When All Else Fails... RUN!!!

There have been many predictions about the end of the world. In fact, there have also been various movies shown having that theme. 

So imagine the world is about to end and there is a zombie apocalypse. 

Who are you gonna call? Ghostbusters! Este Zombie-busters! LOL. 

Kidding aside, should there be a zombie outbreak, what are you gonna do? Instincts say: RUN! 

Run, sprint, crawl, and jump if you have to.  And that was exactly what we did at Outbreak Manila last April 14. 

Though in real life, I might just find some place to hide. Hehe

It was a 5-kilometer fun run inspired after Run for Your Lives in the U.S.

We had to protect our “lives” from the zombies, represented by 3 red flags stapled on a belt in our waist. The goal is to have at least one flag at the end of the finish line. The top 40 fastest runners will get a medal.

Here are some pictures:

we were early kaya pictorial muna. ang aangas! haha

hello sunrise! :)

warming up

kami na next!

bring it on! :p

wave 10 - 7:45 AM

let the running begin! 

what's so funny zombies? LOL. ayun ako oh! :p

almost there.. almost! :D

the survivors, the spectator, and the zombies :D

oo na, nanghiram lang ako ng medal :(

yes i did! :)

I was wearing a dress since assuming there will indeed be an outbreak, it must come unexpectedly that you wouldn’t have the time to change into your running outfit. Who knows, you might be asleep in your boxers, or worse, you might even be taking a bath. Hehe

By the way, have I mentioned the run was star-studded and action packed? Guess who we ran with?

The Avengers!

The Flush, este Flash! :p

Ronald McDonald and Spidey!

And of course, if there are Zombies.... there are also the Plants! 

kaso baliktad, di sila lumalaban. haha

It is also worth congratulating the “zombies” for living up to their roles. Their costumes and make ups were all so cool especially the guy who played as Michael Jackson. Plus, it’s no joke to be staying under the angry heat of the sun for 6 hours. 

thriller!

zombie sailormoon with jacko

no other zombie can be more famous than him

Kudos to all the organizers of Outbreak Manila. I hope this will become an annual event. Running has never been this challenging, and FUN! :D

**Photo credits to connie and pinoyfitness.com**

Hello-Yellow-Pillow!

Mondays, being the start of the work week, is my least favorite day.

But April 16, 2012 is an exception. This cute heart-shaped pillow cheerfully greeted me that morning. The best part is - it came in my favorite color! Sunshiny yellow! Yippeee! :)

This was a gift from Mel, a friend and colleague. Uhmmm, actually I forced her to buy it for me because she have one herself - exactly the same, only in pink. :p

I use it as a cushion, when I feel cold, or when I take a nap after lunch.

It's so soft and fluffy! Aahhh.. it's perfect!

Thanks mucho Melissa! You're the best evah! Haha. :D

with my cute pillow and big eyebags.. errr.. big smile. :D

Dear Papa

When my uncle, your elder brother, invited me to fly to Marbel to attend the grand reunion of your clan from your mother’s side, I made up reasons not to come. Some of it was true, some were not. Instead, I chose to join in a zombie-infested fun run. Besides, I was never really close to your side of the family.

I was half-hearted. Part of me wanted to go and see you but another part of me stopped me from doing so. 

Looking back, I don’t even remember the last time I saw you. Was it 5, or 6 years ago? And honestly, I wasn’t even sure if I miss you. As far as I can remember, our memories together stopped when I was in 6^th grade. I practically grew up without you. Back then, I didn’t understand. I just had to live with it.

But recalling the times I had with you, those were the best. I remember I was your little girl; I was a Papa’s girl. 

Isn’t it that you were the one who gave me my name?

When I was in grade school, I used to sleep at the pull-out bed beside you and mama. Every morning as I wake up, you were the first one I was looking for.

I loved it every time you asked me what I wanted to eat even though you know all my favorites – pochero, ripe mango, banana (saba), and siopao.

I loved it every time mamang sorbetero passed by the house and you’d tell me it was just the sound of your keys and not from his bell. Of course, in the end you’d still buy me ten-peso worth of dirty ice cream. At that time, it was already one big glass to my delight. 

I loved it how you acted as if you were mad at mom for scolding me.

I loved it how you favored me over my siblings.

I loved it how you were so thoughtful to follow me at school while I had a girl scout camping just to give me an extra allowance. 

I loved seeing and hearing you played my name, your favorite song on the guitar.

I loved seeing how good you were at playing chess.

I loved it every time you make kinilaw and leche flan.

I loved it even seeing you clean a gun, because you used to be a soldier.

The list is long. 

I just loved how you spoiled me with basically anything and everything.  

However, I also have a long list of the things I didn’t like about you. Maybe it’s longer.

