New Additions in Club Balai Isabel

Our company had a leadership workshop last September 15-16 in Club Balai Isabel in Talisay, Batangas. This was my second time to stay in this fine resort located in the shore of Taal Lake which boasts of an awesome view of the Taal Volcano. My family and I stayed in Club Balai early last year and I noticed a number of additional amenities to accommodate more groups and events.

During our free time, we strolled around Club Balai Isabel's vast property. We saw a newly-built church to accommodate weddings or other occasions of the Catholic faith.

I'm not sure if the facade, which was devoid of paint, was deliberately kept "unfinished", but this added an old-world charm.

The church interior was mostly made of wood which exuded warmth, adding a cozy ambiance for small and intimate weddings. This instantly reminded me of the little church atop a hill in Calaruega in Nasugbu, Batangas.

Located towards the other end of the property was the floating pool-cum-jacuzzi. One would surely feel like dipping into the waters of Taal Lake once submerged in the floating pool. To up the ante,  the jacuzzi could be powered on to relieve those tense muscles while taking in the fresh air and sights of the lake. 

Sitting back on these lounge chairs while sipping in some fresh fruit shake will surely relax a city dweller's tired and weary body.

Another addition to the resort was this huge irregularly-shaped infinity pool. From this angle, the Taal Lake again provides a fantastic backdrop. (My photo doesn't do justice to the pool. I tried taking a picture of the whole pool but I just couldn't fit it in my camera's screen.)

A quiet stroll along the boardwalk path until the sun sets on the horizon is definitely a peaceful respite. A sunset wedding with this at the background would be most lovely.

These new facilities are pleasant additions which make the resort an ideal quick getaway place for families and an ideal venue for corporate team-building activities. These also provide a scenic backdrop for events or occasions. Picture perfect moments won't be hard to create in this idyllic setting.

Its close proximity to Manila is also another plus factor. With the South Luzon Expressway now connected to the Star Tollway, travel time has been considerably cut by 30 to 45 minutes. Getting to Club Balai Isabel is now so much easier. 

For inquiries and more information about Club Balai Isabel, click here to view their website.

Disclosure: Club Balai Isabel is an official hotel partner of the company I work for. We were given a group discount for our accommodations. However, this post was written without the knowledge of the hotel and our company.

The Baguio Country Club

The last long weekend was special for us because of HB's 41st birthday. We braved the rains and the fog and traveled to the City of Pines with HB's brother and his family. They extended their privilege of staying at the EDC Staff House which was located atop a hill fronting the Baguio Country Club. As officers of the Energy Development Corp., my brother-in-law and his wife also had rights to use the club's facilities, which they generously extended to us as well.

We spent the afternoon of HB's natal day inside Baguio's oldest and exclusive Club. 

entrance to the Baguio Country Club

such a foggy day

the birthday boy

While HB and I both had previous chances to go and stay inside the BCC, it was our girls' first time to enter. Together with their cousin, they spent quite some time in the game room and tried out their skills in table tennis and darts. When they grew tired, we all promptly moved to the pastry shop which was located near the entrance of the hotel. The wide glass windows of the dining area gave us a great view of the pine trees amidst the fog. 

filling in our sweet tooth with cakes and keeping warm with hot chocolate in The Raisin Bread Shop

The Baguio Country Club's Pastry Shop is called The Raisin Bread Shop, so named after the Club's famous Raisin Bread. I have always been a fan of the BCC's Banana Bread and Raisin Bread. I have brought home these treats as pasalubong. But for HB's tea party, we tried out the pastry shop's other offerings.

French Apple Pie

a slice of Blueberry Cheesecake with a candle to blow for HB

Sadly, the cakes were not as good as their breads. I wonder if these are actually churned by the same staff who make the breads. The apple pie crumbled when sliced and served on a plate. It was actually a little on the bland side for me and did not totally satisfy my sweet tooth. The cheesecake filling was also a disappointment. While it was firm, it lacked thickness. 

Nonetheless, the kids were refueled with some sugar rush and went down again to the recreation room. This time around, they tried their hand at the Wii station.

jamming with the rock band, HB will always be a kid at heart

As I posted on HB's wall on Facebook, I wished him unlimited blessings along with the unlimited rains which continually pelted us during our entire stay in Baguio. It may have been a quiet celebration under gloomy weather, but the presence of family and a quick jaunt at the elite Baguio Country Club made it a (hopefully) great time for my beloved HB.

