Insomniac's Mind

I am no superstar but I'd like to complete some phrases taken from Tim Yap's encounter with ex-Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition housemates Bianca Gonzales and Keana Reeves. And I'm tagging all the ladies out there who love to shop!

The thing I love most about what I do is...I meet a lot of people.

People might be surprised to know that...I am claustrophobic.

The worst thing that ever happened to me was...a vehicular accident while I was assigned in Mactan, Cebu. I had to take a leave from work for 2 months.

And what this has taught me...to be thankful for the life that God has given me.

The secret to happiness is...being prayerful, doing what you love most and spending time with family and friends.

If I was invisible for a day I would...ride the next plane bound for Europe. Ha ha!

When I retire, I would like to...travel the world.

My hero is...my Dad.

The thing that makes my life worth living is...my family, D and friends.

The thing that makes me most angry is...gossip!

My biggest indulgence is...clothes, shoes and bags.

I am saving for...my next trip abroad.

I aspire to be...a good wife and a mother of 2.

Here's a quick list of Laguna TREATS we tried this week...

Lapid's Chicharon which we finished in a flash, no time to take pics, ha ha!

Kinulob na Itik from the town of Victoria ~ tastier than chicken.

Mr. Asado's pandesal in Los Banos ~ cheap and delicious!

Aling Lety's Buko Pie (D's personal favorite) ~ We bought from Aling Lety herself.

Bulalo, Inihaw na Salinas and Sinaing na Yellowfin at Avile's in Calamba ~ the best bulalo in town!
'Till our next visit, when I try out other delicacies. Slurp.

Okay so I'm not a pro, but I have some practical things to share to help you enjoy your out-of-town trips:

2. Always have your car checked before traveling.

3. Aside from the budgeted gasoline, toll fees, lodging, food and beverage expenses allocate a spare change in case of emergency. Not all establishments in the province accept credit cards.

4. For long drives, it is best to have two drivers alternating. You don't want to exhaust a friend and make him miss all the fun by dozing off early due to fatigue.

5. Beach mats, sleeping bags, tents and a swiss knife are good investments for picnics and camping.

6. Include Off-lotion in your first aid kits.

7. Bring zip-locks to protect your camera and videocam from humidity.

8. Bring extra plastic bags to keep your wet swimwear and another for your flipflops.

9. Bring lots of bottled water.

10. Bring basic meds - pain killer, anti-histamines, anti-diarrhea and the like.

11. Let someone know where you're going and when you're coming back especially if you are not familiar with the place that you're going to visit.

12. It's always best to tavel in groups ~ so you'll have great pics of you and your hubby while jet skiing & speed boating, too bad for us we only had each other. Sigh.

13. After a long drive, get a massage. Ha! Nothing can beat that.

There's so much in store for nature lovers like us...

Simply admiring the majestic Taal Lake,

checking out the Las Haciendas estate and a small waterfalls behind it in Laurel, Batangas,

shooting the rapids in Pagsanjan,

Jet Skiing and speed boating at the manmade Caliraya Lake and

dropping by the Laguna de Bay

put me in awe so much that I'm clearing my calendar of night-outs to accommodate any future nature trips in the coming months.

After a shopping spree in SM San Fernando, my family went straight to The Lakeshore to view the property. The Lake Estate along NLEX, Mexico Exit is a vast land being developed into a luxury village, complete with amenities and a promise of a refreshing vacation spot. Little did we know that our sightseeing tour would turn out to be a great adventure. Even my parents, who turned down offers (from the owner themselves, our family friends) to visit the place enjoyed the "lakwatsa".

One won't expect to find a manmade lake with an island in the middle along the busy highways. The island has 2 private pools (adults' & kids'), a cottage big enough for four families, a videoke machine, and barbeque grillers. A rent (P10,000.00/$200.00 day time-P15,000.00/$300.00 night time) entitles you to free use of the boats and kayaks. There is also a spot in the lake that is intended for fishing aficionados. At present, only the souvenir shop and a coffeeshop (a wi-fi spot, yay!) are available and found amidst the picnic grounds.

At the back of this resort and a few meters away from the lighthouse, stands a few large houses mostly owned by foreigners. And at the village exit is an airconditioned tent serving as a chapel. Sunday mass is every 11:00 a.m.

This place is a rare find in Mexico, Pampanga and we'll definitely go back for more boat rides and fishing. I'll try the kayaks next time. Afterall, this is a short 20 minute drive away from home.

