Off To A Conference

Finally, I have received my authority to attend the 19th Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) Joint Mindanao Regional Conference. This conference will be held on August 19-21, 2010 at Cagayan de Oro City.

I am excited about this event for several reasons: (1.) our chapter will be participating in the cultural night dance contest and I am one of the dancers of the said delegation; (2.) it will be my first time to attend an event held at Grand Caprice Hotel, which is just a few walks away from CDO's famous Limketkai Mall; (3.) I will be able to update myself with current issues and trends relating to my accountancy profession, considering that one of our big bosses from our Central Office is the speaker; and (4.) I will be off to a Nokia Center and have my cellphone's camera repaired when it got corrupted few months back.

To all CPAs in Mindanao who will be attending, see you there!

Reminiscing Summer

This post is already overdue. I should have made this earlier during summer but then again, I was busy with so many things that blogging took a backseat for a semester. Anyway, I would still like to feature our summer escapades, as they were so fun-filled and exciting.

I have been to three very nice places during summer and I would really love to go back there again. Going to these places may not be as costly as going to other countries or the like, but it was really fun to watch nature unfold right here in our own country.

Well, our summer took us to the following:

Britania Islands, San Agustin, Surigao del Sur

Britania is a group of island locally found in our region. They are still very raw as far as beauty is concerned and that what makes them amazing and superb. The white sands are so fine, they really felt good underneath the feet. Although it was hot during the time we went there, it was nonetheless fun to behold such beautiful creation. Our trip to Britania was our office's way of celebrating our over-all championship of the Mindanao Palaro held last April. I brought along the kids, too bad hubby was not able to join us since this trip was a working day and he was not able to take a leave of absence. This day was also my youngest 4th birthday, so the trip was my birthday treat for him. The picture on the right was proof enough of the kids' good time at the island. The sands were indeed so nice to play with.

Tinuy-An Falls, Bislig, Surigao del Sur

This is my second time to personally see a falls. The first was the Maria Cristina Falls in Iligan about 5 years ago. Anyway, I really love this falls and it was just truly amazing. The waters flowing from above were so powerful and yet so smooth and cool, it was really fun dipping into the water. The kids loved it a lot too, which could evidently be determined on their faces. My father also loved the water that he wished he could have stayed and dipped longer. Mother was also very impressed that she really went through the falling waters. I had fun lying down on the rocks with the water flowing underneath - - it was like a body massage and sun-tanning rolled into one, lol! See the magnificent waters at left? They would certainly render you speechless when seen in person (well, for me, it did). This trip was indeed memorable.

Bluejaz, Samal Island, Davao

Bluejaz Resort is just a 15-minute trip away from Davao City - - by boat, that is. It was a treat for our volleyball team for being the champion during the recently concluded Mindanao Palaro that we had last April, as mentioned above, that is. We went there as a team, together with our husbands and it was such a blast. We enjoyed dipping into the pool, while sliding our ways through their giant pool slides. There was also a fire dance at night and other forms of entertainment. (By the way, that's me and hubby above, taking a break from the slides to make a pose.)

Fun times are so nice to reminisce, and my summer was definitely one of those fun times.

Golden at Accor Hotels

Last Sunday was my aunt's golden wedding anniversary. She is my father's sister and among their siblings, they are closest to each other. I was awed how far she have gone on her marriage and nowadays, seeing a couple together celebrating their 50th year of married life is rare. Of course, courtesy of their nine children, they got married again about two weeks ago, as a renewal of their vows. They even had father's car as the bridal vehicle and a quite large reception followed afterwards.

I doubt that I could reach the age they have now, so I told hubby we celebrate a grand wedding anniversary on our 25th year. During that time, we could still be energetic enough to carry on endeavors relating to the grand celebration, much more travel to different destinations as honeymoon, lol! I wonder if our kids, who would then be grown ups by this time, would give us a trip to Australia as a wedding anniversary gift (dreaming on...).

Well, I just hope that Accor Hotels would still be offering sale rates 17 years from now, like the ones they are offering now. Dubbed as the City Super Sale, reduced hotel rates are being offered in 27 cities across 10 countries in the Asia Pacific and with this, big savings of up to 60% would be taken advantage by travellers! This is a limited time offer for now (June 23-29) and hope they will do this again in the years to come.

Do check out Accor Hotels City Super Sale now!

