Visit to Durian Garden

On yet again another request by one of our daughters to see birds (two weeks ago it was beach then waterfalls), we went to Durian Garden mainly really for the birds. So off we went.

It was a great day to stroll the garden as it was a little bit cloudy and it was not raining either. So thank goodness they had a good number of birds to satisfy our daughters request. I have been to Durian Garden but somehow, it always seemed to rain whenever we go there so we don’t really get to see beyond the detached cottages. This time, we got to see their Alfresco Hall and another Patio. I was surprised that they actually have a couple of function areas. We also went to see the Butterfly House. Not a lot of butterflies this time and not as colorful as the last time I was there. 

It was great roaming around since we were the only guests at the time. I enjoyed seeing big gumamelas and hydrangea in their garden.

For lunch, we had Nilagpang, Kinilaw na Kambing and Crispy Tilapia. I liked all of them but liked the tilapia the most. It was crispy the way I want it. We had lunch in the nearest hut outside the restaurant. Hmm… next time, we just might eat inside the restaurant because of the flies and cats. My kids got bothered eating because of them.

All in all, we enjoyed our visit. The staff were courteous and the food was good.

Malapatan Hillside View

From Isla Parilla Resort last Sunday, my husband decided to turn right for a little road trip. We came to this hillside. The almost 180-degree view of the bay was beautiful. Lucky those who have houses perched on the hillside.

Easter Sunday at Isla Parilla Resort

A Happy Easter Monday to you all!

Yesterday, my family and I trooped to Isla Parilla Resort after attending mass.

They did have an Easter Egg Hunt and other fun activities for kids but we decided to just let the kids swim in the pool.

It was a fairly busy day at Isla that day. Contrary to what I have heard that the place looks run down (I have not been back for about two years, I guess), everything seemed ok. It was not as busy as it should have been but the poolside cottages were full so I guess they are doing good.

Since it was Easter Sunday, we wanted to eat pork and meats too. We had fish for almost three full days! We had a simple lunch of grilled pork belly, tinolang native na manok and halo-halo. The tinola was heavenly, refreshing and had a lot of dahon ng sili which I like a lot.

More Holy Week eat-outs coming!

Adoration Chapel of Lagao Church

On Maundy Thursday, my hubby, kids and I started our Visita Iglesia. So off we went to our parish which is St. Michael the Archangel on Nunez St. We are blessed to be residing near St. Michael since we do like going there for Sunday mass. The church has already been redone, the breeze just adds to a comfortable churchgoing (no need for fans) and the other people understand our kids’ noise and kakulitan.

So after St. Michael, we went to Bula Church or Sto. Nino Parish. Then off we went to lagao Church. I am sorry not to remember what the parish is called but anyway, we went there. My husband noticed their adoration chapel.

   

You see, I like visiting adoration chapels because they just help you be more intent in your prayers. What I particularly liked about this particular adoration church is that it is a separate structure from the church and the surroundings or view from inside are plants. Makes for more peaceful praying. It just seemed very serene and special.

I just might go back there just to visit their adoration chapel.

No Price Increase

Since it’s the Holy Week, I decided to buy vegetables and fish from the public market last Saturday. I was expecting that prices for fresh fish would be increased. Fortunately, they were practically in the same price as they were a couple of days before.

One more good news is that the price for onions has been reduced by a third. When last month, they were at P 120-150, now they were at 40-50 pesos per kilo. Wow, that is really great.

Vegetable prices have not gone up too. They’ve actually reduced by about 5% . Surprisingly, the previous week, meat prices went up. Hmmm… is that a strategy for the coming lean weeks for them? You know, since most people are Catholics and avoid eating meat during Lent esp on Fridays and the Holy Week.

Oh speaking of fish. My husband bought gindara steak at Pacific Seas. I used them to cook fish steak. They were freakin’ good! You and I must have eaten them before but I just want to remind you how good they are. However, they just might not be an ideal fare for the Holy Week. One the price is almost a luxury and two, you just might forget fasting when you eat them!

