Saturday, May 30, 2009

Home Sweet Home: Airport Blues

It's great to be back!! I missed Manila and all the traffic jam, pollution, etc. hehehe.. Just got back from Malaysia from a business trip.. I flew back to Manila via Malaysia Air. I alighted to NAIA terminal 1 around 4PM ... haaaay I can't help comparing NAIA Terminal 1 to KLIA, theirs is far more advanced.. even compared to NAIA terminals 2 & 3. So why again are we still using Terminal 1 as our INTERNATIONAL Aiport?? Apologies to the airport authorities and management but NAIA terminal 1 is so bulok!!!. The toilets are leaking, the flooring and walls are ancient. It's like a 3-star hotel in the province. It's a 28-year old structure so what do you expect.
If we plan to attract more tourists, before anything else, I think we need to improve the airport terminals. It's complicated enough that we have three (3) international airport terminals (not to mention the domestic terminal in domestic road) but the public/tourist information system is lousy as well. Even for some Pinoys these terminals are confusing.
So I decided to put this little information about our airport terminals just to help out some of the tourists and even local flyers about what airlines/flights are in which of which:

NAIA Terminal 1
All International Flights except PAL and Cebu Pacific

NAIA Terminal 2 a.k.a. Centennial Terminal
Philippine Air Lines international flights (North Wing) and Domestic flights (South Wing)


NAIA Terminal 3 - located in Andrew's Ave. near Villamor Air Base
All Cebu Pacific flight, Air Philippines and PAL Express

Domestic Terminal - located in Domestic Road
Zest Air (formerly Asian Spirit) and SEAir

Hope this helps!

Monday, May 18, 2009

2009 Manny Pacquiao 10-Ball Cup

He’s back! The money man is back for his second love, billiards. Yes the rumors are not rumors anymore Manny Pacquiao is again preparing another billiards tournament.

The 2009 Manny Pacquiao 10 Ball Cup will be held at the Makati Cinema Square SuperBowl on the 22nd, 23rd, 29th and 30th of May 2009. The finals is on June 1, 2009.

The tournament will have several levels -- Class C, B, A and O (open). Mind you Manny Pacquiao himself is on the B category not bad for the number one pound for pound champ.

Registration fee is P1000 and P700 to MAPPA, Makati Pool Players Association, members. The tournament is open to all amateur pool players.
(NO TIRADORS allowed daw)

Interested parties may contact the following:

Ato de Vera - 09177629054
Arvin Arceo - 09279816673
Jesse Gonzales - 09175270489

Sunday, May 17, 2009

TFC Mother's Day Special



Last week I was invited to join 6 other mothers at The Bellevue Manila, Alabang. This is for a special segment that will be featured in TFC in commemoration of Mother’s Day.

The TFC crew picked me and Tumi, my little boy, in Market Market at around 9:30 AM. We arrived in Bellevue by 10am. Honestly, it was my first time in Bellevue. I am a Makati-Taguig person you know (ala Pacman style) and I don’t really frequent Alabang (can’t stand SLEX traffic).



It was raining cats and dogs that day but the air in Bellevue is so classy that it immediately warms you. All of us were directed to Cafe d' Asie at the 2nd floor, the buffet area. We were greeted by the pleasant aroma of delectable goodies. There were roast beef, roasted pork belly on a bed of vegetables, chicken with cashew, Mongolian barbecue, cold salad bar, Japanese sushi bar and sweets to name a few. There were such a variety of food I don’t even know where to start. You know me, I have to sample everything. Not to mention the desserts, it will make you desert your senses hahhaha.. they were to die for really. Tumi likes the mango cake particularly.



After the meals, a brief interview was held just to get our say about the whole experience. It was my first time on GLOBAL tv and I was up to the head nervous. I tried to describe the experience on my head and took a mental list of the people I’m going to greet. But when in front of the camera everything was a blur to me and I can’t remember a thing. I think I even stuttered. (well there goes my showbiz career hehehe) Anyway, it was fun for me and Tumi. It was really quality time for us.



So I’d like to thank TFC again for that wonderful experience and the very nice bouquet of flowers. This is one Mother’s Day that I’ll never forget. (eto dapat sinabi ko!)

Sa TFC Connect Tayo :D


TFC CONNECT SCHEDULE

NORTH AMERICA:
Pacific Region ~
Mon-Fri, 1:25pm & 8:15pm.
Eastern Region ~
Mon-Fri, 4:25pm & 11:15pm.

MIDDLE EAST:
Saudi Arabia ~
Mon-Fri, 7:20am.
Mon, 7:20pm.
Tue, 11:10am & 7:20pm.
Wed-Fri, 7:20pm.
Dubai ~
Mon-Fri, 8:20am.
Mon, 8:20pm.
Tue, 12:10pm & 8:20pm.
Wed-Fri, 8:20pm.

EUROPE:
Milan ~
Mon-Fri, 7:20am, 12:25pm & 5:30pm.
Tue-Sat, 12:15am.
London ~
Mon-Fri, 6:20am, 11:25am, 4:30pm & 11:15pm.

ASIA PACIFIC:
Hong Kong & Singapore ~
Mon-Fri, 7:40am, 1:30pm & 7:20pm.
Japan ~
Mon-Fri, 8:40am, 2:30pm & 8:20pm.

AUSTRALIA:
Sydney ~
Mon-Fri, 9:40am, 3:30pm & 9:20pm.

Watch the video here:

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Get That Natural High: Sky High Adventure in Cebu



I first heard about this escapade in Sports Unlimited and read about it on the In-flight magazine on board CebPac. The thrill seeker in me will never pass this opportunity to experience the Sky High Adventure. So when we arrived in Cebu City, after dropping our bags to our hotel, we venture into the metropolis.

