Nasa “Look!” phase na kami. When little children like to show and tell - just about everything.
Imagining what it’s like kung nandito si Mommy, and she would shower Nikolai with attention and praises, kahit mga simpleng bagay lang ipakita.
Haay
Monday, January 19, 2026
Thursday, January 15, 2026
Tuesday, January 06, 2026
010626tue004412
Iinis na naman ako at di ko ma control reaction ko!
Ang hirap maging dysregulated na nanay reactive ko. Ang hirap iasa sa helper, kaso parang ako lang nagmmultitask?!
Haay unang rant
Many more to come
ps. Bakit may AI kineme na tong Blogger
Let our thoughts run wild
Thursday, January 01, 2026
CMG October 2025_new
Camiguin has been on my travel wish list for more than a decade and I can't believe that it is not as popular as the other (trendy) destination on Social Media right now.
Dubbed as the Island born of fire, Camiguin is the second smallest province in the Philippines. It is situated north of Mindanao, located in the Bohol Sea.
It has its own small airport in the town of Mambajao, but only serve flights from Cebu by Cebgo.
I got us CEBpass last year, and redeeming it would mean choosing flights within 30 days from the time of redemption. My target dates were somewhat rigid because of Ali's schedule - the need to apply for vacation leave 4 weeks ahead.
There were no Camiguin CEB Pass seats! But I really wanna go here, I planned for an alternative - choosing another airport even though there would be additional land travel and ferry ride.
Butuan had plenty CEBPass seats available; we chose this instead.
Knowing what I know now, I discourage doing this if you are traveling with a child.
Our travel time from our home took about 11-12 hours!
I've written how our trip (car ride, flight, bus, ferry) went, but it seemed complain-y so here's a summary:
Park N Fly > NAIA Terminal 3 > Butuan-Bancasi Airport > Robinson's Butuan > Balingoan Port > Benoni Port > Agoho Resort
Camiguin is kinda expensive! Our maybe I was disillusioned, thinking a less popular destination would be cheaper (compared to Boracay and Siargao).
We agreed to a "pakyaw" / special trip Tuktuk from Benoni Port to our accommodation, Agoho Resort in Mambajao for Php700. The trip was about 40-minute long.
I only felt that was a little steep because I think that fare difference with commute via multicab would've been far cheaper - like it wouldn't even cost half of that.
Now as I write this I feel like I'm trying to justify the "comfort" (compared to cramped seats on a multicab) and our bags, etc. I don't know. Since it's been a while since I traveled to a more rural area, I don't really have a point of comparison.
But my oh my Camiguin is beautiful!
It was raining on the morning of our first of 2 day pasyal days! Agoho Resort is great location if you plan to visit White Island!
We took Adams deal (our tuktuk driver from the port the day before) of a whole day service/land tour for Php2000.
We started late in the day and didn't rush our stay at each destination so we only got to see 3 stops on Day 1:
White Island Sandbar
Katunggan Mangrove Park
Mantigue Island
After Mantigue Island, I knew Nikolai was already beat. Though Adams was still willing to add a few stops to our tour, we kinda called it a day!
We were back to our accommodation at around 5:00pm. For us it felt pretty early, though it was already dark outside and it had been raining most of the afternoon.
We headed out to get coffee at Saga Specialty Coffee and then dinner at Alex.
There were so much more we wanted to see; they all seemed pretty close to each other when looking on Maps but it was kind of hard to plan the logistics with a small child, and tryk seemed to pass by seldom. I assume a lot of locals own a motorcycle to get around the island.
On the 2nd day we decided to rent a car. It was sort of a gamble, but really sound like a good deal: Php 1800 (excluding gas) for 1 whole day. Ali took care of this and I felt this was a more appropriate option if you are traveling with a small child.
The sunrise was beautiful. We were blessed with a beautiful weather on our 2nd day! I knew I wanted to come back to Mantigue Island, and that's exactly what we did!
We also visited Old Church Ruins and Tuasan Falls.
Katunggan Mangrove Park
Nklai: I like it! (As in ayaw nya umuwi!)
I feel like I have an LDR with Saga Specialty Coffee! My Region X fave!
