As the old saying goes, “Life begins at 40.”
Of course, if it doesn’t then perhaps it will at 41. Or maybe at 42.
For now let’s just say that life begins at 42, okay?
Life begins at…
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Tag Archives: bong saculles
Destination: Marinduque
DECEMBER 2, 2011 – For our annual family vacation to celebrate our wedding anniversary this year, my xxGF and I brought Marielle and Johan to a still undisclosed place somewhere in Marinduque (i.e. the kids did not have any idea where exactly we were going until we got there). Continue reading
41 years behind, 41 years ahead (?)
SEPTEMBER 17, 2011 – Today I turned another leaf in my so far exciting and fulfilling life. Today I turned 41. It feels good to be 41, at least as far as I am concerned. And why not, I have no reason to be cynical and all the reasons to be grateful for the first 41 years of my life – great family, great career, great adventures, overflowing blessings… While other folks my age are having a midlife crisis, I am having a midlife boon!
The prospects of the next 41 years are even more encouraging. Just look at my beautiful family. I have the best life partner that I could only dream about. And I have the sweetest, smartest, and cutest kids. Just the way I dreamed them to be.
Any my kids… They’ll have even better – so much better – lives than the best I can manage to have.
So I look behind the past 41 years with a big smile and look ahead to next 41 with an even bigger smile. Quite frankly, however, I don’t see myself reaching 82! Just the possibility of it scares me, LOL. But if I get to 82 nonetheless then that would be great, too! CHEERS! Continue reading
A Taste of the ‘Suite Life’
MY FAMILY had a taste, albeit briefly, of the “suite life” one weekend in July 2011. It was July 9, a day after Marielle’s 8th birthday.
About a month from that particular weekend my sister Kiddo gave us a Gift Certificate for an overnight stay in Peninsula Hotel Manila. She didn’t know what she was giving away. It was not for an ordinary room. It was for a Premium Suite. We decided to use it on the weekend following July 8, Marielle’s birthday.
We did not stay in the Premium Suite, however. Guess what? We’ve been upgraded to an Executive Suite!!! Holly molly wow!
Of course curiosity got the better of us and even while still in Manila Pen, using Manila Pen’s complimentary Super fast Wi-Fi, we googled the rates of Manila Pen’s rooms.
The original Premium Suite costs at least PhP 14,000+++ per room night. Wow. But wait, we didn’t stay in a Premium Suite, remember? So how much does an Executive Suite cost?
At least PhP 20,500+++. WOW!!! Even if we could afford it, and we couldn’t, we would not have paid for that room. Thanks a lot, Kiddo! We love you oh so very much. 
PS> View the complete set of our Manila Pen photos in my Picasa Web Album.
A visit to Villa Escudero. Finally
I’VE LONG wished to visit Villa Escudero but somehow never got the opportunity to do so. Until May 22, 2011 that is.
Villa Escudero is not a new attraction. I remember that the first time I heard about it (and planned to visit it) was like 15 years ago (that means I was like 7 years old then, LOL). Continue reading
A taste of Brazil!
(This posting is delayed by almost half a year. I kinda lost the photos, and then found them recently when I was doing housekeeping on my old white MacBook.)
FOR our 10th anniversary dinner date my xxGF treated me to Brazil, Brazil in Serendra – Bonifacio Global City.
I had a great time and, shortly thereafter, indigestion from over eating. It’s nothing new really. Continue reading
Bohol Resort Hopping. 2nd Stop: Amarella Resort
NO IT IS NOT related to Amorita, the first hotel we stayed in during our Bohol vacation. Yes it is another beee-a-u-tiful resort-hotel.
I will have to tip the hat to my xxGF for finding great resort-hotels. The credits are all hers. Not only are our resort-hotels in Bohol beautiful. Their names even rhyme! Beat that.
If Amorita has a great infinity pool with a perfect hilltop view of the dreamy and famous Alona Beach of Panglao Island, Amarella offers an idyllic atmosphere with its rustic and colorful indoor and outdoor ambiance.
The whole place is inspired by artworks and old-world amenities. The furnitures and fixtures inside the rooms were made to look and feel like antiques. The bed cover is crocheted. Inside the bedroom there’s a cute little bath tub, a wood-paneled wall, and windowsill also made of wood.
Each room has a veranda, too. Ours was overlooking a manicured garden with colorful tropical bouganvilla and gumamela flowers, the swimming pool, and the sea a little further down.
Amarella has its own little art museum, where the owner’s personal collections are apparently kept – and shared to interested guests. There’s also a library with an interesting collection of both old and new books, as well as old and new DVDs.
There are artworks everywhere. Inside the rooms, in the walls along the corridors, in the lobby, in the gardens… The whole place may as well have been a big art gallery.
At night the breeze from the sea is so loud and calming at the same time.
Amarella also offers an access to the sea. Its beach front is quite good. The beach is shallow, flat and safe for kids. It offers little beneath the surface, however.