HK Day 1: By Foot, Bus and Train

First Photo of the day. At the Mactan International Airport.

By Foot, Bus and Train

Around the last week of February my sister and I went on our very first trip outside of the P.I. We planned on traveling since we were kids and now we got the chance to do it.

I will be dividing this post into many parts describing what happened per day and a separate post for the Itinerary my sister made which I would like to commend her for for its 99.99% percent accuracy, I'll tell you what the 1% is in this post and It's actually really funny, I still laugh and smile every time I ride a Jeep, Van or Bus.

HONG KONG DAY 1:

Let me start by informing you that this blog or post will not tell you how Hong Kong was separated or any of the history of the country. This will be all about our experience when we got there.

Before we even arrived to Hong Kong we were already excited. During the flight my sister, Jewel and I kept talking about what to expect, laughing our ass off of what's happening around us, looking at the magnificent view of the clouds and the sea below. I of course ordered a meal during the flight since we were not able to eat breakfast that morning. So lets start day 1, arriving in Hong Kong.

A view from the top. The clouds were like marsh mellows that I either wanted to eat or sleep on.

February 26, 2014

We arrived in this gigantic airport not knowing where to go and what to do.. Fun Right? Well, here's are a few tips we learned that might help you out.

• Hong Kong is a traveler friendly country. The signs are easy to read, the people and very nice and although they don't speak English as their second language they will try and understand you and give you their answers but believe me, you won't need all of that because you can just follow the trail of bread crumbs left by the country for you.
• Since you are coming from your own country (for us it's the Philippines) its almost a guarantee that there are other tourist traveling with you, so during your flight or even while waiting, try and observe the people around you and check them out. If your'e the type of person that talks to strangers then try and befriend them so you'll have other people to share the experience with.
• Know how to read maps and direction, it's a skill worth having. And become confident inside and out. Never be afraid to go out from your comfort zone and never be afraid to ask a stranger for help.
• LASTLY, this tip applies to everyone in any occasion.. If it's dark, don't go there - I learned that from one of the best travel vlogger in the world, Sonia of Sonia's Travel. You can find a link to her YouTube page below.

So when we got there, we saw a few tourists so we decided to follow them to start the process. The signs were helping us too. We went to immigration and it turns out Hong Kong doesn't stamp passports anymore, instead they electronically tag the passports. We then moved along and looked for the bus to Mong Kok. For more direction and details please see the links to my other post detailing my sister's AWESOME itinerary. Here are the pics for day one.

a little blurry but this is our first time riding the bus in HK, A21 from the airport to Mong Kok. Here is where that 1% fits in. We didn't know nor bothered to research how to get off the bus. The A21 bus is 2 story tall and it is totally different than buses in Cebu.

*Tip for Riding Buses: The buses stops on the terminals and bus stops. Do not expect that they will stop just because you want them to and you want to ride. You do not have to use your voice to have the buses stop, there are stop buttons near your seats and you should press it if you are stopping on the next bus stop even if your not there yet. We learned it the hard way. We prayed and hoped that someone would also get off on the same bus stop as we would. Long story short, prayer answered.

 Langham Hotel and Mall

this mall was ginormous.. we rode on an escalator that took us from the ground floor to the 12th.. so imagine if you stumble or drop something while riding.. scary as shit.

Avenue of the Stars

Avenue of the Stars was a site to see.. our parents were here years back and my sister and I had blast walking around and having our pictures taken along the avenue. Also they sell Shredded Squids here, give it a try. YUMMY.. its less expensive here for on;y $35 an order.

we bought our Disneyland tickets at the Avenue of the Stars Disney Kiosk. Our Disney land adventures will be on a separate post. DAY 3. 

Madame Tussauds

I could not believe how realistic the wax figures were. I had my picture taken with my favorite ones. I'll post a separate article about the fun times we had at Madame Tussauds. Stay tuned. Here we have the lovely Edward Cullen. 

Victoria Peak via Peak Tram

The view of Hong Kong taken from the Peak Tram

posing while waiting to ride the Peak Tram.. didn't notice the lady at the back before.

Victoria Peak Tower. Its where Madame Tussuads is at too.. great view and awesome sites. P.S BRING A JACKET!

Enjoying the night scene at Victoria's Peak

Here's a funny story. Back when we were young and visited Cebu only for Summer Vaca, we used to go a lot to SM Cebu and they had one of these that told fortune. We were amazed that we even saw one in HK. So I decided to get my fortune and inserted a $10 coin in, inserted my hand (wrong hand BTW) and waited for the paper to print. Can you guess what happened? If your answer is "it told you your fortune" than you are correct. It did tell me my fortune like in SM before, only difference is it was in Chinese which i believe says that I am going to have a blast. #bloopers101

Waiting patiently for the bus to arrive which will take us to TST and then will ride an MTR gonig to Mongkok

Our first day was a blast. And i agree with what my sister said. The FUN moments were never the sites we went to, the food we ate nor the fact that we went all around HK. It was the moments were we got lost, accidentally riding roller coasters twice, trying the very hi-tech MTR system and all the little stuff that made us laugh out loud, those things made this trip unforgettable.


