Seriously, this is not part of the plan for the year 2009 but my super kulit na dentist really cared for me so much despite me having no budget for braces. He convinced me to get them on right now and pay for it next year. I thought that was such a good deal so I was like "Alrighty!"
Presenting jellybean74170 with the metal mouth....
not bad, huh *wink*
Happy Birthday to my beloved Taylor Hanson!!! Whatever happened to you dude? Miss ya much mwhaaaaaaaaaa!!!!
It's been a while since the last time I've seen Vanjee so I was surprised when I got a text message from her saying she wanted to see this film Confession of a Shopaholic. Too bad I've already watched it with Josh. Then I remember this cute movie starring Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Aniston. Maybe we can watch that. So we set the date on a Saturday.
Friday night, I was busy searching the net for movie schedules only to find out that Saturday was going to be the opening day of the movie You Change My Life starring Sarah G. and John Lloyd Cruz. And this meant the entire Metro Manila cinemas suck big time. Mind you, I have nothing against the movie but the idea of having almost all cinema houses offering only this movie is very irritating. As if its telling the whole metropolis "Hey peeps, this is the only movie for today and you have no option but to watch this...and only this." DUH.
Thank goodness there are malls like Megamall with 10++ cinema houses. Even if they fill Cinema 1 to 10 with You Change My Life there would still be room for other really good movies.
Our call time was 12 noon. As usual Vanjee was late. When we arrived at Megamall the movie already started. We can't wait for the next show time because I have a shift at 7pm.
In the first few minutes of watching the film, we were getting bored. People were laughing but not us. I guess that's the bad thing when you didn't catch the movie from the very beginning. But after some time we were laughing like crazy and eventually liked the film. Oh, that's an understatement. I'd say we loved it from the beginning til the end. It's highly recommended and I am totally can relate to this movie. Yeah, that's me...hopeless romantic. Haha. Wuteva.
Things I loved about it:
When little Ginny (Ginnifer Goodwin) was asking her mother if she thinks she really smelled like dog poop. Geez, I just loved the expression on the little girl's face when she said "Do you know why that little boy did those things? Because he likes you." Very cutesy.
When Mary (Drew Barrymore)received a voice mail from this guy who happened to be a Bon Jovi fan. The guy was basically singing her name over and over. Then she gets another message from the same guy. This time the guy was singing someone else's name and then he said "Oops, I dialed the wrong number". What a jerk.
At a party where Anna (Scarlett Johansson)and Conor (Kevin Connolly),bumped into each other, Conor's gay friends knew exactly that they haven't slept together yet and he kept on denying it. Then those gay guys showed him the looks if they're really hitting it off. Josh told me about this too so I know this is so true. Hahaha.
After the party Alex (Justin Long) had thrown, Ginny waited for this pretty girl to disappear. And when they were all alone she suddenly jumped into Alex. He was so shocked. Ginny said something really really nice (sorry I forgot the exact line) and I feel for her. Sobs.
The way Neil (Ben Affleck) proposed to Beth (Jennifer Aniston). Very original (or so I think).
All those people being interviewed between scenes. I think they're so funny but still whatever they were saying makes sense to me.
The last part of the movie where all the casts were being interviewed like some kind of a documentary.
Things I hate about it:
I think there's none. I just lurve, lurve, lurve it!!!
The tail of jinx continued to tag along in our trip to Vigan, therefore calling this post a misadventure. It was very unnerving experience but in the end we still managed to enjoy a very short time spent in Vigan.
On our last night at Cervantes, I was trying so hard to contact Grandpa's Inn to confirm our accommodation in Vigan but no luck at all. It was super duper hard to get a connection through landline. I could do nothing but to cross my fingers and hope they wont give our rooms to anyone yet.
We left Cervantes in the afternoon. This time we will be passing Pasong Bessang. It's not even sunset but you can see the fog all over the place. No wonder this road can be pretty dangerous.
...stop over
one wrong move and your dead...
When we arrived at Bitalag, I finally got a connection. I called Grandpa's Inn but unforch our reservation is gone. Oh no. I texted my officemates in Manila to give me phone numbers of all inns and hotels in Vigan (Thanks Daddy Fred and Mark!). I called every single phone number they gave me but all are fully booked. We even gave Laoag a try but same thing. I told Vanj if we didn't get any accommodation we'll just go back to Manila.
