Honeymoon, at last....

Yep, you heard it right. It's been almost 14 months since our wedding and we just had our honeymoon. Aldrin and I are very busy people. At the time of our wedding in 2009, I already  have my schedule of trips for 2010. I cannot personally squeeze in such honey-mooney dates and trips. Then last September, we finally made an itinerary for our Malaysia-Singapore backpacking trip for 5 days. But for some reason, Bellarocca came in to our minds and we just simply booked it. Although the price of Bellarocca equates to the price of our week long Asian travel, we are sure we couldn't pass on this even if we just opted for a 3 days/ 2 nights relaxation and detox vacation. Pre-wedding days, I have been staring at Bellarocca's website because I know it's a lovely place. But at that time, I know we couldn't afford it yet because we have to pay other wedding expenses. And who would have thought that we would eventually have our honeymoon here? It really pays to wait.

February 4, 8am
The downside of this trip is my fear of riding planes. Especially if it's a 60-seater prop plane. Ugh! Good thing the trip is just 30 minutes long and I thank God for a safe and smooth flight including take off and landing.

not liking this prop plane

At Marinduque airport, the staff greeted us. They gave us cold towels and Wilkins water. They took care of our luggage, by the way, which was really a great help. We hopped in to a van and drove 45 minutes to get to the foot of Mt. Malindig.

the driver and a staff, Wella.

gotta put the life vest on

From the beach, we rode Bellarocca's speedboat for 5 minutes. Again, I was just holding my hand bag.

The managers (I think they are also the stockholders) greeted us at their port area. Another group of staff were singing and dancing a local song with matching throwing of flower petals all over. Guess what, we have lei's too! We rode their golf cart going up to their reception area and to our rooms.

the sing and dance crew

golf cart ride going up

this is their lobby mirror

When we checked out our rooms, whoah!!! It was very pretty... and spacious!!!!! I instantly fell in love with it. We checked out our balcony and we have a breathtaking view of Mt. Malindig.

the welcome chocolates

our bed

the bathroom

our balcony

the welcome letter

I, then, took a shower for our lunch and for our private tour on the island. All I can say is, thank you L'occitane! : )

l'occitane products

 our favorite spot

 my brunch

 his brunch... first plate

Mt. Malindig as backdrop

It took us about an hour for the island tour. We visited the tea house, the meditation area, the other villas and guest houses (including the villa that Derek Ramsay and his family stayed in). 

 the lap pool

 the pavilion

 the dock

 the meditation area

 Villa: Zeus, where Derek's family stayed

 guard house

 pavilion viewing deck

 the beehive couch

After the island tour, we went to the game room. We borrowed some DVD's and played billiards too!  Aldrin also found a friend.

 billiards time

fussball with a friend

Too bad, I was exhausted on that day that I dozed off and left Aldrin hungry the entire night. He didn't want to have dinner all by himself so he decided to stay with me in the room while I was sleeping. And knowing my husband, he's a picky eater so he didn't like the chips, the cup noodles, cookies and other food from the bar. He wanted the real food but sucks for him, I chose sleeping over eating.

February 5, 6:30am
Happy Birthday, dearest hubby! But the birthday boy is still sleeping. So I put my running shoes on and jogged through the entire island. The staff and other managers were surprised to see me running their vicinity so early. I saw Bellarocca at work; staff arriving in the island (yes, they do not stay in the resort. They commute everyday), food, vegetables and other supplies being delivered, managers talking to street sweepers, and guards on formation.

 the viewing deck. 400 steps

 the guest house. with 5 bedrooms

 the tea house

 the meditation room

 helipad

 running down the steep hill at 45 degrees angle

 sunrise at the pavilion

 the majestic volcano

 delivering goods in the morning

 the pavilion from the docking area

 the scenery is sooo calming

 i couldn't get enough of the view

 the jacuzzi area

feeling the sunrise

I had the healthiest jogs ever. For one, I got to breathe fresh air. Second, while jogging, I took the opportunity to take pictures of the island. Third, I saw some majestic scenes: sunrise on the east and clouds eating up the crater of Mt. Malindig. And oh, I heard birds singing too! And I saw a lot more surprises... I'll tell more about it later.