Trip to the Beach

My husband and I decided to bring the kids to the beach yesterday. We promised our daughter that we would go to the beach after her exams. Besides, it was Pacquiao-Marquez’s fight so we thought the beach would not be busy.

We were right. The resort we went to, Rajah, wasn’t that busy and since we were there at 8am we practically had the beach to ourselves for a couple of minutes.

I wouldn’t have minded if our neighboring cottages were filled. What upset me was the videoke blaring at so early in the morning. It was sacrilegious to the calm of the place. Is there any public beach resort in Gensan that does not have videoke machines? I don’t know of any.

Maybe next time we should just really go all the way to London since the beach is the best in the area. The beach in Rajah had little stones which were not good especially we had our little kids with us.

Next weekend we plan to go to the other side of Sarangani Bay.

Dole Goes to Disney

I saw this poster in Six Blings today. It’s a show at the Dole Gymnasium today, March 15 at 5pm. Tickets are at P 20 only! I am sure kids will love this. If you want to see the show, tickets are available at the Dole souvenir shop.

I’ve been “Generalized”

My idol, Mindanao Bob talked about being Filipinized in his wonderful blog, Live in the Philippines. Suddenly, I thought if it’s being accustomed to Gensan life, it must be”Generalized”.

I will talk about having gotten used to some things here I found odd before or being “Generalized” since locals are called Generals, right?

Coming from Manila and being paranoid about English grammar and pronunciation all my life, I was shocked at some bad-sounding pronunciations (to me). (I’m trying to be very careful here yah know.) One big example will be when people use the word “nag-meet” which they pronounce  “nag-met”. The first time I heard it five years ago, I almost fell off my seat. One other word I have heard that made me stop is “cobwebs” which I have heard pronounced as “cobweybs”. Oh no… Seriously now.  So far, those are the only two words I can remember.

But honestly, now I have understood that that is the way those words are pronounced here. When people use those pronunciations now in conversations with me, they don’t sting my ears as much as they did before. For me, it’s like pronouncing often and “ofen” and cupboard and “cuboard” or the extra hard Ilocano pronunciation of “wrangler”.

I also noticed that Generals like eating barbecue a lot. What with all the clusters of bbq stands in most every neighborhood and that big bbq place in Lagao. Barbecue would not be anywhere in my top ten list of food preferences but lately, I have appreciated barbecue more.

I eat a lot of tuna but as I said in my previous blog, I have yet to learn how to eat sashimi, kinilaw and durian.

But I guess my biggest “generalization” proof is enjoying life in Gensan.

Do you eat Sashimi? Kinilaw? Durian?

I have lived in Gensan for five years now. I have not eaten a single morsel of sashimi nor kinilaw nor fresh durian. It’s a shame, isn’t it?

I have to admit I am not happy that I do not eat those because I consult for restaurants here. I have to freakin’ learn to eat those! Why? Because I do recipe testing all the time. I always do not get to eat sashimi and kinilaw. Why again? I don’t think I will like the taste. Meaning I’m not a General yet.

But believe me, there are real true-blue Generals who don’t. I know many. LOL. It’s like I’m justifying my dislike for those food items.

As for durian, so many people have encouraged me. I eat marang though. I think the right time will come when I will finally be able to eat it. By the way, Kring Macion of Marasa Grill on Kadulasan has the most wonderful tasting durian and mango float. Check it out.

Applying for Business Name

I applied today for my business name because I want to really start my events management company. If you have been visiting my Kikay Thoughts blog, you would know that previously I had an events management company which I managed with two other friends.

So today I went to DTI. Surprisingly, they are not getting a lot of people applying for a business name. But even with only ten people in there for their transactions, it was a squeeze already. The whole place could be better organized and made a little bigger giving enough place for applicants. A proper queuing system would also do them good because if you’re not watching it, yourdocuments could be covered by a later applicant. The gentleman at the frontline was ok enough but the other staff could be more “encouraging”. Again, not rude-rude but could be just a little nicer, yeah?

I was done in 30 minutes because I filled up my form right there. The process is thankfully not complicated. Now I do hope it would be the same at the city hall.