At 9pm we were in Vigan. Some tricycle drivers were waiting for passengers asked us if we already have accommodation. Of course we did't have accommodations yet so we seek for their help. I told them about our failed confirmation at Grandpa's Inn. The tricycle driver said we could give it another try. When we got there, the guard confirmed to us that the inn is fully booked and referred us to Jaja's Hotel. Jaja's Hotel is located along the highway, a few minutes away from Vigan. Hmmmm no choice. We certainly needed a room. So off we went to Jaja's and checked in at the only room available. Whew!
About Jaja's it is basically a no-frill accommodation. For 800 bucks a night we got an airconditioned room, a small TV with cable and common bathroom. 
After settling in our room we found ourselves starving. Our last meal was lunch in Cervantes so we went to the hotel's restaurant to order some food. To our dismay the restaurant was already closed. Good thing there were flyers from Shakey's displayed at the reception area. We got one and asked if we can use their phone to call Shakey's. I dialed the number but can't seem to get through. I dialed again. Nothing. Finally I asked the staff if the phone's working. He said yes. I asked him why I can't contact Shakey's? He said it's because you're calling Shakey's Manila and that phone can only be use locally. I asked him why would Shakey's put their Manila phone number in a hotel located in Vigan? Isn't that strange? The staff did not reply. End of conversation.
I tried to call Shakey's again but this time I used my cellphone. Somebody answered on the other line and confirmed to me that there is a Shakey's restaurant located in Vigan however they only deliver til 10pm. If only I've used my cellphone earlier we could have had our food delivered and did not waste time for a stupid conversation with a stupid person who didn't even know Shakey's existed in their very own city.
We were in the middle of nowhere and didn't know where we can get some food. A very nice staff with much much more sense than the fist one said they sell some crackers. Still no choice we bought the crackers. Here's what we had for dinner. We just thought after all the pigging out at the wedding, diet mode naman :-)
We woke up very early the following day. Since this is just a side trip we had very limited time. We made a deal with the tricycle driver to pick us up at 7am. Surely, he was there before 7am. We told him to bring us to a place where we can eat breakfast since we didn't get proper meal last night. To my surprise he said "Jollibee?". I wasn't ready for that. Vanj and I looked at each other. No way!!! There are far too many Jollibee back in Manila and another Jollibee in Vigan wasn't very appealing to us. We told him to bring us to any non-fastfood chains. His answer surprised me no more. He suggested "palengke". Obviously this tricycle driver rarely knows tourist spots in this city. So we were like "Whatever, kuya." He dropped us at some unknown place where stores are mostly closed. Left in the middle of nowhere (again), Vanj and I tried our best to find a place to eat. After a few minutes of walking with empty stomach we gave up and hired another tricycle. We told the driver to drop us at Calle Crisologo.
The driver dropped us in front of Cafe Leona. Still it was closed at early morning. There was Max Restaurant too offering native dishes like Vigan longganisa and bagnet. But we were captivated by the famous Calle Crisologo and we totally forgot how hungry we were.
Calle Crisologo...
...where's jellybean?
Found this quaint little coffee shop hidden along the way. We stopped here to try something they offered.
...inside the coffee shop
their menu...
Vigan torta, crispy crust yet soft like cake on the inside...yum!!!
The camera's battery started to become low. Enough of the picture taking. It's time to buy the pasalubong. Though there were pasalubong available in Calle Crisologo we figured it might be cheaper in the market. So we hired another tricycle and asked to be drop off at the market. Now this driver was very tourist friendly. We told him we're going to buy some longganisa and bagnet. He said he knew a place where we can get them fresh. And surprise, surprise, he brought us to the place where they make longganisa and bagnet. Woot!
a lady making some longganisa...
...finished product
bagnet...ready to be cook
The bagnet won't be cook until 11pm. We need to get back at the hotel before 12 noon to check out so we went to the market and see if there were available bagnet. The tricyle driver was really nice and helped us out in finding bagnet. On our way back to Calle Crisologo our driver spotted a rider carrying freshly cooked bagnet. Isn't he amazing? Our driver followed him all the way back again to the market and that's the story of how we got to take home bagnet despite our tight schedule. Hehe.
Tight schedule as it was, we made it on time to check out at the hotel and catched the next bus going to Manila. Big thanks to that tricycle driver. I'm sorry but we failed to get his name nor his phone number. He is a really nice guy and can be a great tour guide in Vigan together with his tricycle. For a job well done Vanj and I gave him a generous tip cos he really deserved it.
On the bus I remembered something. It's the empanada!!! How can we forget those? I so wanted to try them and find out how good are those Vigan empanada but what can I do? Hay, next time na naman?
