Capped and Lit: Celebration @ Yakimix

食べ放題 (たべほうだい/tabe-houdai) – Japanese phrase for eat all-you-can buffet.

After the capping ceremony of my sister last July 30th at the PICC, we headed off to the SM Mall of Asia for a celebration.  ^^

Being the more-acquainted-to-good-restaurants person among the lot, it was up to me to decide where we would eat.  Hmm..  What better way to celebrate this milestone than to eat our hearts out , right?  So it was decided that we were going to eat at Yakimix.  食べ放題 here we come!  (Also, because I wasn’t the one paying for the dinner, I went for this pricey but well-worth-our-money restaurant.  Heehee!)

In attendance were my brother Jimmy & his girlfriend Shiela, my sister Jhoana & her boyfriend Aim, and of course me &, well, just me. :p

To say it was a feast would be an understatement.  There was so much food that my mouth literally got tired of chewing for the first time — ever.  It was grill, eat, grill, eat, get some more, grill then eat again.  Gluttony at it’s finest.  Haha.

save some for me!!!!

Also, one of the best parts was the unlimited supply of rolls.  Yay!  I tried each and every one of them but I had to give away of couple of pieces because I got so full.

my heaven in a platter! ^^

unleashed the maki-addict in me.. rawr!!

My only regret is that, by the time I got to desserts, I was already too full to eat some more.  Still, I managed to chow down slices of blueberry and strawberry cheesecakes and one custard tart.  Yum-my!

It’s very seldom that I get to spend this much time with my sibs.  Just sitting down and eating and talking.  More than the food, I think I enjoyed that part even more. ^^

Wander Chronicles La Union [Part 1] – Surf’s Up!

Opening the door of the van, it was the smell of the sea and sound of the waves that welcomed us. We were there..

It was almost noon when we got to San Juan Surf Resort in Urbiztondo, San Juan, La Union. 11 AM to be exact. This resort is owned by the infamous Luke Landrigan, the Pinoy/Aussie surfer, and is also where he houses the Billabong Surf School.

San Juan Surf Resort

San Juan Surf Resort from the beach

The place is really nice for a sea-side resort. Unlike the ones in Quezon, this one has complete amenities and is really well-maintained. They even have their own bar and souvenir shop. Coolness!

souvenir shop at San Juan Surf Resort

We were there too early for the check-in time, which is 12 noon, so we had to go back to La Union town proper for lunch. We were all starving so there wasn’t much argument about this. We had our first meal in La Union at Midway Grill.

The place ain’t bad. It’s above-average when it comes to taste, but the service was.. just. But that’s a different story. 😀

After the quick lunch, we made our way back to the resort and checked-in. I still had to work (yes, I was working while in vacation) so I had to suppress my excitement and stop myself from making a mad dash to the beach and surf the whole afternoon away. I had to work. Sucks. 😦

Ana and Melvin hard at work

It was already 5 in the afternoon when I finally got the chance to surf. Work still wasn’t done but what the hell.. there’s still tomorrow, right? 😀

So after putting on tones of sunblock, I (together with Chard) headed to the beach for my very first surfing experience. Yosh!!

me and Chard with your surfboards

little Jake "The Snake" with his body board

It wasn’t easy! At least not as easy as I thought it would be. Since the hours for surfing lessons were over (8AM to 6PM, daily), there weren’t anymore instructors available and we had to rely on our more experienced friend Onin. He was the one who taught us the basics — paddle, pop, balance, ride. 😀

My goal on Day 1 was to be able to stand on the surf board and ride the waves. Pretty big, huh? It comes with huge disappointment too! Haha!

Since I was a super-beginner on Day 1, Onin still had to push my surf board whenever a wave came because I couldn’t paddle. Shame. After a few tries and a lot of patience, I still wasn’t able stand on the surf board. However, I was already able to balance my weight as I lied face-down on the  board. For that I was happy. Somehow, it was mission accomplished for Day 1.

To cap it all off, we had dinner at Angel and Marie’s Surfer’s Retreat Restaurant.

The place was cozy and the food was excellent! It was my first taste of good food since setting foot in La Union. I had Blue Marlin Steak and Vegetables — a bit pricey but definitely delicious.

