Philippines!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Some info about Philippines:

The Philippines (Filipino: Pilipinas [ˌpɪlɪˈpinɐs]), officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (Filipino: Republika ng Pilipinas), is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam. The Sulu Sea to the southwest lies between the country and the island of Borneo, and to the south the Celebes Sea separates it from other islands of Indonesia. It is bounded on the east by the Philippine Sea. Its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire and its tropical climate make the Philippines prone to earthquakes and typhoons but have also endowed the country with natural resources and made it one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world. An archipelago comprising 7,107 islands, the Philippines is categorized broadly into three main geographical divisions: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Its capital city is Manila. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines)

Some of you might already know that I had planned this vacation sometimes in May. It was me and my brother who planned everything. This had been one of my dreams to visit Philippines again after 17 years. Seriously, 17 years.. I was a kid at that time and in Year 1. I can’t recall much of the memories but I do remember I went to this snow house, got slipped and my hands turned red. Lol. The main purpose we went there is to visit families on my mother’s side. I really wanted to see them with my own eyes especially my grandparents.

Our flight should be departed from Brunei on 3rd July at 7.50pm BUT we got a call from RBA saying it will be delay due to some technical bla bla bla at Manila Airport. So yeah.. we had to wait till the next morning. Fortunately, I had arranged transport to the RBA via STL, 2 weeks before departure. We arrived at the airport around 2 ish in the morning. Checked in all our stuffs, passports, tickets.. everything. I was called by one of the officer regarding my brother’s passport. His biometric passport got cracked and the system can’t read any data. To cut it short… my brother was not allowed to join us. Sigh. He was home alone then.

Our flight… departed safely at 4.30am and arrived in Manila at 6.40am. I didn’t have a chance to sleep in the airplane. Excited much? Hell yeah! Our cousins were waiting for us at the terminal. I didn’t have any clue.. who are they… coz.. I really don’t know them. My mom introduced to us who’s who but I think I had enough introduction that I called them.. cousins. Simple. Hahaha.

It took us 1.5hrs to reach home. We were staying with them. I think we were staying at Good Harvest Park somewhere in Quezon City (correct me if I’m wrong). There… I met my grandparents. Really glad to see them. Joys and tears. It was a happy moment for everyone. Lola and Lolo are still healthy and in their 70s’. Glad to have a chance to meet them. They only remember my other siblings but not me… but its okay… I do understand it =) a missing grandchildren. Hahahaha.

Our first stop for shopping… SM FAIRVIEW!! This is one of the largest shopping mall in Quezon City. It is only 20mins from our home. Buses, jeepneys, taxis, and motorized tricycles are the main transportation there. Cheap. Oh wait… THEY HAVE THE HEAVIEST TRAFFIC JAMS!!! Every minute you can hear honk! It’s normal for them to honk… it’s to tell people that they are on the road and people are aware of their existence. Amazingly, I didn’t see any accident on the road even though they have 4-5 lanes. Not like us… you honking, people give you a fierce face. Hahahaha.

The next day… we went to the SM Mall of Asia. 2nd largest in the Philippines and 4th largest in the world (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sm_mall_of_asia ) CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW BIG IT IS??? It is like 6-7 times bigger than our THE MALL. Aww~~ THE MALL. HAHAHA. lame! They have ICE SKATING IN THE BUILDING!! I REALLY LIKE ICE SKATING!!! It is just BND10/person. So cheap! You guys should go and try it. Don’t know how to ice skating? If you know how to use roller blade, then you know how to skate =) it’s that simple. I didn’t have the chance to discover all the places coz I WAS FREAKING BUSY SEARCHING FOR MY STUFFS. Haha. We spent all day in the mall… and I only managed to explore half of it!!! IT’S SO BIG!!! ARGH!!!!!!! I WISH I HAVE MORE TIME THERE!!!

For those people who like shopping… THEY HAVE THE CHEAPEST!! YOU CAN BARGAIN TILL YOU DROP DEATH. HAHAHA. The best place is at Baklaran. I bought many shoes, slippers, short pants and shirts. Branded stuffs also available, you just tell what you want. They have everything. But make sure you know where your wallet is (that place is famous for pick pocket) and you need to have small change! They don’t have change for big money~~

Oh… we went to MAKATI too! Richest city in Philippines. It took us almost 3 hours to get there… traffic jams are everywhere. Makati looks like a Singapore version of Philippines. High raises building, shopping frenzy and clean. Great place to visit for shoppers. Places are within walking distance. We didn’t take many photos there.

Did I miss to talk about my home alone brother? He missed all the fun for 4 days. Ouch. I did call him to renew the passport and fly there. I took whatever it takes for him to join us. It was a family trip. Nobody is left behind. It’s better late than never, right? He joined us afterward and went back to brunei on 13th July *Owh well.. he had all the time in the world to have fun alone. clubbing much*

I met some of my cousins there. Though it was the first time for everyone to meet, we really had a good time together. We talked almost every topics… cultures, economics, politics and etc. They really like our government and the Sultan. They said Bruneian are rich people.. not all.. but still consider rich compared to live there. Why? Life there is very difficult. They are listed as the 12th populous country in the world. Even my cousins still don’t have a stable job after graduated. Imagine… every year more than 40k people graduated from nursing school… only few thousands accepted for jobs. Where are the rest? Unemployed. Hmm… if you are a degree holder… you are underpaid. Approximately around BND500-600. See… life there is very tough and yet we still complaining/ungrateful of what we have now….

Last day of our vacation… we went to Tagaytay! This place has a lot to offer for visitors. One of the best places for relaxing. You can see the volcano from the top of the hill. The view is picturesque. Words are not enough to describe it. Zipline is one of the best activity there. I’m not afraid of heights but my mind keep on thinking what will happen if I can’t reach to the other end? I am playing death! HAHA. More info about it: www.tagaytayzipline.com

FOOTBALL IS NOT A BIG HIT THERE! What a sh…a..me. haha.They don’t watch football. They only talk basketball, boxing and billiard. I was hoping to watch quarter finals there but end up watching WWE. Great! WORLD CUP FEVER IS NOT THERE!

I miss all of them! I miss Philippines! Looking forward for our next family reunion in 2014! SIBALE!! =)


P/s: Pictures are only available in facebook. I am too lazy to upload it here. I think my mom is going there in December again!

2 comments

  1. awww~ sweeet!! and siukkk!!! Aku lupa kirim ikan 'bangos' di Makati ada tu. lol. mama suka tu ikan ah.. lurus kah inda eja nya tapi nyaman.. its a smoked fish on grill. cematu lah..

    eh bob.. 2014.. worldcup jua tu~ keKL la.. sini worldcup HOT! ehhee. but yea.. glad u meet the family there =D

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  2. HAHAHA awuu lurus tuu bangos!! TIAP2 HARI AKU MAKAN ATU JUA!! NYAMAN AH!!! mama apa lgi.. balik2 wah ia makan sal lama sudah inda makan ikan atu.

    awuuuu world cup lgi skali d sna!!! tpi... drg buat during summer holidays (march-may). TAPI AKU MAU KE BRAZIL!!!! WORLD DI BRAZIL SAJA TNI!!!

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