Something, Something

Well, hello, hello, hello! It’s been a while, right? A lot of things have happened since then. The last three months, especially, was humbling, sobering, painful, and heartbreaking for me. Sometimes I can’t help but think that when people say “When it rains, it pours,” they’re definitely telling the TRUTH. 

Right now, I am just trying to value life even more. I realize that we are here to be of service for others, and as much as I can, I try to live up to it. 

In the meantime, I’d like to thank those who read and liked my blog post and, most of all, followed my blog. I am again humbled. I hope I’ve shared something valuable to all of you. This may be my last blog post for the year, however. I know it seems anti-climactic, but I’d rather look forward to the next year, when I have great plans brewing for this blog and for everyone who never tires to drop by and share their thoughts. 

And even if you’re not asking, I’m turning 30 exactly a month from now! 🙂 Blow the birthday candles with me, okay? 

Enjoy the Company’s Music, Help Build Classrooms

I grew up enjoying the Company’s music, and I did buy some of their albums. That’s why I’m happy to know that they’re coming in town not just to share their great music but also to help communities build classrooms.

The price may be a lot, but I know Children’s Hour will make good use of your contribution. I hope you, guys, can support this or share this message with others.

Seriously, Globe

Hello! Hello!

I’m finally back! There’s no better explanation to my silence than the lack of Internet connection for more than a month. It was an absolutely terrible experience for a lot of reasons.

One, Globe representatives, even their supervisors, didn’t seem to know how to deal with it. Two, it felt they didn’t have any coordination with their off-site technical team. Third, seriously, some of them should learn to take notes down. A number of my reported calls were not forwarded or escalated to the technical specialists, and the last call I made wasn’t logged. Those could have mattered if we will file a complaint (well, my husband did).

I honestly don’t know the logic behind the poor customer service telcos such as Globe give to their customers, and sometimes I couldn’t help but think you get what you pay for: if you’re not in their business account, you’re not their priority.

For many weeks, I felt too frustrated it got into my head; every time I thought about it, I experienced a lot of stress. So I decided to have the subscription canceled until the Husband said he wanted to give them another chance–another week. A day after the problem turned a month, they were able to finally restore both our landline and internet. Alleluia!

Moving forward, I’m currently on my third week of no-meat-except-seafood diet. Yup, I have given up on chicken, pork, beef, turkey, etc. Interestingly, it’s not too difficult at all, perhaps because I’m greatly inspired by my parents, especially my mama. Bernard is following suit as well, so that makes menu planning a lot easier for me.

Aside from attending to my job, I have also been busy managing my small business. October and November will be very busy months for me, for sure. I’m preparing myself for that. In the meantime, we’re in the final stages of planning for our Manila trip. I’m praying to the high heavens that the weather will be kinder.

 

 

Mimbalot Falls in Iligan

Before I talked more about Hong Kong, let me continue with my stories about summer (that’s how much I am so delayed with blog posts). The last time I mentioned about our trip in Iligan. If you can read the post, it says part 1. Obviously, this is part 2. 🙂

To recap, Manong Driver gave us two options. Because his services were getting more expensive, we chose the waterfalls closer to the city, which was Mimbalot. This was roughly 10 to 15 minutes away from NPC Park, and we didn’t have to ride a motorcycle anymore. Instead, we hailed a jeepney, which cost only 14 pesos (7 pesos each).

How to Reach There

Tell the driver you want to be dropped off at Iligan City National School of Fisheries. Actually you wouldn’t see the sign (which you can see below) near the road. Rather, you’ll find the school with a lot of habal-habal drivers resting or waiting for passengers at the shed right outside the school. You can choose to either ride one if you don’t like walking for about 20 minutes, especially when it’s extremely hot, or save yourself some money. We picked the latter, much to the dismay of the drivers.

You’re on the right track when after 5 to 10 minutes, you’ll see this sign:

Continue walking on the left. The right side leads to the school and its huge grounds. It’s a true-blue residential area, so don’t be surprised if you’ll pass by homes like this.

Just follow the straight path. It wouldn’t be long before you can hear strong sounds of running water.

And tada! You’re now at the waterfalls. It’s how accessible it is. In fact, it’s just beside a road. There’s no nearby store, though, so buy your food supplies ahead. There are many sari-sari stores along the way.

The use of the waterfalls is completely for free, and the barangay or the LGU was kind enough to provide concrete tables and benches if you want to relax, have a picnic, or simply watch Mimbalot waterfalls.

The waterfalls looks like this:

But if you want to see the water from its source, you can try riding the cable car offered by an eco-tourism park found right beside the waterfalls. I forgot how much it’s worth, probably around 60 pesos. You can also do other things there like ziplining.

Since we had no intention of taking a dip, Bernard and I busied ourselves wading across the shallow parts of the falls or doing this:

 

After about an hour, we decided to go back to the city center. A jeepney was waiting right outside the school, but you had to be patient. It wouldn’t leave until it’s filled.

There you have it! Our very short but fun, no-frills, “we don’t have a lot of budget” half-day Iligan trip.

Austin Inn: A Thorough Review

It’s been two weeks since I arrived from Hong Kong, and I remained quiet. I got sick, really: acute tonsillitis. It was terrible I couldn’t swallow well, and I had high fever for a couple of days.

But everything is bright and happy once again, so her I am. Besides, my husband’s been bugging me to write something about the trip. I’ll just begin with a review of our accommodation.

I already talked slightly about it here. I’ll simply tell you my real impressions about it.

There are a lot of things I like about Austin Inn. One, the room and inn descriptions are accurate. In fact, what you saw in the previous blog post, that’s basically how the room looked like!

Second, the location is awesome. Only a few steps away is Austin Station. Around 5 to 8 minutes’ walk is Jordan Station. Along the way, you can pass by Temple Street, which is famous for its night market. On the right side of the building is a bus station to and from the airport. Groceries, bakeries, money changers, subways, more bus stations, eateries, restaurants, and even fancy jewelry shops are within the vicinity.

Third, the manager was simply cool. When we arrived, the room wasn’t available yet (we arrived early than the checkout time), but he allowed us to leave our things so we can start our tour. When we came back, the room needed some cleaning, though he let us relax and freshen up in the room. We officially came home around 9, and by then, all our things were already brought inside the room, and the unit was squeaky clean. He left us with slippers, and the bathroom had its own shampoo and towel. He was incredibly easy to talk to, and he made sure his guests were all satisfied.

The Room

The room is pretty small, and yet it’s common among a lot of Hong Kong accommodations. After all, space is at a premium in the country. Austin Inn’s units are nevertheless, clean, comfortable, and strategic, which all make up for the room size.

The Price

One of my foremost considerations in choosing this is price, and I think it’s practical and sensible. For two nights, I paid only 5,000+ for a three-person bedroom, and that already included AirBnB and cleaning fees.

Will I Stay Here Again?

Definitely. I also recommend it to anyone who’s planning to visit HK soon.