Wedding Anniversary Weekend Getaway

A decade of being married! Not a simple feat, I tell you. Especially since during the past 10 years, we have been through a number of challenges: being childless for almost five years and being in a long-distance relationship for three years running. But here we are, still "stuck" to each other like leeches! :) And we have been blessed with a son who's now 6 years old! And, every month, it's either Wewin comes home or I go to Manila to spend time with him, with or without Trey. 

10th Wedding Anniversary Dinner at Punong Gary's Place, Silay City

And so it happened that October is a very special month for the three of us: Wewin is fortunate to have Trey's birthday fall on my birthday so he only needs to have one celebration. Also, this month is our wedding anniversary month. So, that's three celebrations rolled into one!

We wanted our 10th to be as memorable as possible and we were thinking of going back to Panglao Island, Bohol. We had good memories of our stay there in Amarela and we wanted Trey to share a part of that experience. We were also thinking of Dumaguete because I've always wanted to go there and experience its old world charm. Siquijor was also on our list because Wewin is a beach lover. Alas, Typhoon Paolo tried to join in the fun and up to the last minute we weren't sure whether we can even cross Bacolod City via Ro-Ro.  It was quite a windy and rainy day when we decided to leave but we were cleared and we were on our way via FastCat. (Note: On rough sea days, this is the best option. FastCat's vessel is a catamaran so it's not as undulating as other vessels during rough sea conditions. It's also new and clean. From Iloilo-Bacolod, we paid around Php 1,500+ for our SUV plus Php 300 (Php 150 for Trey) for our Business Class tickets).

And so our wedding anniversary weekend getaway begins!

After two hours of travel via roro, we arrived in Bacolod just in time for lunch. We met up with our friends in Melken's restaurant in Balaring. It was "madlos" time. Strong winds lashing through the waters and it was raining on and off and we were there eating at a floating restaurant. Food was good and with madlos, the ambiance was exhilarating! We had the usual Filipino fare of rice, sinugba nga baboy, isda, sinabawan, pasayan, and lumpia. 

Melken's Seafood Restaurant, Balaring, Silay City

For dessert, we went to Ann Co Cakes nearby for some tiramisu, mango brazos, carrot cake, and black sambo. I loved my tiramisu!

Ann Co Cakes, Silay City

We will meet with the Uy-Javelosa family again on our last day but at this point, we had to part ways as we check-in at Punong Gary's Place in Silay City, where our first adventure began. 

In this blog series, I will highlight our experiences per destination.

Day 1: Punong Gary's Place, Silay City
Day 2: Takatuka Lodge, Sugar Beach, Sipalay City
Day 3: Don Salvador Benedicto

(to be continued)

Synergy!

A friend of mine featured me in her blogspot. Thanks, Dot! 

Dot is Love

Welcome 2017!

Another year has passed. How was your 2016? And what do you look forward in 2017?

My 2016 was very tumultuous. Beginning May of last year, in hindsight, I think I already experienced what could very well be signs of perimenopause. I experienced several and successive episodes of anxiety attacks. I also remembered getting hot flushes come June. Worse, after I turned 43 in October, I had the longest bout of insomnia ever. It took almost two weeks coupled with that pervading feeling of hopelessness and I am so glad I got out of that rut. Before the year ended, I still experienced occasional insomnia but lesser anxiety. 

So, if you ask me what do I look forward to in 2017, the obvious answer would be a good night's sleep and peace of mind.

Funny how we often take for granted little things like these - sleep and a sense of calm. These are things money cannot buy for us. For some of us, we even abuse it and take it lightly. We try to go by the day not getting enough sleep and stress ourselves too much. Like nothing's gonna happen anyway and we will still live well. Well, not to burst your bubble, but slowing things down a bit will not hurt you at all. You are still going to live a life well-lived. 

Here's my take on life at the moment:

1. No rush. Enjoy every minute. Relish every moment. Take time to really be with someone. Be in the moment.

2. Unplug. Social media can be addicting and if you can't rein yourself in, you can get stuck there and you spend most of the time facing a screen when you should be outside taking in the beauty of a sunset, enjoying the coolness of the wind, the laughter of children in the neighborhood, and simply see real people going about their busy lives.

3. Go out. There's a lot to discover and explore! Maybe you'd be surprised to know that the best-tasting burger place may just be at the corner!

4. Get away from it all. Retreat to somewhere quiet and where you can be alone. Meditate. Ponder. Write. Do yoga. Just enjoy the "me" moment.

5. Eat healthy. It goes without saying that we need fuel for the body in order for us to be able to do all the things that we need to do. 

6. Sweat it out. If you're already into yoga, good for you! That's meditation and workout all at the same time! Gym time, Zumba, cross training, capoeira, dancing..anything that keeps your body moving! Do it!

7. Indulge. What's not to love about spas, massages, going to a parlor? Be pampered. You deserve it. 

8. And, if money is not an issue...travel. There's really something that you bring back with you everytime you go on a new destination and makes you more appreciative of what you have back home and grateful for the opportunity to have experienced something new. 

9. Art, music. Food for the soul. For that "aaah" moment.

10.  Sleep. I can't begin to tell you how important this is. It's your bed, it's your dream, it's your world. 

2017, please be kind.

Hakab Na 2016

At times, you are at a loss for words. And time. Thank God for friends. :) Thanks, Ted, for the feature! 

Click Hakab Na 2016

Knot, Knot, Knotting on Heaven's Door

I finally did macrame! Thanks to Anna J of @annajcreative on Instagram.

The piece I created at the workshop.

The piece I experimented with at home.

I am really not into knitting but I can do simple crochet. I'm not a good seamstress either but I can sew basic stitches but it's anything but neat! So, when the art of macrame came into my lap (literally hehehe), I was amazed that it is something that I can do! Hooray for another discovery! Truly, you never stop learning and you never stop to amaze yourself.

Grateful.

Photo grabbed from @annajcreative's IG