But I refuse to actually list it here. There is no reason to. I only want to remember the good things on people, more so from my father.

Notice I referred to it as ‘things I didn’t like’ because I also refuse to use ‘hate’, even though it’s the opposite of love. 

I don’t hate you. At least that’s one thing I am sure of.

Hate is such a strong word. In can affect one’s life, but in a negative way.

It will only lead to an emotional baggage. It will make your heart carry so many burdens. 

To hate is like living your life eating only junk foods; thereby slowly killing yourself – and your relationships with others. It is very unhealthy.

So why hate? How can I hate the person who’s the reason of my very existence? If not for you, Pa, I wouldn’t be here. You gave me my life. That is something I’ll owe you forever. 

It is just unfortunate why the things that happened had to happen. 

Why to us? Why to our family?

Perhaps if you have been a good and responsible head of the family, things will be different by 360 degrees. We will not be in this (complicated) situation. Human as I am, I went thru that stage where I had so many questions; I had so many what-ifs. There is no doubt I love the independence I am getting from living alone. It is liberating. Sometimes though, I can’t help but wonder if how things are now if we all still live under the same roof. 

But it’s already part of the past. And along with age comes maturity so I’ve long accepted the fact that we will never be together again as a family. 

There is just one thing I’ll always wish we had – a family picture. 

I know we have tons of pictures as a child; while we were growing up; school pictures; and pictures from various family celebrations. But why we never had one where we are complete and together as a family? 

I remember there actually was. The same picture displayed on our living room back then. You were all there- you, mom, nene, toto, inday. While me? I was there too. Only faceless, as I was still inside mama’s womb. 

I just wanted to have something to hold on to. Something which will remind me that, once, we were happy together. We were complete.

I guess that will only remain a dream for me.

So many things have had happened. I’m done with all the wallowing and crying. I trust God. Cliché as it may sound but I believe there is always a reason for everything.

I don’t know what made me write this, maybe because I saw a picture of you from the reunion in Facebook. I barely recognized you. I can’t believe how much you’ve aged. I felt a twinge in my chest. And it struck me. I actually miss you. I miss my Papa.

Why won’t I when we only talk for a maximum of 4 times a year – on my birthday, on your birthday, on Christmas day, and on New Year’s Eve. In fact, it’s not even a ‘talk’, technically speaking. We just exchange one or two text messages.

I am sorry if I have been distant all these years. Please know that I have long forgiven you for whatever it is that you’ve done and keep on doing, and for all the pains you’ve caused my mama and us. Let us all just move on and be happy, albeit apart from each other.

I know I’m sometimes bad at keeping promises. But I’ll do my best to make it up to you.

I can’t thank God enough for hitting me with this realization while it’s not too late yet.

You’re still my father, while I’m still your little girl and your bunso. Nothing can ever change that fact.

And I will always love you, no matter what.

With hopes of seeing you the soonest,

Aubrey

good ol' times with pop

Errr... I am the Speaker!

Last March 29, 2012, I visited my elementary school. The last time I did was back in December 2008 at the Alumni Homecoming. Prior to that, I never had the chance to go back ever since I graduated in 1999.

It was Holy Family School’s graduation day and I got invited to be the commencement speaker. I was hesitant at first but I eventually agreed because to be remembered and invited by my alma mater is both an honor, and a privilege. I even forgot about my fear, which I’ve read, is also the no. 1 social fear of even the most prominent politicians and the most famous business tycoons: the fear of speaking in public.

The moment I step foot on its grounds, I felt nostalgic. I remembered how we hear mass every first Friday on its church; how we used to play between the three gigantic acacia trees beside it; how we ran and fool around while trying to speak English up to the extent of what we knew about the language; and how we savored the two-peso ice scramble and arroz caldo during recess time.

While my mom’s busy with parking, I saw Sir Steve, our Language & Reading teacher, from afar. I was glad to see him again after so many years. He still looks the same. It seems he hasn’t aged a bit. I’m gladder when, as soon as he saw me, he mentioned my name. Oh, isn’t it nice when even after 13 school years, your grade school teacher still remembers you? Imagine how many batch of pupils have he taught already? 

The baccalaureate mass has just started when we came so mom and I decided to attend. I sat beside Ms. Mil, our school principal who like Sir Steve, appears to be still youthful as always.  

The graduation program started right after the mass. I had to parade along with the graduates and the faculty. I was seated in between the school principal and the school administrator. I was browsing thru the program and I was anxious as my turn to speak was getting nearer.

Just when I thought the privilege of being chosen as a speaker outweighs my fear for public speaking. I was wrong. 

And so I was introduced. For me it was not necessary, but it was obligatory for the benefit of the audience.

