delisted. All of the four candidates were now in the top 20. Much support were given by the local and national government that even President Arroyo is endorsing them. Then the Pinoy Big Brother Teens has gone to the Underground River in Puerto Princesa and "Big Brother" is also promoting it to gain support in the N7W.


• Our Summer Rockin' experience 2007 with Bamboo last year was succeeded this year. This time, it's a wet-and-wild experience. The Smart Summer Samahan in Boracay on its third year had 3 bands in one night (Rocksteady, Kamikazee, and BAMBOO) plus the rain and the fireworks. The rain started to fall during Kamikazee's performance that some of the lights, equipments and the instruments got wet that some lights were turned off. Jay was even instructed to stay on the back portion of the stage because the lights were off in the front area but he refused claiming that he's not that handsome so there's no need for him to stay where the lights are and since Bamboo was about to perform after them, he said to leave the "kagwapuhan" to them. lol Since it was raining, some people left the concert. But when Bamboo started to perform, the crowd grew larger - larger than it has been earlier even when it was not yet raining. The best part of their performance was when it rained harder and Bamboo sung "ulan."
  
  Of course the summer adventure didn't stop there. It was just our first night. Since we were not able to enjoy the beach last time because of the events, we made sure to do it this time. The sun, beach, and the cam whores
  
  
  
  
  
  Last year was banana boat riding. This year, snorkeling! ... and from henna tattoo to glitter tattoo! Improvement!hahah


• The Summer Vacation didn't end with Bora coz before we went home, we went to Sampaguita Gardens in New Washington, Aklan. This is my third time in Sampaguita Gardens and I've made a post about it so I'll just leave this part with some photos. . .
  

Read More......

The Sampaguita Gardens Experience

Sampaguita Gardens Resort, is a world-class resort located at New Washington Aklan. Been there twice and probably be back this May. It was no ordinary nor typical resort because you'll have a great experience from there. What I like most in that place is its artistry. It is themed with the Precious Moments artworks that promote messages of loving, caring and sharing.



Jojo's Christmas Cottage - the first all-year round Christmas store in the Philippines. Collection of Precious Moments dolls can be bought here.


The Samuel J. Butcher Mansion I think is the most expensive part of the resort where the collection of antiques and the Ningyo (Japanese dolls) collection are located.



The Precious Moments Meditation Chapel is the latest feature added in the resort. It is a replica of the one in Precious Moments Park in Carthage, Missouri. All the paintings on the wall and ceiling are hand-painted by Mr. Sam Butcher himself, the artist behind the Precious Moments artworks.


This authentic Ford Model T c. 1925 still runs and is sometimes used as a bridal car in select weddings.








The resort has three restaurants that also cater to business organizations for conventions or seminars. Then the Sammy's Circus Rides is where children can enjoy riding the carousel, mini-train and Ferris wheel. Other features of the resort are the 43 ft. aquarium, the Sammy's Showboat, Timmy's Library, the Butterfly Farm and Gift Shop, the Oriental Garden, and the Precious Moments Gallery where Sam Butcher's artistic creations can be found. Their amenities and facilities also include Jojo's Fitness Center and Spa, and they also have swimming pools for children and adults.

The last time I went to Sampaguita Gardens Resort was last February 2008. The entrance fee was just PhP50 and that is consumable. We were not able to consume that either because you have free access anywhere except the Mansion. But the entrance fee for the Mansion was only PhP10 so we just saved our PhP50 consumable entrance fee for our food. We took lunch at the poolside. We thought their food were very expensive but the price was reasonable enough. The other one with entrance fee I think is the Precious Moments Gallery but it was closed when we went there. Probably it opens at night only because the first time I went there, we arrived in the afternoon and stroll around in the evening and we were able to go there.

It was really fun going there. Especially that it is located in Aklan, you must not miss it if you are to take a vacation at Boracay. Its just a 1- 2-hour ride from Caticlan to New Washington, Kalibo. Another thing that makes your visit or vacation at the resort so overwhelming is the warm treatment of their staff. Even if you are just an ordinary person entering the resort, you are very well accommodated and assisted by their staff.

Read More......

New 7 Wonders of Nature Updates

Team Phil., a recent visitor here at my blog, has lead me to the site of Our Philippines:

We are a team of Filipinos around the world supporting the Philippines. One thing we are presently focused on is the New 7 Wonders of Nature.Mabuhay!