Foggy Marcos Highway

The following photos were taken yesterday on Marcos Highway on our way back to Manila. Note that we traversed this road at 6 a.m.

It was a rainy and foggy day, making the road slippery. Our speed was kept to a minimum as visibility was quite poor. I noticed at least 3 road cuts along the way, plus a number of unpaved spots. There was a remnant of a landslide which covered half of the road. 

On normal days, it would have taken us about 5 1/2 hours to travel from Baguio to Manila. It took us 7 hours yesterday.

Our experience going up to Baguio last Saturday was actually more harrowing. We had absolutely zero visibility on some parts. The night had crept in and I did not dare to take pictures then as I concentrated on telling HB to follow the white lines and the cat's eye on the road. As HB put it, "(it was the) most challenging drive up to the City of Pines...heavy rain in NLEX, flood in Pangasinan, limited visibility and obstacles going up Marcos Highway."


We were all simply thankful to arrive and get home safely. The journeys were indeed quite an adventure which would be told a hundred times over.

Book Hauls from National Bookstore

About a month ago, I got into the bandwagon and started to read The Game of Thrones. This is the first book in George R.R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice Series. 

It wasn't exactly light reading for me for the first part of the book. While the characters were developed by the author, it took effort for me to keep track of the names of the characters and the "Seven Kingdoms". The good part for me started after reading about two thirds of the book and I was particularly drawn to the characters of Lord Eddard, Lady Catelyn, Bran and Arya. (This isn't an attempt to review the book and I'm not going to spoil it for you if you're about to read it, so let me leave it at that.)

From the recent Cut-Price Book Sale of National Bookstore, I  got the three other books to complete the series.

                                             The Song Of Fire and Ice Series: 

                                             Book 1 - Game of Thrones, 

                                             Book 2 - Clash of Kings, 

                                             Book 3 - A Storm of Swords, 

                                             Book 4 - A Feast For Crows

Each book was originally priced at Php 315 and marked down by 20%.

My total savings for the lot was P 189. (Yey!)

I scoured the bargain book racks and chanced upon a couple more books. 

I favor reading John Grisham novels mainly because it is light and easy reading for me. I grabbed this book as I don't remember reading it yet and it's something that I know (and hope) that HB would also like to read. This may have been a sample copy as the book was out of its plastic covering, so the cover was a bit dilapidated. Still, I thought it was a good buy for its price tag.

a bargain book indeed!

Another book I picked up still had its plastic wrap.

While I'm not into Clive Cussler, HB is quite a follower of the Dirk Pitt series so I did not hesitate to get the book. When I turned the book over to look at its sale price, it turned out to be my best bargain score for the whole lot!

 A brand new book for only 50 bucks!!

Now I've got a stash of books by our bedside table and I'm looking forward to just curl up in bed the whole day to finish these books. Must. Find. Some Time. Soon.

Yours Truly For ArtPetron

A few months back, I received an email inquiring about a photo that I shot on the Baguio-Aritao Road which was posted on my Flickr album.

Her name was Laica and she worked for Studio 5 Designs. She said that they were interested to use it for a project. When I asked her, she told me that they wanted to use my photo for a poster and application form for ArtPetron, a National Art Student Competition, sponsored by no less than Petron, one of our country's biggest player in the oil industry. 

From the contest's application form, I gathered this much:

Everyone’s Vision Petron is an exhibition and competition for all young and budding artists.   

... Petron believe(s) that free artistic expression remains intrinsic to nation-building. We support the Filipino artist’s unique vision and dynamic translations of Philippine culture through various forms of art that draw fellow Filipinos closer to their heritage and ultimately, to everyone. 

Petron believes that everyone has their own unique perspective on things and that this uniqueness can be expressed in so many different ways. That is why we created Everyone’s Vision Petron.

Everyone’s Vision Petron is a competition for photographers, painters, and designers. It is also a venue for filmmakers, musicians, performance artists, art enthusiasts, and all Filipinos to converge and be one through their shared love for Philippine art and culture.