I tried to crack a joke to break the ice and to lessen the nervousness. I guess I delivered it quite well as I saw my former teachers and some parents smile, giggle, and laugh a little while I speak, unless I was only imagining things. Hehe :D

Then I started talking. In the middle of my speech, I got lost from where I was reading. My knees were shaking the whole time and I am not sure but the faculty who were seated right behind me must have noticed; perhaps the audience, too. Standing there in front of the glass podium felt like forever but in fact, only eight minutes later, I was done.

Maybe I could have done it better. But overall the experience was splendid. It’s something I will always be proud of. Thank you, Holy Family School for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Here is the link to the final draft of MY SPEECH, not exactly verbatim as I squeezed in a few and spontaneous lines/jokes at the start. 

The graduating batch

Marching with the faculty

With GR, Sir Steve, and Sir Rod.

I thank you! :p

Saigon, Vietnam: Day 1 - War Remnants Museum

From Cu Chi, you can ask your guide to drop you off at the War Museum like we did. There is an entrance fee of 15,000 VND (+/- Php 30) and it closes at 5pm.

 I’d like to warn you that it is very depressing to read articles and see photographs taken during and even after the war. I can’t imagine what the Vietnamese had to go through to think it was just merely 20+ years ago. Let the pictures below speak for themselves. 

Outside the building are various aircrafts and tanks that were used in the war. Some were donated by the U.S. 

By the time we were done, I was already feeling dizzy since we haven’t taken lunch. So I advise you to always have a heavy breakfast before starting the day at Vietnam and bring something to eat with you if you can. You will be doing a lot of walking around the city if you don’t want (or avoid, as much as possible) taking the cab like us.

Saigon, Vietnam: Day 1 - Cu Chi Tunnel Tour

Since we’ll only have 3 full days in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, I booked our Cu Chi Tunnel Tour thru our hotel. Besides, we will be arriving late so I would not have the time to book it at Sinh Tourists as recommended in an online forum. Anyway the rates are the same or almost.

I was quoted $6 for a half day Cu Chi Tour while it’s $8 for Cu Chi + Cao Dai Temple. I’m not interested with the temple so I decided to cut it off the itinerary. That rate only includes the bus and the English-speaking guide but it excludes the entrance fee to the site which is 80,000 VND or roughly about Php 160, more or less.

We were picked up from the hotel a few minutes before 8am. Yes they were right on time, or so I thought. It ended up we still had to pick up other tourists from different hotels and by the time the actual travel to Cu Chi took place was an hour later. It’s a bit of a waste of time. But that’s how it is there. The only thing that was favorable was we were the ones to get on the bus first so I had the liberty to choose our seats, thus taking street pictures was so much easier.

See all those motorcycles? :D

 

Travel time was around 2 hours; maybe less if the bus was faster. However we were informed that there is a speed limit of a maximum of 50 kph. Ambagal, pramis!

We had one stopover so you can go to the restroom, shop at the store, or drink some fresh fruit shake. We did the latter.

This is where we had a stopover where you can see how locals produce their artworks.

A few minutes before arriving at Cu Chi, our guide Dan asked if he could collect the 80,000 VND each for the entrance fee so he could get our tickets as a group since he was informed that there are a lot of tourists on site.

True enough, there were a lot of tourists that day! The first thing we did was watch a short 15-minute presentation about the war, and how the Vietnamese fought for their land. 

 

Next, you will be toured around the jungle where you will see how the tunnels during the war looks like, the kinds of trap and tanks they used, and the weapons they themselves made. You’ll be amazed at how smart the Vietnamese were. There is also a firing range there where you can buy bullets for a little amount and try firing with real guns. 

yey, kasya ako! :D

 

Don’t leave Cu Chi without experiencing passing thru the tunnel. Our guide said it is 100 meters long but there is an exit every 20 meters. I challenged my mom to finish it and she did! Being an Asian with a relatively smaller body frame is an advantage here that’s why we were the only ones who did it in our group since mostly were westerners and the tunnel is really narrow.

all sweaty! imagine how hot it is inside the tunnel!

At the end of the tour, they will serve tea and cassava (kamoteng kahoy) or steamed tapioca to Westerners. There are souvenir items being sold too should you want to buy one. All in all, the tour was very informative and worth it, considering its price. It lasted for about 7 hours including pick up of guests and travel to and fro.

Touchdown at Saigon

When Cebu Pacific had their promo last year, I asked mom if she wanted to go to Vietnam since it is relatively inexpensive there than in any other neighboring Asian countries.  Of course she said yes. Lol.

I admit, I was hesitant at first since some friends were asking, “Why Vietnam?” I don’t know anything about it except for a hazy background on its war with America some 20 years or so ago. The only thing that excites me on going there is to shop for authentic (hopefully) but way cheaper The North Face bags since their factory is located there.