Happy 27th to me!

Last year was a test of my character. It tested me as a person. I was almost hanging and  I struggled as a wife. It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. It was my first year of being a wife and childless by choice. I embraced independence that somehow got into my head and in my relationship with other people. But that's all from the past. I thank God because even when things weren't really like the sweet cake like I've always wanted, I was still able to keep my faith in Him.

As I turn another year older, I feel more empowered. I have gained more wisdom. My faith is deeper than what it used to be. I am a woman now. I am beautifully contented with what I have right now but I will be more successful. I will be a blessing to other people. I will elaborately practice my gift of sharing. And with all these wishes, I pray for inner peace and happiness in my heart.

Thank you, Dear Lord for my life. Happy Birthday to me! : )

Meet our new baby, Jacob

Nope, he's not me and my husband's baby. This is Ethan Jacob L. Saldua, my brother's first born. He was born June 4, 2010 in our province in Cagayan de Oro City.

I first met Jacob on July when he was still a month old. He was not really that tiny but he was delicate. And since he was still too tiny at that time, he wasn't that interactive at all.

Jacob at 1 month

I, then, met for the second time, my nephew Jacob during the holidays. Oh my, what a cute baby! I have come to realize that his face changed since then.

Here he is at 6 months. So big na!

This is how he sleeps

with Tito Aldrin

Tito Aldrin, please open your mouth.

this is LOVE

oh how i miss him sooo bad

But what I really loved about this second meeting is that he's already interacting with people! And mind you, this little man is a people person. He's a charm. He talks (murmur) a lot, laughs a lot, is always hungry but never sad. He's a happy kid. He only cries when he's hungry. He doesn't throw tantrums when he's sleepy. If he's sleepy, he will just close his eyes and sleep. No kiddin'! And at 6 months, he can already utter the word "duh-di" (daddy). Am I a proud tita, oh yes! And I do miss him terribly. *sobs now*

Turning 27 on the 27th! My Birthday Wish

So I'm turning 27 on the 27th! How cool is that?! On my birthdays, I start my day by thanking our Dear God for all the blessings he had given for the past years; food, clothing, shelter, career, money, travels, etc. I couldn't even thank Him enough for my life itself. I also thank Him for my relationships; my family, close and real friends, colleagues and most importantly, my husband.

What's my wish? Believe me, I have a long list! My wish would start by asking God for the best health ever! I also wish for safety and guidance all the time. And I also wish for more blessings to come to also become a blessing to other people. But my special wish for this year is to have a GO on our business by mid year and hopefully it'll become successful. I wish I would also retire this year and focus more on our business.

As for my "other" (read: material) wishes, here they go:

1. Hair Makeover. I badly need my hair done. Seriously.The last time I cut and colored my hair was December 30, 2009. My ultimate dream is to have it done by Jing Monis. But given his rates, uhm, I think, I will need a GC for that. But given the chance, I would love to have Kaye Abad's hair color and hair style.

ash blonde, baby!

2. A new piece of jewelry. A few days ago, I've come to realize that I lost some of my jewelry due to bad management. Oh well, I just want to replace them. They are the fruits of my labor. I worked hard for those jewelry and now they're gone. I would love to have a new necklace or diamond earrings.

Tiffany key necklace

diamond stud earrings

 

3. Philip Stein Mother of Pearl watch. Need I say more? It's just simply gorgeous.

No pressure, guys! hahaha. I know these are oh-so-impossible gifts to give. I can just assure myself that I can buy myself these things one of these days. But if you insist, I won't mind. : )

Happy New Year!

I know it's been 11 days... but it's at least late than never. Happy New Year, everyone!

First of all, allow me to share my excuses for not having been updating my blog for weeks! Yes, for weeks! And if you check out my previous blog (anniversary at Laiya), it was actually a long overdue entry. You see, our anniversary was on December 18 and I created that blog a few days after. But, to my dismay, I encountered some technical difficulty in posting images in my blog. I thought it might be some server issues but days passed and I can't seem to add more photos. So I let it be, and there, my previous entry about our anniversary.