Many thanks to the following for making this trip more than awesome.

Sonia of Sonia's Travels. Please check YouTube page through the link below
Sonia's Travels

• She gives out helpful travel tips and boosts your confidence while traveling. I love her and she is awesome. Check her videos out. 

Ivan, who handled my class while i was away
AllenZan


and my ever loving and supportive Parents.. love you lots.

Stay tuned for the following post:

Hong Kong Day 2: Ocean Park and Night Markets
Hong Kong Day 3: KidsRus - Hong Kong Disneyland
Madame Tussauds: The Wax Museum (The not so scary version)
Jade's Cookbook - Simple but Laysho
Hong Kong Itinerary - Sister Made Stuff

Travel in Curves - Hong Kong

Last year for my birthday I went with Makoi and explored "my beautiful second country" of Thailand. It was an amazing experience. I met a few people (james and kishni), the country was very nice, the locations were very interesting, the food was awesome and I got to meet one of the stars and band member of August Band from Love of Siam. It was my first International trip and I had a blast.

This year, I will be going on another trip but I will be sharing it this time with my sister, Jewel.

On February 26, we are scheduled to fly from Cebu to Hong Kong via Cebu Pacific and we are pretty excited to travel. It'll be her first time Internationally so I want her to enjoy and be hooked to traveling so I can have a travel buddy. :)

Back when we were still kids we were soooo close we practically did everything together, the normal brother-sister stuff. But then High school and peer pressure kinda got in the way and I'm very glad that me, her and my brothers are hanging out again like before. She actually reminded me of the pact we made when we were kids. We promised that one day we will be traveling outside the Philippines and I am super excited that it is finally going to happen, rain or shine (classes or not.. LOL)

us in the yearly siblings photo

I had her do the itinerary so she can be involved and she did an amazing job. Kudos Sis!.. I'll post more updates on this and hopefully capture lots and lots of cool photos. Jewel even suggested that we both make a blog or vlog of everything we do moving forward. hahaha.. I don't think I'm ready to be seen on TV or YouTube yet..

Hong Kong.. I'll see you next WEEK!!!


xoxo -A

Lessons from my Father

Today is my father's birthday and my brothers and sister planned a whole day of activities for both him and my mom. I am taking this moment before my day starts to tell you a bit about my father.

Decoroso "Dick" Balmes

He was born the eldest of their family, hard working, loyal to my mom and very family oriented.

Growing up we were never really close, not as close as a father to a son would be but it was more about me than him. I always hated the times where he would tell me to do the dishes, change the light bulbs, clean the car, give the dogs a bath, and a whole lot of things. I disliked how he took me with him when he visited his side of the family because I hated traveling by land. Selfish right? I wont deny it. At the end of the day the reason why our relationship is that way is still because me and what I am. I'll save that for another day. :)

Despite everything I actually learned a lot and i will always be thankful. Let me tell you how my father shaped me to be the person I am today. I will list down a few things my father taught me both directly and indirectly.

• The kitchen should always be clean. If i can remember it correctly, my cousin Twinkle taught my how to wash dishes but my father taught me that before I go to bed every night I should was the dishes or clean up after my self
• How to change a light bulb. A bonding moment we shared hahaha. I know all it needs is common sense when changing a light bulb but to tell you honestly, a lot of people doesn't know how to change a light bulb 
• Delivering puppies. My dad showed me how to assist a pregnant dog during delivery and I've done it several times now on my own
• Compassion towards animals. My dad is a Veterinarian so it gave me access to animals growing up 
• Respect towards Family
• How not fighting back is the bravest thing you can sometimes do
• Balancing and being equal to both sides of the family is more important than taking sides
• Traditions should always be honored
• Quit Smoking
• How loving something you hate because the people you treasure most loves them is more important that hating them at all
• Letting go of negativity is helpful
• Always following your dreams
• Always support your kids no matter what they choose to be
• Never let go of the "kid" in you

and a whole lot more. I am who I am because they trusted my decision of who i wanted to become. We may not be the typical family who talks about sex openly, or continues to go to church religiously or the type of family that says i love you or sorry all the time but our family dynamics work for us. And it'll mature more in the coming years. I strongly believe that both my father and mother played a strong role in that. 

To my father, who have always been there for me and the family. I  salute, respect and love you, you and mom. Always. I know I will make a great father one day because I have you as role model.

Have a great day today and the coming years. 

Italian Night - Table for Four

Last Sunday I got a call from Jovan asking if I was going to his place to visit him. He and Makoy went to the dentist that day to have their teeth pulled out (lol i think they went for a cleaning session or something) and decided to head over Jovan's place for lunch. If i remembered it correctly, we actually planned this Friday last week but I thought it was a no go. When I got there we eventually decided to plan what we wanted to eat for dinner and it was awesome.

