Oh hello 2013. Didn't notice you there.
Bath time fun for tots.
Baguio house by the hill.
No fireworks. No countdown. No Media Noche. No raising of glasses. No Auld Lang Syne on loop.
Just me and my netbook.
The hubby and our baby doll snoozed long before the stroke of midnight. I, on the other hand, worked on the Pinoy Travel Blogger's December blog carnival until the wee hours. Didn't even notice the arrival of 2013. A stark contrast of what was taking place in Sydney's central business district where hundreds of thousands of Aussies and tourists flocked for the barbies, bubbly drinks and the 6.6 million Australian dollar pyrotechnic extravaganza.
It was spectacular as expected, and it would have been awesome to have witnessed it up close ... But we just couldn't imagine dragging our arses and the tot's arse to such bedlam.
First lunch of 2013 with ze in-laws.
We had a simple celeb on New Year's day with my in-laws. And yes, over barbie. Present were my mum-in-law and her ex-husband, a very hungover bro-in-law and his less hungover fiancee, and us. After a good feed of kebabs and oven-roasted veggies, we whiled the afternoon sitting at the backyard, accompanied by coffee and tea. In my case, glasses of red.
Our toddler Luna and my mum-in-law's cat Hamish were the main entertainment.
A whole afternoon of watching bubbles glide through the wind. Hamish, shall we call the firestation now so you can get down?
2013 is our segue to domestication. Next year, our daughter will begin preschool. So this year we intend to live in different places on longer periods (longer than the usual one month). In a way, we'll get used to routines. And having nosy neighbors. And owning a rice cooker. I'm quite sad to be honest, of losing immense freedom. But I'm also up for the challenge. Of being a better cook. Of cleaning the house once a month regularly. Of tending the herb garden.
Imagine how much nonsense posts I'll be sharing to my uhm, cult following.
... Aaand I drifted back to the topic of bush fires. I yawned. Can't wait to excuse myself and pack for our first road trip of the year which begins the morning after.
That Mcdo birthday party happened too soon, judging by the near nil population of tykes.
I reckon on the seventh year would be most ideal. When she'd have more friends. When she'd understand the rules of a certain game. And when she'd have use for the prizes and giveaways. But due to the passing of a close relative and time constraints (we just got back from a month-long backpacking trip four days earlier), we opted for something quick and easy and in Tarlac where my parents are based.
We booked the party just the day prior. Upon getting off a Cubao-Tarlac City bus, we caught sight of the newly opened Mcdonald's Motorway (like, that-day-opened), thanks to the drum and lyre corps hanging out in front of the building. It was brimming with customers hoping to get a free umbrella for every order of chicken meal.
Despite the pandemonium, the assistant manager promptly accommodated us. Fifteen minutes later, I was signing the function order (the first for this branch) unhappily ticking the Disney Princesses theme. There weren't much options.
Already, Luna and I share hats.
Homemade cake by Aunt Flor. One of the best choco cakes I ever had.
On Luna's big day, among the thirty plus people who attended, there was only one tot who's her age. And she was clutching her mum's arm throughout the event, afraid to do just about anything with all the strangers around.
Two out of the three games were played by the adults. And that resulted to boisterous laughs that lasted even after the party.
So how about the birthday girl? Well, she had the time of her life with those multihued balloons.
So the cab driver ditched us. He probably feared that he might be held up. By who? By a motley crew of four groggy backpackers? Well, we couldn't blame him. We were parked at some empty, unpaved street, far far away Baguio City's center. At ten in the morning the fog was uber dense. Like, the eerie kind of fog.
Fellow blogger Marky of Nomadic Experiences who organized the whole shindig, knocked at some random house and asked for Cinema Leonardo as the rest of us (Monette, Melo and I) angrily stepped out of the cab. One resident directed us to follow an ascending road that branches off Luna Street. After walking a few meters, to our left we saw a gated, capacious lot. There's a house in one corner and a small gazebo opposite to it on the other side. In the middle, a familiar-looking wishing well.
Familiar to me for I saw it on Cinema Leonardo's website. We waved hello to the two caretakers, one ushered us inside the house. And what a far-out abode it is! After the laying the groceries on the kitchen counter, we mindlessly roamed in and out of the spacious rooms. Then up the stairs to the home videotheque which unfortunately was non-existent during our visit. Nonetheless we enjoyed the artwork on the walls... And rolling over gargantuan pillows.
Meanwhile downstairs, after Melo took awesome snapshots (all of ze photos on this post are his), he worked the stove. We followed as soon as we caught a whiff of the aroma of sinigang broth. At the dining area, I put my feet up and joined everyone hangin' out in Facebook. If not for leeching on Melo's pocket WiFi, we would have actually felt we were "away from civilization". Cause you know, Cinema Leonardo has that feel and uhm, geographic location. And that's something this mum needs once in a while.
Later that day we were joined by travel bloggers Kaiz in the afternoon, and cool couple George and Izzy past midnight. It was a weekend of piggin' out and chugging unpopular alcohol at nine in the morn. Grooveeehhh!