So what have I been up to?

A lot. I'd say a lot! First, I started the year emailing clients and buyers of my (shameless plug) Corelle sets. Yep, I sell those! Second, before I left CDO after the holidays, my friends asked me to meet them up for a business proposal. Oh yes, another business. But I'll keep that as a secret for now. But one thing's for sure, it will be huge! It is so huge that I could not sleep at night thinking about it; the papers, the process, the fees, capital, etc. The truth is, I'm excited! And at the same time, I'm nervous. Just a few minutes ago I was researching about registering our own corporation. And just earlier today, I was texting my mom, my aunt and my future business partner. What a busy day! And for all these things, I still thank the Lord for all these blessings and the more blessings to come. That's all for now. G'nyt!

Reminiscing Laiya on our First Wedding Anniversary

My husband and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary last December 18. It was a Saturday. I thought, what a great day to spend our anniversary out of town! A few months before December, we planned to go to Tagaytay. But unfortunately, on the last week of November, our Frankie (old computer) died on us. So we spent most of our budget in buying a new laptop.

The plans changed, but definitely, we'll be going out. Where to? We just really don't know yet. A few days before our anniversary, I was already researching for restaurants in the metro because I have closely given up to the thought that we could go out of town. Then, with God's goodness, we can make it out of town? But where? We tried searching for rates in Tagaytay. However, the rates were a bit high since it's already peak season. Also, we just came from here a few days ago when my mom and sister was here in Manila. Then I thought, why not go the beach? I searched on Laiya.

Balai Laiya is where we spent our first anniversary as girlfriend-boyfriend. I can vividly remember how I gave him our his and her watch. When I read upon Balai Laiya's homepage that they will be closing temporarily this December, I couldn't let the month pass without paying a visit to this  beautiful place.

We love Balai Laiya. It's a simple resort; no fancy furniture, appliances, etc. It doesn't even have a TV! It just simply lets you enjoy the nature. But what we really love about this place is the food. Once you checked in to this place, you are required to pay for their buffet meals. But you don't have to worry. The meals are in buffet and very delicious. And oh, their service and staff are superb! They always smile and greet you.

Friday morning when I emailed Balai to have a reservation to on of their seaside rooms. I checked their terms and it is their policy to deposit 50% of the accomodation rate to confirm our booking. Unfortunately, we were busy that day. We asked Edith (sales personnel) if we could just pay the whole day tomorrow, and she refused as expected. But it did not stop me with my plans. I asked Edith if we can go on walk-in guests and she replied that we could but with the disclaimer that they can't guarantee rooms for us since they are on first come, first serve basis. We totally understand.

December 18, 2011, Saturday. Aldrin picked my up at my office after our shift and headed straight to Cubao. At 10am, we boarded Jam Transport Bus on our way to Lipa. The journey was long and tiring since we have to deal wth traffic and transferring from bus to tricycle to jeep and to another jeep to get to Laiya. Not to mention, it rained when we reached Laiya. At the resort entrance, the guard greeted me but told me they have no vacant rooms upon knowing that we don't have a reservation. I told them "bakit sabi ni Edith meron pa?", then the guard said "sabi ba ni Edith? teka lang maam", then he escorted us to their reception area. Ate Susan (admin) greeted me and asked if I am Melissa Saldua. I gladly said yes. She said, Edith had informed them that I am checking in on that day. I am impressed!

                                                             bus on our way to Lipa
And so we checked in. We rested for a while and had our snacks in nearby restaurant because Laiya doesn't have a restaurant.

Tiramindu

Then we strolled. We just witnessed a wedding!

 at Acuatico's infinity pool

Then our dinner. We were so tired from our trip that instead of having cocktails in Acuatico, we fell asleep at around 9pm after we took a bath.

 veggies, chicken barbeque, inihaw na tanigue

  this mangro crepe is so delicious that other guests asked how much it is because they wanted to  order  some more. this was only served once as a dessert. the syrup was home made dark chocolate.