Until next time Vigan...
December 27, 2008. It was a lovely day. All sunny but the breeze was cool. Rey and Anjee exchanged vows in front of their families, relatives and friends. The wedding ceremony went smoothly. Solemn and everything any couple could wish for. It was perfect. Thought the entire mass was in Ilocano we didn't mind at all.
The Grooms' Men and Bridesmaids very own photo shoot:
When everybody was full next came the programme and some more dancing. As I said these town people loves to dance. They never get tired of it. Even the senior citizens were game. The funny thing though was their song choices. It's very very limited and worse yet repetitive. The most repetitive songs ever were Brother Louie and Endless Love. One more thing, they have their own interpretation of song genre. To them, Brother Louie is rock or any other fast songs even if it's R&B or trance...its rock. Modern to them was the 10 years ago Backstreet Boys song. Fascinating, huh?
With all those partying and socializing, we finally realized how tired we were. Ivy's heading back to Manila. Unforch she can't come with us to Vigan. We spent our last night at Anjee's place charging our batteries for the next day adventure.
We woke up early in the morning because Anj will be touring us around the place. It was really nice seeing all those greens and the breath-taking view of the mountains. Very relaxing. Sometimes it's good to just stop, smell the fresh air and appreciate the beauty of nature. Pure and simple.
pathway leading to...
...this
ang kambal bow...
...mist
Next stop was the hanging bridge. Oh my it sure was scary but didn't stop us for some photo op.
Vacation trip to a province will never be complete without visiting and taking a deep at a nearby river. Refreshing.
It's time to say goodbye and gave our best wishes to the newly weds. In behalf of this blog I would like to thank their families for the warm welcome and accommodating us. We appreciated it so much. Til our next trip to Cervantes.
Finally to Rey and Anj.. may you forever shower each other with kisses, hugs and most importantly love that will last for a lifetime.
Happy birthday to...
Nanay (Jan 22) and Ivy (Jan 24)
More birthdays to come! Love yah!
Cheers!!!
For years that I have known Anjee, she and her family always visit Ilocus Sur every chance they get. Makes me wonder what was it like there. She did invite us to visit but for some reason we never get to set it up. Now, who would have thought we will be able to go there and it will be on her wedding day? It was her parent's hometown as well as Rey's hence it's a suitable place to hold the wedding... in Cervantes, Ilocus Sur.
It's the first wedding for the apat na sikat. We were all very excited. We know it wouldn't be easy to go there since Cervantes is in proximity to Mountain Province and Benguet. We were more than aware of how bad the roads there but at least we knew what to expect because of our Sagada escapade. It's going to be a memorable day for us plus a mini vacation. How nicey!
Our trip to Cervantes started with very bad vibes. It's like something was holding us from getting there. It was raining cats and dogs on the night of our trip. Plus, we were not so lucky enough to get decent seats on the bus. We happened to be early at the bus terminal but unforch they no longer sell tickets. Our only chance was... well being chance passenger at Victory Liner. Come on there's no big deal if you're a chance passenger. That is if your really have the chance to get a seat but the only thing we're so concerned about was getting there and we mean getting there on time. Anjee already explained to us that transportation going to Cervantes has schedule and limited. Talk about tough luck. That's what we needed badly. And somehow we did manage to board the bus though I must say it was a bumpy ride. Ivy and I were basically sharing a seat (buti na lang mga sexy kami haha!) just so we can make it on time for the first and last trip of the vans going to Cervantes. I was awake all night long and wishing we can get to Baguio really soon so I could at least catch a nap on the van we will be taking next.
We arrived at Baguio really early. Plenty of time to look for the van terminal. Too tired, too sleepy and too hungry we headed to this semi-Korean resto for breakfast. This has becoming a fave of mine whenever going to Baguio. Here's our feast.
...crab soup with invisible crab meat
ham and french toasts...
...seafood something
After the very satisfying brekky I received a text message from Anjee saying there's an alternate transpo going to their place. In slaughter house there were buses going to Cervantes. Those buses were heading directly to their house. We just needed to take that bus and drop at their very front step. So I was like "Okay girls, forget the van, forget the hanging bridge, we're taking the bus". Wonderful.
Again we were early at the bus station but it seemed the buses or let say the drivers were not professional enough to go to work on time. Blame it on the holiday. The drivers were drunk from last night's Christmas celebration. None of them were up that early. We kept on bugging the barker there asking when will the drivers arrive and when exactly are those buses leaving? They said they're on the way. And they kept saying that for the last 2 hours.