It is there that I found out that Mayon Volcano has been "delisted by organizers for voting after entry requirements were clarified with the organizers, but is expected to be back online," according to the Team Philippines. The Tubbataha Reef has been delisted also but is now back - same reasons as the Mayon Volcano.

But good news here is that the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River has been added as a nominee. So the Philippines has a total of four nominees once the Mayon is back on the list. Chocolate Hills is now at number 7 while the Tubbataha Reef is at number 9.

I go with Team Philippines in supporting the country's wonders of nature. Promote our tourism sites, spread the awareness to fellow Filipinos to appreciate our very own natural wonders and gather support in this contest for our nominees to make it to the final list and finally be included in the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

To be included in the New 7 Wonders of Nature will not only promote tourism in the Philippines but will make each Filipino proud. .and that includes me! ☺

Read More......

New 7 Wonders of Nature

Last year, I was able to partake on the successful selection of the New 7 Wonders of the World by voting online. Two of my voted candidates, the Roman Colosseum and the Machu Picchu, were included in the top 7:

The Pyramid at Chichén Itzá (before 800 A.D.) Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico MEXICO
Christ Redeemer (1931) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil BRAZIL
The Roman Colosseum (70 - 82 A.D.) Rome, Italy ITALY
The Great Wall of China (220 B.C and 1368 - 1644 A.D.) China CHINA
Machu Picchu (1460-1470), Peru PERU
Petra (9 B.C. - 40 A.D.), Jordan JORDAN
The Taj Mahal (1630 A.D.) Agra, India

After the New 7 Wonders of the World, comes the New7Wonders Foundation's second campaign, the New 7 Wonders of Nature. There are already more than 200 nominees and the nomination continues until December 31, 2008. But voting for your favorite nominee is on. I have already casted my votes. Of course I have voted for the Chocolate Hills in Bohol, Philippines, Tubbataha Reef in Palawan, Philippines and the Mayon Volcano in Bicol, Philippines.

The shortlisted top 21 candidates which will be considered by the N7W Panel of Experts will move forward to the next stage of voting. These 21 candidates will be announced in January 2009 and voting for the final New 7 Wonders of Nature will continue throughout 2009-2010. The declaration of the New 7 Wonders of Nature will be in summer of 2010. The last time I've checked, Tubbataha Reef ranks 18 while the Chocolate Hills and the Mayon Volcano ranks 17 and 54 respectively. So these natural wonders from the Philippines has a big chance to make it to the top 21, and hopefully be included in the New 7 Wonders of the World.

In choosing the candidates to vote, I tried not to be deceived by the photos. I consider those that create a real wonder. Like the chocolate hills, I find them distinct and cute, the perfect cone of the Mayon Volcano are just amazing, and the underwater wonder of the Tubbataha Reef is enchanting. Though I've never been to those places which I voted, I read some infos about them. I've also noticed that aside from the top three wonders of nature from the Philippines, most of my preferred candidates are waterfalls and oasis. :D

Here are some information about the three wonders of nature in the Philippines:

Chocolate Hills

The Chocolate Hills are probably Bohol's most famous tourist attraction. They look like giant mole hills, or as some say, women's breasts, and remind us of the hills in a small child's drawing. Most people who first see pictures of this landscape can hardly believe that these hills are not a man-made artifact. However, this idea is quickly abandoned, as the effort would surely surpass the construction of the pyramids in Egypts. The chocolate hills consist of are no less than 1268 hills (some claim this to be the exact number). They are very uniform in shape and mostly between 30 and 50 metres high. They are covered with grass, which, at the end of the dry season, turns chocolate brown. From this color, the hills derive their name. At other times, the hills are green, and the association may be a bit difficult to make.
source: read full article

Mayon Volcano

Beautifully symmetrical Mayon volcano, which rises to 2462 m above the Albay Gulf, is the Philippines' most active volcano. The structurally simple volcano has steep upper slopes averaging 35-40 degrees that are capped by a small summit crater.

read full article


Tubbataha Reef

Tubbataha is a reef ecosystem made up of two atolls located in the middle of the Sulu Sea. It is a sanctuary for marine life. The reefs lie on the Cagayan Ridge, a line of extinct underwater volcanoes which starts from the north at the Sultana Shoal and ends in the south at the San Miguel Islands. It is located 92 nautical miles southeast of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan and 80 nautical miles southwest of Cagayancillo, the municipality that exercises political jurisdiction over it. It was proclaimed as a National Marine Park on August 11, 1988 and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1993, in recognition of its outstanding universal value in terms of marine life species diversity and richness.