Hello sunshine! Our Sunday greeted us with a warm morning from last night's rain. It felt good. Then the breakfast.

the view from our cottage

the breakfast buffet

my favorite tuyo

Then we swam.

that's our cottage at my back

Then we ate again. Our last meal was a lunch.

Then we bid Balai Laiya goodbye.

Going back to Laiya felt like the same as it was six years ago. The staff are still very friendly. I even asked Susan if the sampaloc that fell in our cottage is already ripe enough to eat, she said yes and talked to kuya Alvin (another staff). When she came back to us she said they will give us more of the bunga of the sampaloc. How cool is that?

It's just sad to know that it was tehir last day in that resort. And yes, we were their last guest. We found out, the just  leased the land and their contract has ended and that Acuatico bought the property. I was so sad to find about this but hey, no need to worry. They still get their jobs. They will have a new Balai. They said it will be in Puting Buhangin (or was it Bato?) and they will just be transferring there. Unfortunately, they will have to wait for a while since it is still just being constructed.

Back In My Cyberworld

So I was out of the loop for two weeks. Why? Because Frankie (short for Frankenstein) died on us. Frankie, is my husband's first ever computer. He got that poor pc when he still in college. And because my husband has such a sentimental value personality, he kept him up until we got married and moved to our new house. Frankie, as his name would describe him, is a computer made out of different parts of different names. Other parts were even taken from old computers. And when Frankie got sick in the past few months, we could no longer change some of the parts because, of course, they're obsolete. Then one day, we just could not revive him. Moment of silence please.

After two weeks and some budget considerations, hubby and I decided to have our early Christmas gift. It's our new lappy. Specs wise, we're good with it. I mainly need a computer for my online business, then Facebook, then blogging. As for hubby, he plays online games. I have to admit I am a pc user. So just imagine when we have this laptop. I could request for an external mouse, I swear. So what's up with Windows 7? I am such an XP user that my techie skills could hardly match up on this new OS. I'd rather have Mac than this. But again, I am thankful. I'm thankful because this freakin' gadget is such a blessing to us. So there, we splurged a little bit but we're happy. We're back, people!

Insects in my bag

Look what I just got today.

 

the package

Last night, I got a private message from a close friend, Joanne, who just arrived from the States the other day. She told me she left her pasalubong (well, not really her pasalubong. Thanks, Mac!) to Marna, our another friend. To my excitement, I asked my hubby to get the the items from Marna after his shift. Pronto!

 excited to open. i just woke up. excuse my pantulog outfit.

 see how beautiful she is (package includes catalog from LC)

 the moth with purple studs

 This is my earliest Christmas present. The bag is soooo cute it made me really happy.

Php200 off in Progress Gold from Citibank

I checked out our mailbox last night and found out a couple of bills. Two of which is from Smart and one from Citibank. I was so surprised to get a mail from Citibank because I have been enrolled in online billing so I shouldn't be receiving any paper bills from them. To my surprise, I got a gift certificate from Citibank!

"With compliments from Mercury Drug. In partnership with Wyeth, exclusively for select Citibank clients.

In celebration of 65 years of service

This entitles the cardholder to P200 off 

on your purchase of Progress Pre-school Gold at and Mercury Drug Branch!"

And since we don't have a preschooler yet, I'd be giving this GC out to great mommies! Weee! I know, it's just a small amount but hey, it's a Php200 off to a thousand worth of milk. I also have apprehensions in posting this cause what if no one is really interested to get this prize? But I thought, it's gonna be worth the try. It would be a waste if I just throw this GC off.

Here are the mechanics, though:

Yes, you need to purchase the milk and get the discount only when you have a Citibank Mercury Drug credit card. I have one! If you win, we can use my card and just pay me the rest in cash. What do you think?

My mechanics: 

Mommies, just post the cutest picture of your kid. And the winner gets to have this GC. Goodluck!

Aldrin's Tapsilog

This is my first food blog and without a bit tad of shame I'd say that this is not my recipe but my husband's.

