altum viditur

So it’s summertime. We’ll go to the beach again, go hiking, play frisbee and do all that stuff we do under the hot summer sun. I think it’s also time for a new ‘do for me, right? Here are my real and valid reasons:

1. I’ve had this hair for 27 months now, don’t you think it’s time for a new haircut?

goodbye dreadlocks Magda

2. Before I had the dreadlocks, my wavy, unkempt (think of hippie) hair was down to my a$s. I grew that hair for four years from super short ala-Pink hairstyle in 2000. I kinda miss the feeling of breeze in my scalp.

3. Since I was growing my hair to get to hippie hair nirvana, I would only comb it occasionally – like in my sister’s wedding in December 2002 and in my graduation in March in 2004. So all in all, my hair’s never been cut and growing since 2000.

(there was a time when my hair wasn’t messy)

Panagbenga Feb 2007

4. Since I had my dreadlocks maintained/tightened last January, I seem to be shedding more hair than normal. Tightening it pulls it, therefore uprooting more hair than ever.

5. I really want to feel the teeth of a comb touching my scalp.

6. It’s summertime, and you know it’s sometimes hell hot in here.

7. I love ANTM’s S4 winner Naima Mora’s hair. And love her too:

Naima Mora with Tyra Banks

Given all the reasons I’ve mentioned, I am now posting these photos (you can click them for a larger view) for reference, and inspiration, and so you can answer my poll.

Now I know these girls are pretty and I don’t look in any way like them, but  I want to make fun of myself and put up this poll for you to imagine me having these girls’ gorgeous hairstyles, vote which one you think will look best on me, then I’ll get a haircut. Then you can laugh your a$s off if it doesn’t work. Haha.

Seriously, just for fun which hair do you think should I go for? I know short hair best fits an angular face but hey, I can try, right?

(you can vote for more than 1 hairstyle)

Finding ourselves without a plan for the long weekend of the Holy Week, we instead made an impromptu trip for some rest and relaxation to Tagaytay on Thursday morning. Ignoring all the traveling tips we’ve heard about making a trip on a Maundy Thursday, we so bravely went full speed ahead southward. This proved to be an error in judgment, since there were many pilgrims taking the same trip (perhaps their trips were better planned) and the usually 2-3 hour trip from Quezon City to Tagaytay took us almost 6 hours to complete. Buildup started even before the Santa Rosa toll gate.

The Book

Our goal was to get to Sonya’s Garden. While we are not fans of organic food, we were nonetheless hooked by the spa services they offered. They seemed so heavenly and blissful. While the traffic was really something, we were consoled by the beauty that greets us whenever we go to Tagaytay. We took this alternate route as the main road were lined up with churches, and therefore, heavily crowded. It was tree-lined and rolling, and while we have taken this road before, we appreciated it more this time.

Good thing we decided to have lunch before getting to the main road that leads to the heart of Tagaytay. We had lunch at Kanin Club, a very nice Filipino restaurant. There were a lot of people lining up to eat, perhaps because of the comforting feel the resto’s ambience afforded its diners.

The road to Sonya’s Garden is long but it was worth it. Upon arriving, we were immediately enveloped by the serenity the place seemed to exude and immediately we were able to unwind. Everyone seemed to feel the same, and you can see this by the way they talked in hushed tones. I even put my cellphone on silent mode, fearing that I will break the spell. It was indeed a very warm, cozy place. garden. Even the parking slots were lined up by plants!

The place did not disappoint. While I have had better spa services before, I have never had the same feeling of serenity as the one I had at Sonya’s Spa. Perhaps it was the furniture, or the flowers that adorned every nook and cranny of the place, but the overall effect was just, well, blissful.

Recommended travel time: year-round
Approximate Budget: USD 163 (includes spa packages) for two persons

Related Posts:

My Tagaytay City Story
Ming’s Garden
Andanita Taj of Tagaytay
Souk Kafe
REHM Apartelle
Sonya’s Secret Garden

makansutra

The hawker center near Esplanade is apparently called the Makansutra Gluttons Bay. It offers all kinds of Asian food and beverages, even detoxifying fruit juices and shakes. Last December, we had the star apple and celery shake at the last stall — the one that sells sodas. It did not taste very good, which probably means it’s good for the body. Haha.

We tried a couple of favorites during our first time here, as recommended by friends. This time, after visiting the IT Fair, we met up with a different group of friends and they had us try the following:

crunchy baby squid SGD12

kangkong - like adobo but a bit spicy SGD10

fried rice - yang chow? SGD10

slightly spicy deep fried chicken SGD12

tasty stingray with salsa - must try! SGD12

Makansutra, full of dining guests

the stretch

Our food bill totaled to about SGD 60.00. There were six of us. And we all had a fill.

There’s a Makansutra restaurant opening in Manila Ocean Park soon. I saw it while it was on construction when we went there on a family outing last New Year’s eve.

