Pixel Bug

I am sorry for not posting on time. My body clock has not fully adjusted with the time difference.

Our weekend was spent in Fabulous Las Vegas. It was a lovely city with all the night life. Here are some photos.

At the Venetian Hotel

Hard Rock Cafe

See you again next week. Don’t worry even if I do not comment on your posts, I have visited them

Just arrived in LA, and here we are straight from the airport. Some sort of a reunion on the part of my hubby’s family.

Sorry for the short post. Kinda jet lagged….

Cousins and friends

Hubby’s aunt and cousins..

PHOTO HUNT: Hanging

These photos were taken last summer during our exhilarating escapade at Subic Tree Top Adventure.

Here’s my son hanging as he was rappelling down a 60-foot tree.

And this is my daughter hanging as she was about to rappel down.

These batch will include the lovely tropical, exotic plants that I saw during our recent trip to Quezon. I fell in love with that place the first time I saw it. Nothing fancy, but I just love the greenery unlike here in the Metro. It’s like a tropical rain forest, that’s why there are a lot of beautiful plants. When you’re close to nature, the feeling of serenity is there and we, Manilenyos need that every so often.

Here are some of the gorgeous flowers and plants I saw growing there.

156/365 Anthurium or “Flamingo Flower”

157/365 Bromeliad – a very common tropical plant. There are a lot of varieties of Bromeliad and this is just one of them.

158/365 Blue Hydrangea – I love these flowers, too bad I can’t grow it here in the Metro. Even though you can see hydrangea being grown in our country, these lovely ornamental plant thrives in cooler climate. If you’ll notice, we have a lot of them in Baguio and Tagaytay. Quezon being at the foot of the mountain has a cooler climate also compared in the City. These flowers have become a favorite for wedding bouquets and arrangements because of its soft, delicate look.

159/365 This another kind of a very lovely exotic flower. If I am not mistaken, this is called a Red Ginger. If anyone knows the real name of this plant, please let me know by leaving a comment.

160/365 I never really know what this fruit is and upon searching, I discovered that it is called the NippleFruit. This is commonly used as an ornament for exotic flower arrangements. It is realted to the tomato and potato family. However, this fruit is poisonous if ingested.

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Husay (Skillful)

Ang mga palayok na ito ay ilan sa mga produkto ni Ugu Bigyan. Isa sa mga kilalang “potters” ng ating bansa. Napakahusay ng kaniyang kamay sa paglilok ng mga ito, kaya naman siya ay tinatawag na “ceramic artist’.

Dinalaw namin ang kaniyang studyo sa Tiaong, Quezon. Napakabait na tao ni Ugu at kahit gabi na ay pinagbigyan pa rin niya kaming makita ang kaniyang mga gawa. At syempre napabili rin ang inyong lingkod. Kilala si Ugu sa kaniyang pagkamalikhain sa paglilok ng mga “dinnerware”, mga “accent pieces” o dekorasyon. Ilan sa mga suki niya ay ang mga kilalang resort tulad ng Amanpulo, El Nido, Villa Escudero, Hidden Valley, Campo Travieza at marami pang iba. Tunay na maipagmamalaki nating ang husay ni Ugu sa kaniyang napiling propesyon.

Ang kaniyang studyo ay siya ring kaniyang tahanan, kung saan nagbibigay siya ng pottery workshop.

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Coming home in the Philippines after having stayed in the State most of your life, you’d definitely want to see the country. And since my balikbayan cousin-in-law only had a few days to stay here we decided to bring her on a trip south of Manila.

The itinerary was a road trip to Laguna and Quezon. We visited a lot of wonderful places but for this week’s Pixelbug Weekend, I will feature the Sitio de Amor, the place we where we stayed. Sitio de Amor is part of the Viaje del Sol — featuring the tourist destinations of the south from San Pablo, Laguna to Quezon. It is a 4.5 hectare orchard between Mt. San Cristobal and Mt. Banahaw. If you are looking for a place to rest and just enthrall yourself to the beauty of nature, this place will surely entice you.

As you arrive, you are welcomed by their complimentary welcome drink — fresh coconut. Make sure to request that it be placed inside the fridge prior to your arrival.

One of the rooms we occupied had a refreshing view of the lagoon. The water from the lagoon comes from Balanga River. Waking up to such an amazing view will truly rejuvenate you — far from the hustle bustle of the city.

The main pavilion is perfect for  wedding receptions and other special occasions. As we were having breakfast, a young couple was there making sure the final arrangements for their upcoming reception are in place. Quite a romantic place, I might say especially during the night when all the lights are lit.