I was so close to passing out. Amidst a sea of happy campers, I was the lone, sullenly aloof mum aboard. We were approaching Camaya Coast's dock, and even the stunning beach front view that unveiled before us failed to make me smile. My head felt like splitting, and I could barely breathe. That dang fever has taken its toll.
Despite the nasty sickness, I tried not to be a drag. And kept an open mind about the "tripping". While my cousins ran straight to the beach upon docking, we (with the hubby and my mom) were ushered to the resto for free lunch. You see, interested parties are served meals before the actual "tripping". In case you dunno, a tripping is an ocular visit of possible clients to a certain property.
Let me just say this, I certainly did not expect free lunch, and it seemed like the other trippers anticipated this. And man, they looked prepped to hit the beach too... Judging by the number of flotation devices and beach balls lying around. Okay I admit, I brought swimmers for our daughter as well but that's because a priest (my uncle's friend) said so. It was actually he who organized the whole shindig. And he who, uhm, joined my cousins as they ran toward the beach.
Model of Camaya's studio condo.
After lunch, we strolled a few meters inland with the sales representative, where we were fetched by Camaya's service van. First model unit we viewed was the studio unit. Upon entering, the room was filled with oohhs and aahhs. It was tastefully decorated with pieces that follow a resort living theme, with a splash of retro prints. My kind if theme, and my kind of splash.
A lone villa under construction, view from the condo's rooftop.
We viewed the two-bedroom condo next, and it was as beautiful as the studio one. I can imagine how these model units can easily entice trippers (Those who got the dough, at least.) to reserve a unit straight away. For a moment, we seriously considered purchasing a unit, but the hefty price of almost three million pesos made us think thrice. For that amount, we could buy a house with a yard somewhere else.
Also, we took into consideration the looong wait for the unit's grant. Three years? Four? Should we purchase a house, we'd like to move in as soon as possible. Plus, there's so much construction going on (Roads, establishments, etc.) envisioning the future community required a psychedelic imagination. We certainly don't want to buy a property somewhere that's "on the rise".
The sales representative brought us to the residential lots next. A gargantuan part of the area was still being bulldozed and its roads, though not bumpy, were still unpaved. We didn't stay long for there's no model house to see. After our ocular, we headed back to the restaurant and sought refuge from the summer heat. Our relatives rejoined us the next hour. At 2:30 PM, hallelujah, we caught the next ferry leaving the coast.
I can visualize Camaya Coast's potential, however, I can also foresee that it ain't for us. The condo units, villas, and houses are beyond our budget. And... We don't like a body of water with jellyfishies in it (As if I don't have issues with open water to begin with.). It's prolly for you, folks! If you're interested to see this resort residence, book your tripping now. Visit their website for more details www.camayacoast.com. They offer free lift from PICC Complex via ferry! Must be booked in advance though.
Hear ye rasta mums! Now here's a shindig for you.
The venue, Encenada Beach Resort. Photo by Melo of Out of Town Blog.
Don't miss this chance to watch some of your fave reggae acts perform while frolicking in the water, either with long lost skankin' pals or your equally crazy family. Yep, stage will be set up on the beach! This coming April 28 Coco Jam, Reggae Mistress, Jun Lopito, Lady I, Coffee Break Island, Turtle Cub, Kapis, Iraya, DJ De Luna, DJ Shrimpy and DJ Tomas will get your rasta groove on. So troop over to Encenada Beach Resort in Brgy. Palangan to join the merry-making, event starts at 5.
Admission is free, and drinks could be ordered from the bar. Have an irie weekend!
1. From Batangas Port, take ferry to Muelle. Then ride a trike to Encenada Beach Resort (about P20 each person).
2. From White Beach, trike ride to Brgy. Palangan where the resort is may cost P100 each person. Haggle, haggle, haggle.
Sooo fun that even I was enticed to jump in.
Okay, maybe I was crazier about it than my baby doll. You see, our daughter Luna acquired her bath phobia last year in Australia where we temporarily resided for three months. Source of fear: Unknown. She always had warm baths so it can't be the frigorific water. We also surrounded the tub with toys to keep her preoccupied, however, she never touched the toys.
On a few occasions I even joined her in the tub, hoping she'd be less scared. It didn't work either. She wailed and wailed. And wailed.
She prolly prefers another color, wachu think?
I stumbled upon Sesame Street Fizzy Tub Colors in Target during the hubby's business trip in Santa Clara, California. I purchased a sachet with only 6 tablets (about $1) since I'd only be able to use it in our hotel room's tub. And well, when buying stuff for the first time, I always grab the trial size.
Sesame Street Fizzy Tub Colors. Product photo from here.
So did it give Luna a fun bath? Well, the snapshot says it all. I kinda threw in the towel after that. Except for her, I reckon any tot will like these tub colors. Colors are mainly primary, and can be mixed to produce different hues. Pretty educational for the little earthlings. Its formula is mild and contains Bitterguard, so no need to worry about the little one drinkin' that concoction.
Luna ain't scared of bath time anymore, finally, after several months of traveling. Now I just hope I find a pack of this here in the Philippines and I'll use it for our baby's batya bath.
Disclaimer: Nope, this is not a sponsored post.