Christmas in Boracay

So hello! I'm finally back from our Christmas vacation spent with family in Boracay~ It's been a while since I've been on hiatus; if Instagram wasn't so picky I would have already left you all with some pictures from my trip. Haha! But anyway, anyway.

Before we go into the nitty-gritty of my experience, I just wanted to take the opportunity to greet a very special actor/singer dear to my heart:

December 26: Tenimyu Seigaku 2nd cast's Tezuka Kunimitsu, Shirota Yuu

During our last day in Boracay, I decided to do a little sand kanji for my favorite actor Shirotan~ Granted the first kanji should be more compact, but it's not that easy to raise sand, mind you. x) But birthday greetings all the same~

It definitely took some time but it was well worth the effort!


That aside, onto some pictures! Our dad drove us to the airport early in the morning to catch our flight at around 7 in the morning. We managed to all get on the same flight as opposed to taking two separate ones, so all 19 of us rode on the same airplane headed for Caticlan.

Since it was just a small plane, it was a first to actually board the plane on the runway, and get down the same way. The airport (picture on the right)was very accommodating and modern, which was pretty neat considering the last time I came to Boracay was some years ago when I was a wee little child who came last minute. xDD


After that, it was a series of transportation via shuttle, boat and van just to get to the resort, which was all the way in Station 1. But boy was the trip worth it! We stayed at the Boracay terraces Resort, which is technically the last resort along the white sand beach, which was perfect since it was rather secluded.

Not surprisingly, swimming turned out to be a necessity despite the salty content. The water was cool and the waves that frequented coming our way was just another excuse to have fun in the sun. Sunsets always made it more and more breath-taking, a testament to an experience at the beach.

The afternoon of December 24, I went with a little troupe of hikers down to another resort called Nami, which is owned by my cousin's boss (who I met back during my time at the Global Enterprise Challenge). Here's me and my mom posing by the beachfront sign after looking at the place and having a very refreshing glass of Lemongrass tea

On our way back to our resort, we spotted someone in the distance. And lo and behold, it was my dad! He came up with an ingenious plot to trick my mom into believing that he wouldn't be able to come with us to Boracay this Christmas. He apparently wore a disguise and all but was thwarted by my sister's keen eye. My mom and I ran over to him to give him a big glomp. Uberly pumped to know that he would be able to join us for Christmas after all! For dinner that evening, we headed off to Guily's Island for a buffet and decided to walk along the beachfront. Below is a picture of me and my dad in front of Friday's during out walk~ The second picture is a family picture taken after our dinner.

 After hearing 9pm mass, we headed off to Epic since our cousin was a guest DJ come Christmas Day (poster below). Of course it was a truly epic experience (no pun intended), but since I'm not one to drink I headed home early.

 We made a return trip to the Nami resort for Christmas Day lunch care of my cousin's boss, and below you see a picture of me in front of the entire resort. It was gorgeous, but the steps and elevator brand it as a resort not for the faint of heart. Regardless, the view was to die for~

That evening, since the family was complete and it was raining, we just decided to call in for a Yellow Cab delivery (yeah there's a Yellow Cab in Boracay!) while we watched Shrek Forever After on HBO. Good times and good company especially. :3

The last three pictures mark our last day in Boracay before our return to Manila. It was a truly new experience, celebrating Christmas at the beach, but when you bring together the merriment and company of family there can be no greater experience. This is one to remember, and I'm more than grateful that we got to spend it together as a family. Until the next time, Boracay!

  

Christmas Break!

So today was the first official day of Christmas break!!!

These next two weeks will be devoted to parties and Christmas celebrations, but of course it didn't come cheap. Two days ago I finished the draft for our thesis paper, making sure that it's done well before Friday so I can use Thursday to relax. Of course, that meant that I had myself an early celebration by going out on a date with Kai that afternoon!

So last Thursday she and I went to Eastwood to have lunch and watch a movie. We originally wanted to watch Tintin, but they weren't showing it in their cinemas so we settled for watching Immortals instead. Admittedly, I was so tired from the night before that I nodded off during the dialogues, but I was perked awake by the fight scenes. Hehe. Lots of gory blood and epic fight sequences, and hot guys to boot. Hahahaha!

Tomorrow the family will be holding an exchange gift tomorrow night in lieu of the annual Christmas Eve celebration since we'll be going to Boracay for the holidays. I happily have my gift wrapped and ready to be given. ^o^/

On Tuesday I'll be meeting with my blockmates to have a Christmas block party. Surprisingly enough, the boys were the one who did the planning this time around, which was in itself a surprise. Let's see what happens out of it. Hahaha.

For this break I've got some things I need to do: write a PCSC paper with my thesis-partner, read some books for Philo class, and prepare for Theo midterms and Game Design LT. So much for a break. But then again, that's what cramming is for! xD

ALLS Christmas Dinner

So last night was a most interesting party! I celebrated a Christmas Party with my ALLS (Ateneo Laboratory for the Learning Sciences) family at school at Narnia! Okay, it wasn't really Narnia, but it was the epic house of my thesis adviser. It was great heading there with my fellow friends and teachers; the journey to and from, and the food!

^o^/

Fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun.

Thesis is almost done too, so last stretch this last week of class next week.

Early Morning Drives

Today was the second time this year that I've made a long drive. The first was during this time when I brought my Mom to the airport. This early morning I brought Dad to his office that was practically the same area. Because it was early (some 4 in the morning) he was the one who drove to the place, and told me the needed route to take (which was only one unfamiliar turn before everything else became familiar from previous experience) to get home.

Got back home at around 5:10 since my class was (again) at 11:30, so there was plenty of time to spare (since I plan to nap after I move the car). Reason for subjecting myself to waking up early to bring Dad? To have his car available for use while he's gone until Saturday evening. Hoo-hum.

Anyway, will probably snooze once Mom and my brother are ready to leave and I've moved the car out of their way since I'm blocking their way.

Here's to a sleepless night ahead of me.

Birthday Celebrations + Shirota Yuu

So yesterday I had my birthday. My 21st. Much like most birthdays that fell on a weekday, I went to school, was greeted by some friends, classmates and teachers before going to dinner with family. Lunch was reserved to be spent with Kai, but she was plagued by sickness so we postponed for the weekend.

Last Tuesday during my 7.5 hour break, I decided to treat my fellow labmates to a pizza dinner; a rare treat since I never really was in the habit of doing that kind of stuff unless it was important. In exchange, they got me a nifty birthday cake, so it was a great early celebration~

This weekend is going to be busy since I can relax from all the schoolwork, having a lighter load than most weekends so far, both days practically booked. Tomorrow I plan to spend the day with Kai, go out for lunch, attend an event in the afternoon then dinner out. Then she'll be sleeping over since I have my birthday party the following day with the extended family and some friends. ^o^/

Finally, my fangirling for Shirota Yuu returned while I finally stumbled upon the song he sang with Backstreet Boys' Howie D entitled 'If I Say'~ It was released two months ago but it's still as epic as hell! \*o*/ You can listen to it below~