Overview: I don't cook. I don't like cooking. I am not kitchen-savvy and most of all I hate the kitchen heat. My dear husband, on the other, has passion for cooking. He loves to cook and he experiments with recipes in the kitchen.

So one Monday morning, Aldrin decided to make his own tapa from scratch.

Ingredients:
beef strips
pepper
salt
vinegar
garlic
soy sauce
sugar

1. Mix the beef and all spices. Add water.
2. Let it boil until the meat is tender.
3. Fry the meat.

I asked my husband about the detailed process, he said there's no such thing for him. For one, he doesn't use cups, teaspoons and tablespoons to measure the ingredients. He also doesn't measure the time for boiling, heating and marinating. What he does is he just looks at the meat and observe.Now, that's what I call a GIFT.

He completed his dish with tomatoes with bagoong and some sunny side up eggs. Of course, tapsilog will never be tapsilog if it doesn't have a sinangag.

For his sinangag, he used our leftover rice from dinner, the marinade and the oil he used to cook the tapa.

Then just by this simple dish, our whole day went complete. I am so ever proud of my hubby. 

The Facebook Movie

My husband and I just got back from watching Social Network. What a clever movie. I never knew being in  some social-networking-site business could be that lucrative, deceiving and even more compelling.

Watching the movie brought some terrible memories from college. You see, I graduated with a major in Computer Technology. It wasn't really the best years of my life. I hated my subjects the entire time (that's another long story). Just imagine my horror when I saw the character of Mark Zuckerberg making programs as his way of putting out his emotions. Ack!!!

But what really got my attention was how they made a lot of money (and how Mark lost some too!) from Facebook. Crazy story! It tackled intellectual theft, betraying a good friend, risky investments, launching a company, partying, drugs and even lawsuits. I was just really impressed by how many different stories and lessons they were able to come up in just one movie.



Social Network is on it's first week on the cinemas. Watch it now!

SM Homeworld Sale purchase

Two weeks ago, hubby and I conquered the crazy crowded SM Megatrade hall for the SM Homeworld Sale. We scored these major items:

Kitchen Organizer. Aldrin and I recently used our Corelle plates and since our kitchen space would only fit a sink and a trash can, we decided to get this. Money power: Php 2,500. 

Dining set. With four seats, to be more accurate. We finally completed the last piece of our furniture puzzle. Original price is at Php9,000 but we got it for Php5,000. Good deal, right? It just arrived today since we had it delivered by the supplier. We just had our first dinner together with our brand new table.

that's the table! yikes! you'll see how messy the house is.

the seats. the other two are still dusty and unused.

We finally decided to furnish our unit before my mom and sister would arrive for the holidays. I am soooo excited!

What's your Christmas wishlist?

Well, here's mine:

1. Blackberry 8520. I am no gadget freak but I have been thinking of getting an iPhone since it was released here in Philippines. But after I saw the real phone, yes it is fancy, but I really have a problem with the touch screen keypad. And yes, I am no apps person. So my second option is this Blackberry. I have zero knowledge on their models. But upon further research, I was amazed by its functionality! Imagine mobile blogging, MS Office updates, PDF viewer, Twitter and  Facebook on your phone?! That is so freakin' cool! That's just really what I needed.

2. Canon water-proof camera (Powershot D10). Just because I love the beach and I want to do almost all water activities and take photos of everyone.

3. Surf board. I just found a new sport. My new love. And because I frequent in La Union (almost every other weekend) and spend a lot of money on renting the boards, I want to have my own.

4. Longchamp Planetes. I have a new Le Pliage in bilberry coming up (Thanks Mac!). But I will have it for casual use. Planetes, on the other hand, might be appropriately used in going to office. Planetes is a lot more sturdy than Le Pliage. It can stand on its own! The color and material is also more striking and crisp compared to Le Pliage.

 

5. Suelas's Barca. I just simply love the color and of course, they are flats! However, I find them really expensive for a flats. It's just Php1,099.00. Of course I can afford them but I just would not spend that amount of money for flats.Talk about being frugal.