read full article
see more photos

Aren't they wonderful? ☺
♥ ♥ ♥

Read More......

d i n a g y a n g 2008

Heavy traffic, fully loaded jeepneys, dusts in the air, crowded streets - and malls. . . That's Dinagyang! That was January 26 around 6-7 pm as I went to SM City to meet with friends. Whew! The mall was super crowded especially in the parking area where the food fest was. Before we went to Bamboo's concert venue - without planning to watch - we enjoyed the pyrolympics at SM City first. I was truly amazed with the fireworks. nyahahah

Then comes the awaited event every Dinagyang. Not the tribu competitions but Bamboo's concert! The band have missed Dinagyang last year. We have always expected them to be here for Dinagyang but they had previous commitments last year that was unfortunately canceled or postponed. But this time, we planned not to watch because the set-up was not so inviting. .we waited at the back and just sneaked on what's going on inside and counting the songs they were playing. . .On their ninth song, Grazey saw his tito yol who were part of the security churvaloo of the event. So we were able to go inside. The best part of the concert was when Bamboo went to our side and reached out his hand to us. waaaah! super waaah! \m/ We thought they're going to play 10 songs only and we got inside on their ninth, but they played a total of 15 songs! What a luck we've got! :D


We realized later on that the man on our side was Pancho G., their manager! hahah we even took a picture with him then met with Jb and Chin(?), fellow believers. We went to Westown Hotel to "meet" the band and of course take pix. . .




Then off we went to Bora Bora . . . and chilled out!

Read More......

Sinadya sa Halaran 2007

December 08, 2007. Sinadya sa Halaran Festival was held in Roxas City. But I was not able to enjoy the "festival" per se. It became a sort of Brodbeck-get-together after how many years that we haven't done this. Instead of the traditional practice of going to houses for the feast, we end up at Chowking where Sheila's the manager. It was a not-so-planned get-together so after dinner, we haven't settled where to go next. Since there was a festival, bars and restaurants were full. But later on, we have found a place at Chill Bar. It was a bit boring at first. But later on, we got tipsy that I dropped my phone twice. . . and it didn't function properly after I dropped it. I didn't remember if it really got wet by the beer that I accidentally hit on the table. . .and I wasn't drunk yet. .bwahahah

That was the first time I went on a night out at Roxas City. My father never allowed me but this time I went out without asking his permission. I just told him I was going. I think he knew I'd still go or that he realized that I'm old enough for this thing.heheheh



My friends, our bond, are still the same. That's what I like about them. Despite the changes in our lives, the differences we now have, they still have that "Brodbeck" in them. We cannot really avoid that there are people who change. But its a good thing that there are those who never forgets. We will have our reunion on January 05, 2008. . . Another time to relive the Brodbeck spirit. :D

Read More......

a d v e n t u r e

After the previous attempts, finally we have gone, or Shella and Graze did, to Roxas. As I have expected, curtains were hung, the aquarium was cleaned, and so was my room because I had guests with me. nyahahah My uncle even cleaned the small and almost ruined cottage near the falls because of my guests.nakz!heheh Strolling up the mountain. . .or maybe hill?Dunno. .heheh jumping off the falls. . . and of course, camera whoring! It was a heck of an adventure for the three of us again - Michelle was not able to come with us again.

Read More......

Sponge Cola at Bora

Nice thing about the blogger in draft is that I can upload videos with more than 10 minutes in length. So here I am posting the Sponge Cola Video also during the Smart Summer Samahan at Boracay. They performed the night before Bamboo performed. Yael was so hyper in here and Armo as well. Their performance was satisfying that we didn't watch Rocksteddy perform after them. We were so hyped!

Read More......

Bamboo at Bora

Just trying the new blogger in draft with these two videos. Since I cannot upload these to youtube nor multiply because of the length of time, the new blogger in draft may be of good use to these videos. At last, we can view the full videos. :D

These videos are taken during the Smart Summer Samahan at Boracay last April 29, 2007. You can feel intensity of the crowd in the videos and the excitement in screaming his name ("Bamboo!," "Bamboo, tingin dito!") like freaks.



Watching these videos again and again reminds us of our first bora escapade. We'll never get tired watching these videos. . . =^.^=

Read More......