Italian Dinner - Boun Appetito

The GUESTS

When I got to Jovan's place Makoy and Devine were already there. Hahaha I dont have a picture of Makoy at the Dinner Table.

The Menu

The PASTA

Makoy's One Pot Pasta. We would like to thank The Londoner for the Inspiration. http://www.thelondoner.me/2013/06/one-pot-pasta.html

We also have Jovan's Carbonara Sauce. 

Both pasta dishes were delicious.. I would have had more of it if I hadn't munched my way to obesity while cooking. LOL.

The Meat

Pork Chops with salt and pepper

The Garlic Bread

The Drinks

The NOW "famous" Sun Cooler

Sliced apples, oranges, pineapples, watermelon drowned orange juice.

Italian Night was a blast... Ate so much pasta and drank a pitcher of the Sun Cooler. Creativity Achieved. I wonder what theme I'll co-host next. I am really rooting for either French or Japanese. Give themed dinners a try, It'll spice your weekend up.. :)

Off to my next adventure...

Co-hosted a Boodle Fight

Boodle Fight

May the odds be ever in your favor...

I have no complaints when it comes to eating but I ate so much I was about to burst. After a long day of running around the city, buying and sending Medicine to my dad and a whole lot more, I was looking forward to a long relaxing night to rest. But it did not work out that way.

A week ago, during a badminton session I inserted the idea to my friends that we have a food trip. We initially planned on eating at CnT ( A lechon place here in Cebu) but we opted not to. Today during our weekly badminton sessions I had them explore the possibility of trying out a Boodle Place near Cebu Doc. For those who are not familiar with the term, Boodle Fight is when all the food is arranged in the middle of the table under mats of banana leaves and when you eat you do not need utensils, you use your hands. So going back, we decided to host our very own Boodle Fight and talked about the menu during badminton breaks and how much we were willing to spend. This is the result. 

We spent P 150.00 each to make this work. Our Menu consists of the following:

• Rice
• Chicken Pork Adobo
• Bagoong (Bagoong lol.. its tiny tiny shrimps in salt and stuff)
• Ginataang Bangus (Fish in Coconut Milk)
• Itlog na Maalat (Salted Egg)
• Fried Fish (Fried Fish)
• Coke and Sprite for Drinks
• Watermelon for dessert ( everybody lolled when I complained why this fruit is very watery)

We had so much Fun and ate so much... I really like this hosting gig. It makes me feel happy, excited and creative. Kudos to the chefs (Dona, Erron, Madam, Banjo, Mary Anne, Bryan, Arnel and Ahem Me.. lol)

FYI, I was craving this the whole week last week so I am already good.. hahahaha..

Have a Boodle Fight your friends and/or families and tell me how it went. :)

DIY: Mug Cakes Galore

Cooking Session With my Sister

Our version of the Mug Cakes

Disclosure: Please be warned that I am wearing short shorts here. LOL.. 

This was during my last vacation at home. My sister and I made tarts and cakes for my parent. We had sooo much fun.. so here's the short cut version of what we did. 

the patisserie

Make one too and let me know how you did. Quick Tip? It's more fun if you share the moment with friends or family. (or both) :)

DIY: How to make your own KITE in 30 mins

DIY: KITE

Simple Childhood Kite (I am not an endorser of SM)

Remember when you were a kid and you had so much FUN with your friends? Yeah i remember mine too. Nothing else mattered BUT to have FUN. No bills to pay, no work to go to, no worries on food cause it magically appeared on the table every morning, noon and dinner (thanks mom) and no matter how much fun you make the only thing you had to remember was to go home before the sun goes down. I remembered 1 of my best childhood memories back home today. During Summer, my friends/neighbors and I would go out and just play. Back then Cellphones, Consoles and the Internet was not yet popular. This particular memory was when we made our own kites from things we found in the house and flew them up high. So today I decided to make a kite and I'll fly it tomorrow morning. (I was planning to do it next week but a few friends from Facebook made me realize that making my own kite is fun so i decided to make it today)

First: What you need

• Barbecue Sticks or anything like it
• Glue
• Cutter (please be careful using this, ask an adult to help you if you are 14y/o or below)
• Plastic Bag
• Thread or Strings
• Pen

How To:

First you have to tie 2 sticks together. If you have a longer stick you cut it to your preferred length. Use the cutter to make the ends look like the picture below, then use the string or thread to tie the two together. Make 2 of this.

Once you have 2 sticks together. Tie the 2 to make a cross.

Place the cross on the plastic bag and cut a diamond shape like the one below.

After cutting out the diamond  shape tie the points of the diamond to the ends of the sticks. Remember to put glue after tying so it wont get loose. Then poke 2 holes where the string should be, add tassels and your good. Try that baby out.. 

Imma fly my kite tomorrow since its 2:20am here in The Philippines...

Let me know how your day goes when you fly your kite. :)