Owned by sisters Angel and Marie, the resto is located right across the San Juan Surf Resort. With soft lighting and jazz music, it’s a great place to relax after a day of battling it out with the waves.

What a day. ^ ^

Coming Up: Wander Chronicles La Union!

I’m excited to blog about my first time surfing in La Union.  I’m just waiting for the pictures from my friends before I start writing. (I didn’t have any camera with me so I wasn’t able to take any pictures..)

I’ll update the blog once I get the pictures.  Stay tuned! 😀

Wander Chronicles Caramoan [Part 7] – Home Bound

We arrived at Naga Central Bus Terminal at about 5:30PM.  Our schedule to leave Naga City was still at 9PM so we had plenty of time to shop for souvenirs.  Conveniently, SM City Naga was just a stone’s throw away from the terminal.  Sugod!

J Emmanuel Pastries

At the second floor of SM City Naga, there is a store called J Emmanuel Pastries.  It was in here that we found all sorts of stuff that Bicolanos made out of pili nuts.  They had pili chocolates, the famous pili tarts, roasted pili, honey-coated pili, and a whole lot of other stuff pili.  Pili overload!  =)

Of course, they also sell one of Bicol’s most famous dish — the Bicol Express.  And it wasn’t just the traditional Bicol Express made of pork..  They also have Bicol Express Tuna, Beef, and Chicken.  I bought the Tuna Bicol Express and it taste a lot like bagoong with tuna bits.  Different but delicious, and extremely hot! 😀

Bicol Express: Tuna, Beef, Chicken, and Pork

After buying pasalubong, we decided to have dinner in one of Bicolandia’s Pride: Biggs Diner.  This is the biggest (fast) food chain in all of Bicol.  And it’s no wonder why.

Biggs Diner

Aside from serving good food, Biggs Diner also boasts a wonderful ambiance and superb service.  It has a T.G.I.F. feel to it..

When we got there, the diner was packed full of people — a sure sign that it’s a good place to eat.  Good thing the receptionists kept us busy while we were waiting for an empty table for us.

I wish they’d put up a branch here in Manila.  They could certainly compete with top fast food chains here.

After getting full with all things good from Biggs, it was time to bid Naga City goodbye as we boarded the Penafrancia Bus bound for Manila.  Like the Isarog Bus we rode going to Naga, this one also has La-Z-Boy chairs in place of conventional bus seats.  This, however, is more spacious than Isarog.

Now I can definitely say: I owned Caramoan. 🙂

Wander Chronicles Caramoan [Part 6] – Goodbye Caramoan, Hello CWC!

It was Day 3.. which meant we finally had to leave Caramoan. 😦

my last look at Caramoan

With a final glance, I turned my back and bid farewell.. promising to myself that I would one day be back in this island paradise that is Caramoan.

farewell my island paradise!

Another jeepney ride took us to Guijalo Port.  We arrived there a bit early so we had to wait (again) for the ferry.

I was still feeling a bit sad (and tired) so I slept away most of my time in the ferry.  Also, I was trying to fend off an impending headache so I tried not to move and talk so much.  It’s all in the mind, as my best friend would say it.  I had to concentrate. =)

This trip was a lot faster than the one we had going to Caramoan.  It took about just a little more than an hour and we were already in Sabang Port.  Maybe it was finally our lucky day.

After a quick lunch at one of the carinderias in Sabang, we were on the road again headed for CamSur Water-sports Complex — this time we took a van. 🙂

The CamSur Water-sports Complex

I was excited to try my hands at wake-boarding so it was such a huge disappointment when I saw a huge stage setup right next to the lake.  Apparently, a local show called Party Pilipinas was there, prompting the management to close the facility to the public.  Bitches.  I hate Party Pilipinas.  You ruined my supposed-to-be first time wake-boarding…

they just had to be there... should be called Party Poopers Pilipinas

We ended up swimming in the one and only pool they have.

Wake-boarding aside, the place itself is nice.  The resort is clean and well-maintained, plus the location provides an uninterrupted view of Mt. Isarog (if I’m not mistaken).

Maybe I’ll come back here someday and finally try wake-boarding.

We left at about 5PM and headed to Naga Central Bus Terminal.  It was time to go home.