Blogging Reborn

I'm back! My last post was dated August 2006. Has it really been 4 years? Hell yeah!

What's new? I got married! Yes, my long time boyfriend is now my hubby. We got married December 2009 (would you believe we'll be married almost a year now?).

I am now waking up this blogsite to open again my life to the cyberworld. Watch out real life, I'll be writing about you! Add to my excitement the new lappy or blackberry I'll be getting this Christmas. Now, I can blog comfortably.

The test continues...

And so, this is my fourth day of having this great pain in my gums. ARGH! Not to mention I went on sick leave yesterday because the pain is unbearable. And oh, may I mention that my cheeks are protruding, like I'm having mumps!

So, I didn't eat yesterday- as in whole day!!! I could hear my stomach lurching and screaming like crazy. But I don't care. The thing is, I can't eat!! Then, this morning, my boyfriend called up and found out that I wasn't able to make to the office last night. He then promised to pass by my house after his work.. Aww.... so sweet of him. And yes he did. He brought me some McDonald's spaghetti so I can just slurp the pasta down my stomach without even chewing eat. Yumyum!! Plus he also brought me donuts!! And did I mention I've been craving for sweets for a week already? Oh..my boyfriend is the sweetest thing in the world and he's the best! I love him!

Enough of all the pain complains. All I know is that I have to get to work tonight or else I will be miserable if I can't reach my quota. And of course, I don't have a quota cut from my SL so, goodluck to me!

I'm now here in the office, checking office stuff, email, GT, chat and some not-so-important things. Thank God the pain slowly drifts away as I busied myself. Hope this remedy work 'coz I am so tired already of drinking lots of pain relievers and all. And oh, I'm having my Xray appointment with some Mr. Anonymous dentist from a friend's gf. And I'm excited and I hope everything will be ok and normal. Wish me luck!

A Test of Wisdom

Now "wisdom" is calling. Darn!! Two mornings ago, I woke up, with my bebe beside me, suffering from extreme pain in my left cheek. I looked up in the mirror and found out... shit!!! It's my wisdom tooth coming out! With swollen gums, man, who wants to pig out!! I've got everything out of my control, swollen gums, cheek plus I feel a sore throat following up.

I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't work. This is oh so terrible that I want to die. I have this thing checked with a dentist and she said everything is normal. How can she damn call this normal when in fact I'm not in my best mood for the past few days? I have taken millions of milligrams for Mefenamic Acid and my Gardan 500 supposedly for my dysmenorrhea. This is all ridiculous!!

And now I've come to realize why is this called Wisodm tooth --- yes, to test my wisdom when great pain arises. And this is it.. I mean not just physically but emotionally and psychologically, wisdom plays a great role in life. Everything will be shattered when doing things without wisdom. And so this is me now, suffering with an excruciating pain but I'm learning.. Yes, I am.

GT's new look

Oh well, here it is. I feel anxious about the new look of my favorite forum - Girltalk. I used to like the old format, the colors, text and everything, I love 'em all. Just when I got to work tonight and try to get in of course, I thought went into a wrong forum!! argh!! evrything is so lousy. The colors were like, uhm, monochrome. It's almost the same as the background's, totally masakit sa mata!! errr... the text are too small I could hardly read it. Then the borders --left and right are too great that the forum itself could only occupy half the space of the whole page. Basta, everything is sooooo ugly!! I wish they would change it ASAP!!! Nawalan ako ng gana. Feeling ko d ako makababad sa forum 'coz I really don't like it. I really hope they'll change it... sooner!!!

i miss blogging so much

Well, its been months that I haven't update my blog!!! how surprising! it must be work.. hell yeah, work!! i guess I owe net buffs a lot of stories 'bout me, eh? well, as much as i love to, i can't..work..work..and hell work.. yeah, I even got no time to surf through the net.. all i see is GT and Friendster and I access them illegally. yeah, illegal ways..harharhar... Well, i'm back.. I'm about to tell you a lot of things but not now...not yet... so , watch out!