Related Posts:

Singapore
Singapore IT Fair
Arab Street, Singapore
Sultan Mosque, Singapore
My Indigo Girls Experience
Going Back to Singapore

Singapore IT Show March 2009 @ Suntec City Mall

Buy a 50+” flat screen TV and get a 17″ tv free. Xbox games at 80% off. $10 off for premium external hard drives every other hour. Ipod touch bundles with $78 worth of freebies.

swarm of people lining for the escalator

Literally thousands of shoppers — the escalator from the ground floor to the second floor was manned by staffs to regulate human traffic. Advisories were flashed on big screens telling guests to come back in an hour — due to the number of people that flocked the Suntec City Mall convention center at one time.

see the green text in the big screen

Laptops and Ipod Nanos were flying off the shelves like toothpaste. Laptop bags and gadget purses at 40-60% off. And if IT products weren’t enough to sate the appetite of bargain shoppers, Jean Perry linens were also sold for slashed prices. There were also underwears, sneakers, chocolates, and clothes.

At one part of the exhibition, there’s a dispenser of delicious milk tea in mini cups!

delicious milk tea in mini cups

live manequin

gimmicks by the entrance

I said I would not buy myself anything, so I only brought money enough for food and transportation. But I ended up eye-ing a Hedgren laptop bag at $20 off. And, seeing bargains at irresistible prices, got myself a White 320G My Passport Essential portable external hard drive.

outside the Suntec Mall

People went there to shop. At really low prices. So no one went home empty handed, so to speak.

no one went home empty handed

Related Posts:

Singapore
Arab Street, Singapore
Makansutra Gluttons Bay, Esplanade, Singapore
Sultan Mosque, Singapore
My Indigo Girls Experience
Going Back to Singapore

Indigo Girls @ the Esplanade

I am in Simei St. 3, Singapore at this very moment, thinking of what to do, or where to go to. I arrived 12 hours ago and haven’t left the unit yet. I want to go visit temples and markets — what I wasn’t really able to do last time I was here in December.

Today is the 3rd day of the IT Fair aka IT Show, where affordable gadgets and freebies abound. But everyone’s telling us that there will be a lot of visitors to the IT fair so I’m not that interested in going. Anyway, I don’t really need to buy anything right now. I though I need a portable external drive, so yeah. I bought myself a 320g WD White My Passport hard drive (edited 11PM).

I will watch the Indigo Girls Concert on Monday at the Esplanade as part of the Mosaic Music Festival Singapore. I got myself a second row ticket, so I shall see the Indigo Girls very up close and personal. I’d probably get high singing along!

I am excited for Monday. Just need to decide where to go to today.

Related Posts:

Singapore
Singapore IT Fair
Arab Street, Singapore
Makansutra Gluttons Bay, Esplanade, Singapore
Sultan Mosque, Singapore
My Indigo Girls Experience
Going Back to Singapore

I had the chance to visit the new Eastwood Mall in Eastwood City in Libis Quezon City last year and I was able to appreciate it as it was not yet crowded then. The facade is like a mini park where you can stroll while towered by mid-rise and high-rise buildings.

specialty stores at its Atrium

shops

stroll, play

tall buildings

like a park

Shop inside the mall with numerous chic brands and dine outside at The Veranda where you can choose a place from a platter of concept-restaurants. At night, the buildings fronting the mall light up in different colors.

I would like to congratulate the AMCI Mountaineering Club Inc. for its successful Anniversary Weekend held at Mengie’s Beach Resort in Talipanan Beach, Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro.

amci anniversary weekend - iron manny

I was tagged along  by my friend Jay, a member of the AMCI, to the event. We had a fun climb at Mt. Malasimbo, one of the mountains surrounding Talipanan Beach. I am proud of myself for completing the trek, my first, without stairs! I’ve trekked Mt. Isarog and Sagada already and both had concrete steps. I experienced the real thrill of falling or slipping on narrow and sometimes steep mountain trails, resting on top of the mountain with a wonderful view of the beaches below, and traversing on a path with sharp grasses and plants with thorns.

view from Mt. Malasimbo

view of the Talipanan beach below

Back on the beach, I had a few bottles of beer and a relaxing afternoon, while watching the swimming leg of the org’s first Iron Manny triathlon. At 7:30 PM, the party started with a live band and a feast. Then the booze started flowing. It was a night full of fun. :)

beer on the beach

AMCI members watching the swimmers

AMCI members posing for the camera

jay skimming (look at the purple sky)

The next morning, we awoke at 8:30, had breakfast and prepared to walk to the next beach (which was said to be Don Jaime Zobel de Ayala’s property) to go swimming. Jay brought a friend’s skim board so I tried it as well. No luck, my patience kinda ran out, so I did not learn how to ride the board. But I had fun swimming and chatting with a group of kids on the beach.

We left the resort at 3PM. And I have to say that I enjoyed everything in Talipanan – the beach, the party, the trek, the people and the wonderful experience of nature tripping. :)

*Thanks Jay and Nelson! I will post the photos very soon! :)