To cut my story short, I sent my raw files to her. I was offered a "small token" but I honestly didn't know how much to ask (sheesh!), so I only asked for a photo credit (double sheesh!!) And then I didn't hear from her anymore and I was too shy to follow up on the mentioned token. 

About a week ago, HB randomly "googled" my name and there appeared a link to the application form of this year's ArtPetron contest. They used my photo after all!

my photo as it appeared on ArtPetron's Application Form 

Albeit, my name appears sooo small, I am honored to be credited for a picture that I shot doing one of the things I most love to do, which is travel. The photos I take during travel are aimed at capturing the glory of an experience or a moment that will be etched in my mind. This now prods me to explore and traverse more paths. More precious memories are yet to be made on my future journeys.

This honor is but an icing on the cake. 

Cebu For A Day (and A Promise Fulfilled)

This was the only photo proof that I was in Cebu for a day. 

I took this shot as I settled on my seat on my flight back to Manila.

July 28 proved to be quite a busy day for me. I (as in literally alone, by mysellf) flew to Cebu to attend to a couple of meetings for work and I had to rush back to Manila that same afternoon to catch the second leg of the Azkal's game vs. Kuwait as part of my promise to my girls to join them.

I took Philippine Airline's first flight out to Cebu at 6:00 am. I left home at 4:20 am and got to the Centennial Terminal's check-in counter barely a few minutes before it closed. I heaved a huge sigh of relief when I made it on time as I had a previous experience when I was five minutes late and the check-in counter had closed up on me and the airline staff wouldn't budge on my pleas. Since then, I have learned my lesson and feel so tense whenever traffic builds up in the roads leading up to the airport. I am never at ease until I get my boarding pass. Trust me, it is never a good feeling to be always running late. Still, waking up so early is such a daunting task for me and I always find myself making it to the counter with just a few minutes to spare.

Back to July 28. The plane touched down in Mactan after an hour and 10 minutes of flying time. I took a cab to Cebu City and was quite early for my first meeting. So I grabbed some breakfast which later on proved to be my only rice meal for the day. By 9 am, my first meeting was underway and it lasted for a couple of hours.

After the meeting, as a breather, I went to Banilad Town Center in the hope of getting a pack of Zubuchon to take back home. Alas, I was greatly disappointed to find that the stall had moved to another site near Fuente Osmena. As my next meeting was to be held near Banilad, I decided to simply cross my fingers that their stall inside the Mactan International Airport was still there. 

Chains inside Banilad Town Center
(this photo was taken November 2010)

I strolled around the little mall and hoped for some good buys. I went inside Chains, an assortment of bazaar like stalls selling just about anything, and headed straight to Isabela, a supplier of little girls' dresses for Rustan's back in Manila. Their prices were 50% cheaper. I grabbed a simple party dress for my littlest girl.

And then I was off for my next meeting which lasted for an hour. Next, I met up with one of our staff who was based in Cebu. Very quickly, I was given updates and then I was off again for the airport. I haven't eaten lunch  and decided to just get something to eat at the airport. Check in was a breeze and I was eager to catch my 5:35 pm Cebu Pacific flight back. I lounged at a restaurant to kill time. Then I went inside the waiting area and looked for the Zubuchon stall. 

Zubuchon stall inside waiting area
of Mactan International Airport

fresh and frozen lechon packs

(again, both photos were taken November 2010)

Luckily, it was there and I got Anthony Bourdain's raved lechon to take home.

I wasn't so lucky with my  flight back though. It was delayed for almost 30 minutes. The staff said something about a delayed turn-around time. I sulked in a corner and called my girls and told them of my fate. I could hear their excitement as they were already on their way to see the Azkal's game.

The plane landed in Manila at way past 7pm. I easily got into a cab outside NAIA 3, quite thankful there wasn't a line at all this time. As expected, traffic was bad. I got off in the vicinity of Century Park Hotel and brisk-walked all the way to the stadium. I could hear the watching crowd roar, the excitement was palpable, and I walked as fast as I could, unmindful of the dark and the fear of getting mugged. I literally short of ran all the way to Gate.

By the time I got inside the Rizal Stadium, "the goal that Schrock-ed the world" had happened. It was 10 minutes into the second half of the game. The Azkals may have lost the game to the better Kuwait team, but they surely won the hearts of many Filipinos, football fans or otherwise. Filipino pride shone through that night. 