So fuckin beautiful I swear!
List of fees for these sites:
White Island Sandbar (Php550 boat fee good for 4pax; Entrance fee: Php50)
Katunggan Mangrove Park (Entrance fee: Php50)
Mantigue Island (Php750 boat fee good for 6pax; Entrance fee: Php75)
Old Church Ruins (Entrance fee: Php50)
Tuasan Falls (Entrance fee: Php75)
I highly recommend adding this to your must-visit place in the Philippines.
I just hope Department of Tourism do better when it comes to promoting our beautiful country!
Elyu 2025
Went to La Union to celebrate my birthday. We had this planned last year but did not materialize because of Ali's minor procedure.
There's not much kwento on here, but just a photodump.
But San Juan has changed a lot since I last went here Oct of 2014.
Ako lang to and my very hardworking blurring tint
Husband appreciation post. He took care of finding and booking a nice resort.
Breathtaking sunset; still one of my most favorite!
Urbiztondo hits different at night
Lj and I stayed here in 2014! The surrounding area looks much different!
View from Kabsat
Tuesday, December 30, 2025
2025 Recap
End of the year inspires reflection and goal-setting. I just
want to catch up on my blog, really. It would be easy to do if my little one
isn’t playing with the mouse.
2025 was significant for me since I have finally moved on from Vz (yes, we’ll completely disregard the purple corporation) and joined a new company. I feel so blessed getting that post. I was struggling first couple of months diligently looking for a job. Knowing it was a numbers game, I was sending numerous applications daily! I had an Excel sheet; per my inaccurate tracker, I sent a total of 262 application since January 2025 and a handful in Q4 of 2024. I received an invite to less than 10 initial interview and less than 5 second stage interview. It seemed as if my years of experience did not matter at all. When I received the invite for this one, Nklai wasn’t feeling well and was eventually admitted due to pneumonia. I asked for a resched of the interview with little hope believing that somebody else would have gotten the post. But after about a week, they haven’t filled the post, I passed the initial and the final interview. And with all my lucky stars that worked so hard, I ultimately got the job.
It wasn’t (isn’t) easy and I am still learning the ropes. And
I’m so grateful that I have slow days like this one, on a holiday taking care
of my Banikolai.
Upon getting regularized and earning leave credits, I used
the CEB Pass I purchased in 2024 and booked flights for a short vacation.
I have a Camiguin draft and I promise to upload soon. And by soon, I mean when
I figure out an easier way to get the photos from my phone to the laptop.
Those were my 2 highlights; December is another story.
In May, Nklai “completed” playschool. We haven’t re-enrolled
him since. I miss student Nklai; he still remembers his teacher’s name.
In June we found our new favorite café.
July was tad bit uneventful.
In August, I joined the company overnight out-of-town trip
out of fear that it was a factor to getting regularized (I know that sounds so
silly, but I absolutely did not want to risk it). I even joined the dance slash
Zumba-ish performance of our department! This was my first weekend away from
family since forever. I did enjoy my time and got a little bit drunk.
September is when we gather to celebrate Ate and k’P’s
birthday, along with it, honoring Mommy on the day of her passing. It’s been 4
years. For 2025, most days were easier than the last, but when the big bad wave
of mourning hits the hardest, it still feels like day 0. Grief does not shrink with
time, life just grow around it.
Around Aug-Sep I felt like I went RTO so frequently, I was starting to memorize
Ortigas.
In October I was finally regularized; getting on a plane
felt sentimental. I set foot on Mindanao land after 10 years!
In October, I also bought ridiculous priced concert ticket
for May of next year and also went on plant-shopping with Arjen; fortunately,
the snake plant, golden pothos, and spider plant are still alive (as of
writing).
Not much happened in November. It was so monotonous, this
was also a skip month on my socials.
December is for another post.
And now, I must figure out a way to get pictures on here.
Monday, December 29, 2025
122925mon031650
3 books
2 local travel
1 new employment
Kape, junkfood, binge watching and mindless doomscrolling in between
Super konti posts, but I hope matyagaan ko pa next year.
Grateful for 2025
Hoping 2026 is better.
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