It's already 7am and still nothing. We're extremely worried at this point. This trip was very important to us (didn't I mention that already?)and the last thing we could think of was leaving Baguio on the day of the wedding. Really scary and would totally ruined the wedding. People were flocking the terminal because there were no buses, heck there are plenty of buses parked right in but no drivers. They too were wondering why this was happening. And all of them said it's very unusual.
Our only chance came just in time. A jeepney offering a ride straight to Cervantes. We were tired and all that jazz but what the heck. This jeep will bring us to our destination. Forget about taking a nap, seating my ass properly or whatever. Last chance. If this is what will take to get us there, bring it on.
And the agonizing journey began. After an hour the jeep had to stop because of a flat tire.
...stop over
flat tire tsk tsk...
...when will this misery end?
We waited for a few minutes for them to replace the tire and we waited some more for a stop over to a vulcanizing shop. Then, there was the never ending dirt road giving us free face powder the entire trip. By lunchtime we were able to meet other passengers who happened to be Rey's relatives. They were nice enough and assured us that we were almost there. Great. Just great.
At the Cervantes town proper, we found out from Anjee's very soon-to-be relatives that we needed to take another jeep to get to the exact location. We settled to this jeep already parked waiting for some more relatives. Ivy, already planning to go top load when the good news came. We finally saw familiar faces. On the other side of the road came Anjee's family vehicle carrying Mike, Joy and Mel. Alleluia!
On the way to their house we saw the friggin' hanging bridge which Anjee mentioned to cross once we arrived at Cervantes after taking those vans from Baguio. The bridge was more or less a kilometer long! With all our bags and luggage I bet it would take forever to cross that. Somehow I was kinda thankful we took the jeep.
Finally, at Anjee's place we see more and more familiar faces. We were greeted and welcomed warmly by their family. Instantly we felt at home and totally forgot our miserable trip. As usual everyone was busy preparing for the party happening that night and of course the wedding next day. We settled in our room and rest for a bit, took a bath, some chit chat here and some chit chat there.
We were expected that night for the wedding rehearsal and the traditional pasayaw. Ivy, Vanj and I were wondering what was this pasayaw thingy cos none of have ever heard of this before. We were in for some surprises.
Supposedly the wedding ceremony is to take place at the town's Cathedral. However, there had been some unreasonable people who were trying to ruin Rey and Anj's day by booking the same place, date and time. Now the town's parish priest said he can only officiate one wedding per day so what will happen is they will have both weddings on the same place, date and time. Of course that is totally unacceptable considering Rey and Anj requested that date way too early and all of a sudden these despicable couple showed up and said they're having their wedding at the same place. Same date and time. No freakin' way! Anyway, Anjee's an optimist and and she will not let those evil and powerful couple ruined her day so she just gave way for them and they'll just hold the wedding at a chapel just a stone throw away from their home. I can only wish those irritating couple's marriage would last (evil laugh).
The wedding rehearsal went quickly and we were back at the house for dinner. As part of the wedding preparation they got some pigs and cow butchered. For dinner, we were served meats cooked the Ilocano way. They served us papaitan, dinuguan and dinakdakan. Sorry no pics here. Papaitan is a famous Ilocano dish cooked with bile to make it taste bitter. I loved this dish and I rarely eat this because no one in my family knows how to cook it. During our entire stay in Cervantes I was sure eating this every meal. About the dinuguan they have different style of cooking it. In Manila, dinuguan is flowing with the pig's bloody soup. Dinuguan the Ilocano way was very dry. Anyway it still tasted good and I'm glad I'm not a Muslim haha! As for the dinakdakan, I was afraid to try it because it looked too fatty. They said it was good though but to taste is to believe. I guess I'll give it a try next time.
Wonder no more. Up next is the traditional pasayaw. Here all the abays will be asked to dance by anyone and it is rude to refuse. I'm not gonna make kwento na what happened. The pictures here obviously said it all. Feel free to caption them.
No doubt these town people loves to dance. It was past 12 midnight and it looked like the party just started. I was like "Hell-o?" The wedding's at 8am and we need to be up by 3am to have our hair and make up done.
Anjee however was superb. She stayed up late until the pasayaw ended and woke up as early as 2am. She was unbelievable. With all the commotion and glitches from the last minute preparation she still managed to be cool-headed. Anyhoo, every one was able to manage as well and made it through.
To be continued...
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