Good thing our hotel has a terrific location. It’s near SM Cebu, the Ayala Center and most importantly it’s a good walking distance to the Crown Regency Hotel and Towers. This is the location of the Sky High Adventure.



We rode the elevator and got off to the 19th floor. It actually reminded me of the ticket booths in Ayala Cinemas. Here we inquired about the package for the Sky Adventure. It’s a whoopping P380 for the entrance fee and P500 for the Edge Coaster ride or the Sky Walk Extreme. Good for us, they have an on-going promotion, buy 1 take 1, so my buddies and I split the tab. Btw, the entrance fee comes with a Sky Meal. You can choose from the ff choices:

3 pcs siomai
Siopao
Grilled Sandwich
Tuna/Chicken Turnover
Donut

All of these come with a refillable iced tea for drinks.

After buying our tickets, we rode the elevator again and headed for the Edge Coaster ride on the 38th floor. All cameras and other electronic devices are prohibited once you enter the turnstile to the Edge Coaster ride. They have their own photographer.

So this is it, I said to myself when I stepped onto the platform. The attendant helped us buckle up for the ride. He gave us some instructions on how to operate the coaster and off we go. The coaster can only seat two people. The interval of each coaster is around 5 minutes, this is the time it will take 1 coaster to finish the entire course. The coaster goes automatic and it will tilt your seats 50 º on the first area alone. After this you’ll have a free hand on tilting it back or tilting it more. When the coaster tilted to 50 º my heart pounded upon our bird’s eye view of the city below. Boyyy it was scary and yet exhilarating at the same time. We actually never tilted our seat back to enjoy the full experience all through out. It’s a good thing we did it in the evening, Cebu City is alive with lights. The view is spectacular and amazing. It reminded me of my trip in Eiffel Tower way way back.



The five minute ride was thrilling. I’ll surely ride again but next time I’ll do it over sunset. This way I’ll be able to feel the elevation more. You can purchase your pictures at the lobby. The picture costs around 350, 550, 850 etc. depending on the number of shots. They’ll burn a cd for you and you can have it printed. I think this is terrible and super expensive. Imagine 16 shots for P550. (harang diba!)

If you want to try the Sky Walk Extreme, you just need to proceed on the lower level mezzanine. Special suit and rubber shoes will be provided. Remember to bring your own socks. This event will take around 15-20 minutes depending on you and your guide.



Btw, if you’re interested in this natural high adventure I suggest you buy your tickets to their marketing agents. You can get more discounts and the prices go up at the Crown Regency Hotel during night time. The Sky High Adventure is open from 8:00 am to 2:00 am.

Please contact Gaby for reservations: 09158736360

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

The Hoyohoy Villas in Bantayan Island



If one of those suspected A(H1N1) cases in Cebu turns positive I’m heading to the hospital for testing. Hahahha.. now you know where I went.. yes I went to the Queen City of the South, Cebu. Despite the flu scare and the bad weather .. yup I still went, packed my bags and flew with my girl buds to Cebu. (tigas ng ulo..)

Our first destination was Bantayan Island. Bantayan is a 2-3 hour drive from the airport. You can take the public transportation or rent a cab to Hagnaya pier. For the bus ride, go to the North Terminal and look for the Ceres bus liner, it’s yellow and look for the Hagnaya destination. It takes around 3 hours if you take the bus. The girls and I, hired a cab from the airport to Hagnaya pier. It only took 2 hours to get to our destination. The cab fare cost us P1800 but I got a driver who could drive anybody for P1500 only.

When in Hagnaya, ride the shuttle, this is how they call their ferry boat in those part. The shuttle ride is about 1hour to Sta Fe, Bantayan Island. The resort owner promised that somebody would pick us up at the Sta Fe pier. I was surprised that pedicabs were it. Yes, pedicabs are the major transport provider in Sta Fe, cool :D We got to the resort in less than 5 minutes (lapit lang pala hahha..) we could have walked. We were greeted by the gentle sea breeze and a refreshing buko juice. There’s only one description for the HOYOHOY Villas resort, LOVELY.



I found out that the resort owner, Inday Rimaz, is an interior decorator. This explains the careful attention to every detail of all sorts of things, the kalesa, old jars etc. All the villas are elevated, ideal to keep the water out in case of big waves. There are only 6 villas in Hoyohoy and at the center of the resort is a swimming pool with a charming mini bridge and falls. The restaurant is also facing the pool. The rooms are spacious. Ours has one queen sized bed and 1 single bed. All rooms are equipped with a mini bar and a satellite tv. Actually the amenities are just a plus. The nice thing about the room is how the natural light illuminates it. It’s so relaxing perfect for that stress-alleviating moment. I think all this is due to the curtains. They’re made of light material (am not sure if it’s abacca). They’re kept in place by these handsome shells hanging loosely.



The bathroom has a big tub, good for soaking your aching back and legs. The shower area is situated outside the bathroom. Honestly, this is my favorite part of the villa. The walls of the shower area are made of Japanese bamboo that encourages voyeurism hehehe.. The sky makes up for the ceiling, reminding me of how were bathrooms before in the provinces. This brought taking a bath into a new level. Imagine bathing in warm water from the shower and at the same time cool fresh water pours from the rains. Some kind of experience di ba. Even the floor is a marvel. It has scattered stones composed of white (buhay na bato) and gray rocks. Grouped in a flowery like formation - that promotes good blood circulation for you while bathing.



The staffs are all courteous and accommodating. We requested for so many things during breakfast and I thought they’re gonna charge us extra for that. Btw, card payment is available.

Did I mention that Hoyohoy means breeze..

Here's a 360 degree view of Hoyohoy..