River In A Cave

I was checking through the New 7 Wonders website today (June 2) and found out that the four natural wonders from the Philippines are on the Top 10. That is very nice to know and hoping that Filipinos and even people of other nationalities would continue to support such wonderful and amazing sceneries.

I have already posted an entry last April featuring the beauty of Chocolate Hills and the Tubbataha Reef which were consistently on top of the live rankings.

Among the 4 Philippine wonder-nominees, I have been to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park only, which is located in Palawan. I should say that the place is raw, you can hear all kinds of insects, emitting their respective sounds, with various animal species on sight for local residents and tourists to behold. Its a good thing we brought with us an insect repellent. Of course, the wonder of it is the underground river, which is found beneath a very high rocky mountain.

The national park has a very natural feel. It is indeed a forest, with a beautiful beach before its entrance and a cool icy river within. As we waited for our turn to enter the cave, we had the opportunity to wander through the vicinity and it was really a great and new experience. Even the sands on the river is white, to which I was amazed. On the picture, we had our smiles captured first as we are on board the boat going into the cave.

This is the exterior view of the cave, the rocky mountains. Notice the sparkling white beach. Really nice.

As we went in, we were awed by the sight that welcomed us. The stalactite formations were magnificent especially the praying Virgin Mary and the big mushroom, which were really something that made us voice aloud our "ohs" and "ahs" in wonder. Wait, there's more (home TV shopping network mode...)! There's a formation of a sexy lady which they named Sharon Stone. And the bats, ooohhh...there are many of them. They look so cute hanging in line on those rocky walls. Inside the cave, we felt a little creepy but somehow as you go along, the amazement steps in.

This picture is taken on our way out of the cave.

Another thing, those boat men effortlessly spoke English! And they knew the place very well. Kudos!

Vote for the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park at the New 7 Wonders.

Kalui Dinner

Since Palawan is surrounded by various bodies of water, it is a common thought that seafoods are abundant in the area. One thing that we looked forward of going to Palawan is the fresh produce from the sea, which are undeniably yummier and healthier than meat.

And so, on our last night at Puerto Princesa, we indulged ourselves with special seafoods at their most sought-after diner, called Kalui. Kalui is such a nice place, very tidy and peaceful. The structure was so natural, with all those wooden floors even at their toilets. And talking about the CR, they have spacious and clean rest rooms, and we couldn't resist taking pictures in there! Each guest is required to take off his or her footwear and should only proceed to the premises barefoot. I myself am amazed with the ambiance, such a cool scenery indeed, from the lights all the way down to the bottom. They also had a waiting area for the guests. By the way, never mind those feet found on the right. I guess they just blended well with the floor, being natural as they are(haha!).

However, due to the numerous guests they have each day, Kalui only accepts customers through booking or reservation. And on our last night, we have eaten our dinner at 8pm already, since we have decided to book around 5pm. But the wait is worth it, and we were able to explore more of the place while our eating spot is being readied.

We ordered for their special of the day and I should say it was a very sumptuous dinner. I had a blast with their Fish in Coco Cream and Sizzling Spicy Seafoods. But what surprised me that moment was their Crunchy Eggplant in Taco Sauce, which was way too yummy! I have never been a fan of eggplants until I tasted their special. It was such a very nice experience. Even their Coco-Banana Shake is a must.

Kalui surely is a paradise for seafood lovers, me included. Although I could not say that their prices are very affordable, but it's worth everything.

*credits to Sally (in dark pink) for the photos...thank you girl!

Place To Stay In Palawan

On our week-long stay at Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, we were lucky to have booked a pension house beforehand, since it is inevitable that inns, hotels and pension houses are full due to the large number of participants of the convention.

Our group stayed at Lola Itang Pension and Restaurant. I have already booked for our stay through telephone (048-4332990) a month before we are supposed to go, and I am glad that I did. Some of my friends stayed at another place and one of them told me that Lola Itang was way better than their rooms.

I have booked for the double accommodation room, having two single beds at a rate of Php700 per day. Since I am very particular at cleanliness, I was impressed how tidy the rooms are, especially their toilet. They clean the room daily and the blankets and towels were also changed regularly. The towel I brought with me have never been used. . promise! The whole place has a great ambiance, it's like I'm just in my own house.

The people behind the pension house has also been very accommodating and friendly to us. As soon as we landed our feet at the Palawan Airport, my name written on a board paper was already in sight, as a sign of welcome. Although their location is not near from the port (but I'm not saying it's far, duh! say, 12-15 minute ride..., the trip was very pleasant through their hotel bus/van. Every query we had at their reception area, each personnel attended to us with the effort to satisfy us down to the detail.