Lake Management Office is at the Lighthouse Promenade, Along Kilometer 71 North Luzon Expressway Mexico, Pampanga. For reservations, call (045) 961-8044 or text 0917-51o7280.

It's been a while since we last visited my folks back here in Angeles City, so this weekend we're (D & I) making up for the long lost quality time with them. Since it's Mommy's birthday, we scheduled a weekend of activities of her choice.

Today's merienda was at Corazon's. Our home trip won't be complete without a visit to this home garden turned halohalo stand and then small eatery in our nearby village. They are giving Razon's Halohalo, also from Pampanga, a run for their money. Just look at this big house under construction from halohalo earnings!

Our next stop was at Nepo Mall, the first mall in our city proudly owned by an Angeleno way before SM and Robinson's conquered our land. Only here can you find a kakanin stand where you buy per slice of rice cakes, maja blanca, etc. for only P10/$0.20.

Items purchased - caps for Dad & D and playstation dvd for Jerome(my only sibling). Surprisingly, Mom and I were not lured by tons and tons of Kikay stuffs. Mom was there to window shop, and I was tired from driving all the way from Makati.

We had dinner at Shanghai Restaurant. We frequent this place on special occasions - family gatherings, graduations, etc. Our family loves their authentic chinese cooking. Actually this is their new building. The old one was burned down and it took years for the owners to build this new place.

Oh, our favorites in the resto - Bird's Nest Soup with Crabmeat, Yang Chow Fried Rice and Chinese Broccoli with Garlic. The rest of the items in their menu are delicious as well. Busy day? Tomorrow is another adventure. Wink.

Halo-halo sa Corazon's is in Corazon St., Brgy. Cutcut, Angeles City. Since this is quite a difficult location to find, check out their branch right in front of Clark Air Base Check Point, Hi-way entrance. You'll see the same logo as my picture above.

Shanghai Restaurant is in Balibago, Angeles City, very near to Casino Filipino - Angeles.

I feel like a kid praying for summer to stay a bit longer until I travel to my next destination...wherever that is. Ajay and I had small talks about going to Malaysia or Macau. Until now, she can't decide if she can come with me. Oya wants to go to Korea. But we'll be needing a visa for that and we're not sure if we'll be granted with one. Dylan would love to tavel with me! His request for leave was denied. Maybe if I gather enough confidence to travel alone, I will go. But who's going to take my pictures? Sigh.

One of the things I like about hubby D, is his patience to accompany me to my spa visits. That's because he finishes earlier than me, as I have more treatments - a true-blooded kikay! This time around we tried Yasuragi Wellness Center, a recently opened spa in Q.C. and is managed and partly owned by a doctor friend. We tagged along my best friend Oya who chose to have an Oatmeal and Mint Gentle Scrub like me. The scrub is enriched with Vit. E which releases skin toxins and provides relief on tensed muscles. After having his Total Body Massage, D joined me in the dermatology room for our facial. He had a Collagen Facial which is ideal for oily skin and is good for blackheads. My Rejuvenating Facial is a deep cleaning facial using hypoallergenic products leaving the skin so soft and radiant. I wasn't able to take pictures of the place because I enjoyed the scrubbing and massage, I fell asleep for a few minutes. We finished all treatments at around 10:00 p.m., I was of course the last to come out because I was given a free (yay!) Diamond Peel. Total bill -> P1162k/$23 for me, for D it's P952/$19 and P896/$18 for Oya.

We were too hungry to scout for a nice rstaurant when we got out of the spa so we went to Jay-J's Chicken Inasal at the street corner. It's a nice, big resto with an airconditioned section, and another smoking area at the back. They have rectangular tables and benches and the place is neat. We had Crispy Pla-pla, Kangkong with Litson (so good, highly recommended by us three) and Sinigang na Baboy. All in all, the gastranomic experience is satisfying (very good home cooking style). For dessert we had bibingka (rice cake). I never liked bibingka until now. It was so good we had to buy two more to take home! Total bill -> P900/$18 . The rice cake is P40/$0.80@. I'll definitely come back to this place. Happy weekend everybody!

Yasuragi Wellness Center is located at #4 A Scout Rallos St., Brgy. Laging Handa, Kamuning, Quezon City. For reservations you may call (02) 410-6900 or text 0916-2337023 or 0910-2528449.