I, on the other hand, prided myelf in having my "mission" in Cebu accomplished. But more importantly, I took pride as a mom who flew back on the same day to fulfill a promise and simply be with the family.

Simple Joys on Sunday Afternoons

Our Sunday afternoons are usually spent in the vicinity of Katipunan Avenue and at the Ateneo grounds. For several years now, Sunday  afternoons are "sacred" for HB as he plays football with the Blue Guards team. This is his prime "me" time where he gets to play his favorite sport and engage in male camaraderie. 

When we tag along with him, us girls enjoy each other differently and it is a time filled with bonding moments. 

We usually spend our time browsing and shopping for storybooks, activity books, school supplies and other knick knacks inside the National Bookstore. I've always joked that my girls are literally "laking National" as they freely roamed the aisles since they were all young. We have never gone inside the bookstore without any purchase and their happy faces makes it all worth our while.

And then we're off for some snacks at a fast food joint in the area. 

On some occasions, we set up a "picnic" on the field. 

Even with just chips and juice, my girls are delighted.

When they tire of sitting down on the mat, they are free to wander (where I could still see them of course) on the grounds. They just go and ham it all up on cam.

They take turns to climb up the goal post.

They also alternately and patiently take each other's jump shots.

There was a time when HB taught them to fly a kite.

Lately, our Sunday trips include our dog, Neil. He enjoys the field as much as my girls do.

They really are all so mababaw ang kaligayahan this way, and I love that it doesn't take much to please them. Quality time with my girls is simply any time spent with them any how and any way.  We need not spend much to enjoy ourselves. And I cannot help but thank God for these simply joys!

Family Dining: Gumbo Restaurant

Our Visit: July 3, 2011

Prior to the second leg of the Azkals vs. Sri Lanka World Cup Pre-Qualifying Game last Sunday, our brood trooped to Robinson's Place Ermita. We had lunch at Gumbo and we chose it primarily because the restaurant's theme is quite similar to our family's favorite, Burgoo Restaurant. (I have feeling that both restaurants are owned by the same company but I just can't confirm that yet.)

Gumbo touts itself to espouse the New Orleans theme, relaxed and laid back. The interiors are in keeping with the colors of the Mardi Gras, a world renowned street parade and party in New Orlean's French Quarter. Green, yellow and purple are the predominant colors of the interior. And in keeping with the New Orleans theme, Cajun and Creole cuisine prevail. 

Our girls were kept busy with crayons and coloring mats
while we waited for our food.

HB ordered a set meal fit for our brood. Valued at PhP 799, the set consisted of appetizers, a choice of a Cajun or Creole dish and a main entree. In deference to our kids' taste buds, he requested to lessen the hot spice in the dishes.

Buffalo Chicken Wings,
served with celery and carrot sticks and Blue Cheese Dip

Seafood Jambalaya.
Topped with clams, mussels, squid, shrimps, and sausage,
it is a one-pot rice meal in itself.

Grilled Pork Chops
with Cajun spiced long grain rice and corn kernels. 

We also had Baked Artichoke Formaggio, an appetizer of baked garlic bread chips with artichoke dip. I'm now kicking myself as I failed to take a picture as we loved the bread chips and the dip so much. 

The service was good and fast. The staff were well trained, had pleasant demeanor and eager to please the patrons. They made sure that we were glad with our order and I especially liked that the waitress assigned to us offered to take our picture.

Our happy brood.

As evidenced by our smiles,  it was a pleasant meal experience for us. We're sure that we will be back to try their other dishes to further broaden the taste palate of our girls. 

______________________

Gumbo Restaurant Branches:

Robinson's Place Manila

3/L Midtown Wing

Robinson's Place Ermita, Manila

(02) 567.1820, (02) 567.1925

The Block

2/L The Block Building

SM North Edsa, Quezon City

(02) 442.0106 , (02) 442.0158

Mega Atrium

2/L Mega Atrium Building

SM Mega Mall, Mandaluyong City

(02) 635.3015, (02) 635.9571

Gateway Mall

2/L Gateway Mall

Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City

(02) 440.4632

Mall of Asia

2/L Entertainment Mall

SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City

(02) 556.0238, (02) 556.0239

Website:

www.gumbo.com.ph