Since this was just a short vacay, I didn’t prepare for it as much as I did on our Hongkong-Macau trip in 2010. I didn’t spend too much time back reading on various online forums. It was a good thing that a friend and colleague went there in February so I just ‘interviewed’ her instead. I’m a DIY fanatic so I never considered getting a travel agency to arrange any of our trips for us. It is always best to be in control of your time while traveling. I hate to be rushed (especially in taking pictures. Lol)

This will be my first attempt to blog about my trip and my ultimate goal is to help others in a way who, like me, wants to travel the DIY style. I’ll try to be as detailed as possible, as much as my memory permits, so I’m doing separate entries for the budget/expenses, food, hotel, shopping, and tours.

As start up, here are some tips and info for first time travelers (abroad):

1. Visa is not required for Filipino passport holders in Vietnam and we are allowed to stay for a maximum of 26 days. At least that’s what the stamp on my passport says. Please also check your passports and make sure you have at least 6 months left before it expires.
2. Hotel reservation is not necessary; however, Immigration Officers might ask you about it so it is best if you’ve booked ahead, especially if you’re taking the 5J flight which is at 11pm. It will be inconvenient to tug your luggage along the streets while looking for a place to stay. Avoid the hassle, it’s very easy to reserve online.
3. Upon arrival at the airport, pay the travel taxes of Php 1,620.00 per person. I am not sure about the child’s rate, perhaps it’s discounted. In NAIA 3, it is located at the right endmost side. Just show your ticket and your passport.
4. Proceed to check-in, unless if you’ve already availed web check in feature of Cebu Pacific where you can print your boarding pass online. I cannot give feedback on this yet since I haven’t tried it personally.
5. Pay the terminal fee. It amounts to P550.00 as of posting time. It used to be P750.00 the first time I went out of the country two years ago. Still expensive, in my opinion. Hehe.
6. Before you line up for the Immigration, fill up the Embarkation Card. It is easy, it only asks for some personal information such as name, address, occupation, etc. If you are not hiding anything then going thru the Immigration will be a breeze. If you’re a government employee, make sure you have a travel authority/clearance as it is required.
7. After your passport has been stamped, proceed to the boarding gate. Happy Trip! :D

Barely 2 hours and a half later, you will be arriving at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. The weather is pretty much similar to ours but the time zone is not. Vietnam is 1 hour behind. So instead of 1:30am, you’ll touchdown at around 12:30am, Vietnam time. Their airport looks like our own NAIA 3. Here are some photos:

 

Just beside the exit is a Foreign Exchange stall at the left. From where I stood at the escalator, I saw a lady holding a cardboard with a sign: I USD = 21,500 VND. I was surprised because I checked on the rates before I left and it’s only 20,800 at high.

I checked on the other Forex stall beside it and their rate was 20,600 VND for I USD, I think. So I went back to the lady with the cardboard and asked with slow English: “1 USD = 21,500 VND?”

She just said “How much?” Then she handed me a piece of paper listing various currencies and their corresponding conversion rates. I was wondering why in the paper it said that 1 USD = 20,900 VND. I gave it back to her and told her: “No, you said it’s 21,500 VND per 1 USD.”

In the end she just said, “Ok, Ok! How much?” So I exchanged 200 USD amounting to 4,300,000 VND. Oh yeah, I’m a millionare! In Dong though, Booo! Haha.

hello eyebags! :p

 

By the way I counted it twice just to make sure. Lol. Lesson is, check many times and make sure they’re giving you the promised rate. Hehe.

I arranged for an airport pick up from the hotel so there was a driver waiting for us upon arrival. The car used was an old Kia model. I really mean old. We did not use the aircon. I was disappointed at first but it was cheap so I didn’t complain. The air outside was cool anyway. Lol. We traveled for around 30 minutes from the airport to Bui Vien St. on the backpacker’s district.

The area was packed by tourists. Despite Vietnam being one of the largest Christian Community in Asia, there wasn’t a trace of Holy Week Celebration there.

Upon reaching Luan Vu Hotel, Tao, the receptionist was telling me something. I didn’t quite understand because her English accent was not as clear. She then escorted us next door, and only then that I realized we’ll be spending the night there and not in Luan Vu.

This is where we slept on our first night, at Nhat Po Hotel. For a $21 rate, it wasn’t bad for a twin room. It even has a TV, a thermos, and a personal refrigerator which I didn’t bother switching on. The bed is a little hard though and the A/C is so-so. For some reason, I also cannot connect to their Wi-Fi. The bathroom is spotless but it was really small. 

 

Mom and I were a bit tired so we decided not to go out and just sleep. I also arranged a half day Cu Chi Tunnel tour the following day at 8am so we must take a rest. I’ll be talking about it on another entry.