This is not an advertisement post, but if ever it comes across your mind to visit Palawan, then Lola Itang Pension House is the place to stay for the night. They have affordable rates at quality services and if ever I will be going back, I will still choose to stay there. (wink!)

Oh, by the way, get some further glimpse of Lola Itang through their website, and that is www.lolaitang.com

Terminal Fee

Palawan is such a beautiful place. It is indeed a great place to relax, with all its natural scenery where one can find peaceful disposition, fresh air and exciting adventures.

But then, I guess, beauty is not handed over with all its perfect entirety. There seems to exist minor flaws that needed some room for improvement.

I got pissed with the lady who collected the terminal fee at the Puerto Princesa Airport. After I got my boarding pass, I immediately went to pay for my terminal fee, which is Php40. I gave her Php50, and she told me to give her the exact amount because she have no coins for the change. I said I have none, and so she asked if I have a Php100 bill so that she could give me Php60. Upon checking unto the contents of my wallet, I got a 100 bill and gave it to her, to which she gave me the 60 change in turn. I asked for the Php50 I gave her earlier but she just replied that I didn't gave her any...(what?!) I swear I gave it to her and as I checked through my wallet, there was no 50 bill in it. I was not able to argue with her anymore because there are other people who were also busy getting their terminal passes.

The amount may be minimal... but what really disappointed me was the act of the lady. God bless her.

Our Weekend Escapade

During the weekend, we went to Cagayan de Oro City, just a four hour drive from our hometown, Butuan City.

Since hubby is already in CDO (because he works there!), he met us up at the hotel we were staying. It was also the last day of my brother's board exams - - Civil Engineering - - and so the trip was really multi-purposed.

The most who had fun during the travel are my kids. They have been very excited about it, and voila! they really did enjoy everything, even their stay at the hotel just jumping along the mattresses and running around the hallways. They also had a blast on Wonderland and Kiddie Park, where they spent hours playing with various toys and with other kids as well while hubby and me were busy looking for great finds. We bought them their school bags, which happens to be costly nowadays, and some other stuff to get them ready for school.

We also made a stop to a town called Talisayan for lunch. This place is located just halfway from Butuan to Cagayan. We always stop over the place for a great dining on seafoods, and last weekend, we had a sumptuous sutukil (sugba,tuwa and kilaw). The kids also hang around the area for a bit and they are amazed at the sight of the monkey, a small snake and a giant lizard. Because the we ate at a "by the sea" diner, my kids wanted to join the other kids who had a dip on the beach. Unfortunately, they cannot because we are on travel.

Hoping we could find time to do this again. Although it is very tiring (with three kids in tow and very hyperactive at that), but then the fun and bond is there and made us closer as a family.

P A L A W A N

We got an invitation by the national president of the Government Association of Certified Public Accountants (GACPA) to participate in its 3oth Annual National Convention, which will take place in May 12-14 at Puerto Princesa, Palawan. Our first reaction to the invitation was.... "waaahhh, we should attend and get our noses on the sands of Palawan!!!".

GACPA has already taken us places before... in Cagayan de Oro (2003), Iloilo (2005), Baguio (2006) and Cebu (2007). Now, its Palawan and hope we could get the permission from our bosses to attend and off we go....

This will be my first time to land in Palawan, granted that we could be able to attend the convention. And so, to prepare my for my soon-to-be trip, I was browsing through the web to explore more about Palawan.

Palawan has about 1,780 islands and is situated between Mindoro and Borneo. It is declared as the nature sanctuary of the world, adorned with magnificent dive sites, refreshing rainforests, archaic caves and breathtaking coral reefs embellished with colorful and lively marine living things. Countless sea creatures could be glimpsed underwater, that are very pleasant and vibrant to view. Likewise, various flora and fauna are present in the area, with other rare species.

Aside from the living creatures, Palawan also boasts of its awesome resorts and pristine beaches. The place is heaven, and really blessed with all the beauty every person has never laid eyes on...(for me that's not an overstatement). Many tourists have been drawn to this beautiful place and vowed to return to explore more of its wonders. Anyway, Palawan waters are among the best in the world, with its crystal sands. It is also known as the last ecological frontier of the Philippines.

I can't wait to see for myself, with all these information about Palawan. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will be granted the authority to attend.