Half of the week was spent in Manila, the other half was spent away from the city. How I wish I could say that it was meant for a great vacay. But who am I to complain when work entailed going to Puerto Princesa? Especially when everything was already pre-arranged. I don't have to book my plane tickets, search for the best accommodation and more importantly, the budget for my everyday expenses. So to my colleagues who made everything easier, thank you!

Most of my friends have been telling me to extend my stay in Puerto Princesa. If only I had the luxury of time, I would have stayed for a week. It's the perfect opportunity to see one of the new seven wonders of the world. Underground River, El Nido, Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, there are so many places to see. Unfortunately, I'm not the great person in performing multi-tasking. I just can't combine work with pleasure. Work has to be work. Pleasure has to be pleasure. When I have the next opportunity to explore Puerto Princesa, I will ensure that it will be meant for travel and pleasure. :)

While I'm still daydreaming of my next trip to Puerto Princesa, let me recount the beautiful things that made my week.



View from working inside a historical site in Manila - Not everyone has the chance to see old buildings and structures from their workplace. This is one of my favorite structures near the workplace. Although the white paint is filled with dust and dirt, I don't find it as a deteriorating factor. For me the wear and tear gives more character and appeal to the structure.

The rare times - The few times I fly is always spent with Cebu Pacific. Despite its very negative reputation of delayed flights and overbooking, my poor self is always attached with this economy airline. The last time I flew with our national airline was two years ago for Coron, Palawan. The next time I visited Palawan was because of work. I'm more than thankful because I was booked on the same flight with our President and CEO. To think that the management can implement cost savings measures by giving me a separate flight to Air Asia or Cebu Pacific.  The rare times I was able to experience Philippine Airlines are filled with new set of experiences... both good and not-so-good hahaha Let me relate that on a separate post.


The pile of papers is love? - One of my current projects has a lot of stories to tell.... I have a bittersweet journey with these papers. I used to be the lead person for this task 10 years ago. Along the way, I moved to another office and this task vanished because no one wanted to do it. Ten years after, (insert Celine Dion song) it's all coming back.. it's all coming back to me now.. there were moments of gold, there were flashes of light... Hahahahaha  (Maka-emote naman ahahaha) But really, I  have mixed feelings embracing this responsibility. It was like meeting an ex-boyfriend 10 years after. ahahahahahaha

Thank you Sienatel - This was our home for the past 3 days. Thank you to the Siena sisters for taking care of us. The succeeding photos are snippets of the place. I will do a separate post about this beautiful place.


Best of Palawan - Given that I wasn't able to explore Palawan, I filled myself and my luggage with the best foodie treats. The weight of all the food I brought home was heavier than my own clothes, toiletries and work related things. And Leah, you will not be proud of me. I wasn't able to buy my dream set of south sea pearls. :(

Sleeping St. Joseph - "When I have a problem or difficulty, I write on a piece of paper and I put it under his statute so he can dream about it. This means: Please, to St. Joseph, pray for this problem." Pope Francis last January 16. 2015."

The search is over! Pope Francis was my greatest influence for acquiring this rare piece. I got this from St. Pauls online shop. Unfortunately, this original link I used doesn't anymore work. You can try their Facebook page though.

Love + Faith + Hope - I love necklaces that connote some meaningful representations. I got this necklace from H&M, which happens to be my first purchase from the much anticipated store in Manila.


How to define happiness - is sometimes, all about a box of flavored cream puff. I discovered a new source of expenditure and weight gain. :) My random trips to the mall is not doing anything good for me.Hahaha