Aside from the room with a view of the lagoon, they also have a tree house which you can rent for PhP10,000/night. This could fit around 10 people. The other two rooms were beside each other, Duhat and Caimito which you can rent at PhP3,500 and PhP4,000 respectively.

For those who want to cool down, you can take a dip in their infinity pool. Just the thing for our summer climate.

Sitio de Amor Farm Resort
Km 88.8 Maharlika Highway
Barangay San Antonio 1
San Pablo City, Laguna

Prior reservations are required, you may call (02) 552-7340 and +63918- 9274346
Email: sitiodeamor@yahoo.com

Directions: Sitio de Amor is about 1 and a half hours from Manila. Take Maharlika Highway from South Superhiway heading towards Lucena. Take Maharlika Highway from South Superhiway heading towards Lucena — on your left side, and 3 kilometers before Villa Escudero. Turn left, it is about 600 meters in.

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As a child, I have memories of my family visiting Luneta Park or Rizal Park and even having my picture taken at that place. Luneta is where the monument of our national hero, Jose Rizal is located. As a Filipino, I just feel that my kids should visit the place to have a sense of nationalism.

Last Saturday, I decided to take them there. More than the reason above, it’s also an excuse for me to take photos for my photography class. Luneta has changed a lot the last time I was there. It’s actually a lot cleaner than I remembered.

The first photo is a picture of my son riding the Kalesa — a horse driven carriage introduced in the Philippines during the 18th century. It is no longer a popular form of transportation, you hardly see them in the Metro except for tourist spots like this. The kutsero or the kalesa driver was so friendly, he actually allowed my son to be the kutsero during our ride. It was truly an exciting experience for my ten year old.

My kids are never afraid of animals which is a good thing — they just love to caress and play with them. Here you can see them enjoying their time with the horse.

One good thing about trips like this is that I can see my kids enjoying each others company. And as a mom, it’s a joy to see them like that.

I would have wanted to catch the sunset by the bay, but my boy insisted to ride the train that was going around the park… How can I resist?

I just have to settle with this sunset photo….

It was quite a tiring day for me and the kids but it was all worth it. Seeing the smile on their faces, I know this weekend will be part of their childhood memories.

How about you? How did your weekend go?

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Sabi ng matatanda, “Ang taong tamad ay walang mararating.” Korek! Agree naman ako dito. Kaya nga bilang magulang tinuturuan ko ang aking mga anak na magsipag upang makamtan nila ang kanilang mga pangarap. Subali’t dahil bata ay normal lang naman na paminsan-minsan ay tamaan ng katamaran. Katulad noong pumunta kami sa Palawan… Heto ang aking bunso, tinamad maglakad nang makita kung gaano kahaba ang lalakarin sa NAIA Terminal 3. Kaya nakiusap kay ate kung pwede siyang sumakay sa pushcart. Mabait naman si Ate at pinagbigyan si bunso.

At dahil napagod sa buong araw na pagsiswimming at boat ride, heto na lang ang ginawa ng aking panganay at ng aking kapatid nang makita ang kama sa hotel. Nararamdaman ko ang katamaran sa kanila dahil ako din gusto ko nang mahiga, pero dahil nanay ako, hindi pwedeng humilata na lamang sa mga biyaheng tulad nito. Syempre pa, ako ang manngagalaga sa mga maruruming damit at lahat ng bagahe… Ang basa ay patutuyuin muna bago i-impake. Dahil malalaki na sila, pagkatapos ng pictorial na iyan ay pinatayo ko sila upang ayusin ang kanilang mga basang damit. Hehehe … sadista ba? Hindi naman… tinuturuan ko lang ng responsibilidad upang di maging tamad paglaki.

(According to our elders, “A lazy person will never reach his dreams.” Correct! and I agree with that. That’s why as a parent, I teach my children not to be lazy and be full of life in order to reach their dreams. But then, they’re kids and it’s normal to have episodes of laziness from time to time…. just like the first photo. My youngest was overwhelmed at how big the airport at NAIA Terminal 3 and seeing how long we’re going to walk, he requested his sister if he can ride the push chart and my daughter willingly obliged.

The second photo shows my sister and my daughter lazily lying on the bed. This was after a day at the beach and boat ride. Due to exhaustion, this was the first thing they did when they entered the hotel room …. the bed was heaven. I honestly would want to jump in with them but as a Mom, I can’t do that just yet especially during travels like this. I take care of everything… luggage, gears, esp the wet clothes — I make sure that they are dry before I even pack them. Since these two girls are big enough, after that shoot, I asked them to stand up and help out. Am I cruel??? Hehehe. No, I’m just teaching them a little bit of responsibility so they won’t turn out to be lazy when they grow up.)