Last February, I had a project with my previous job that gave me the chance to meet David Archuleta. It was just a simple coverage interview that will only need two to three staff.
But, I requested for five all access passes. Total of six actually, (including our driver) for a simple production. Why?
Me (of course, I’m heading the project)
Carlo, my brother (he’s a big fan, as a production assistant)
Jojo, my travel buddy (as our production assistant also, plus we get to “date”-ish during the fireworks display)
Maricar, our then-OJT (to add hours to her OJT work, and she’s a big fan too)
Tolits, our camera guy (for the well, camera)
We asked permission from his handler if we could get a group picture with David and when she said yes, the two big fans decided where to position themselves. Lo and behold, the final output:
So they can crop it and get to post the cropped photo as their profile picture in Facebook. Very smart!
That night, I told my mom about the project and how we were able to take a photo with my brother’s strategic position when it hit me – MY MOM WAS A BIG FAN OF DAVID ARCHULETA. His season with American Idol is I think the ONLY season she ever watched. She adores him because he’s a very humble person. And even though he is the youngest among the finalists, my mom thinks he is far better than everyone. I felt really bad because she asked for the pictures and just said “Sayang!”
Oh well. Sorry mother, I forgot.
After the interview, we took a few clips of the event and even stayed for some fireworks display. Photo above is the VIP area.
Here are some photos of the fireworks display using my Canon S100, some in fireworks mode.
February 11, 2012 – South Korea vs Malta
(South Korea played 2NE1′s “I am the Best” haha! I enjoyed it so much)
We badly needed a vacation last year and because I went to Bolinao a few months before, I insisted we go here for our summer outing. With each paying Php 2,000 for accommodation, food and transpo expenses, we had one of the most awesome summer trips we’ve always wanted.
We rode a northbound bus to Pangasinan and I slept throughout the trip so I don’t know where exactly we got off. But here’s what I’m sure of: we went to Kevin’s house where we had breakfast while waiting for our hired van to take us to Bolinao. Our group stopped by the market to buy water and food to cook and grill in the resort. I was still dizzy from the lack of sleep so I stayed in the van while they shop. Hehe.
We originally planned to stay in Bing’s resort but we changed our mind because:
The room was still unavailable
The room was not beach front, you have to cross the road to reach the beach
My contact person was not available when we got there
Beach was small and kind of dirty
Grilling station was a bit dirty
There is only one available hut in the area
There is also a big group having their team building / outing and we’ll be overpowered and annoyed if we stayed there
We felt it was not our beach.
So we apologized for the inconvenience and left, and looked for another resort. We went back to the start of the resort-filled beach front stretch and stopped by SCL Garden Paradise Resort. We were so happy with the place (you can check out the video below for proof)! They gave us a room big enough for 7 people. We unpacked the shopping bags and started cooking lunch.
We had salted eggs and tomatoes, grilled pork chops, hot dogs etc. Just thinking about what we ate that day makes me hungry.
After lunch, some of us decided to take dip, others played frisbee, some volleyball.
That afternoon, our frisbee friends taught us how to play the game. I initially thought that frisbee is just a catching game. I thought you just have to catch the disk. But you actually have to RUN and pass the disk to your side/base to get a point. I was not ready for this. It was a rough fun game though.
After a tiring game, we hung out and talked and took photos!
We just had to do a mini-photoshoot!
I forgot what we had for dinner but I was really glad we stayed in SCL because the staff were so nice and friendly, they let us use the cooking utensils they have there! I guess it’s open for all the guests because when we left, another batch of visitors went to the dirty kitchen to prepare their dinner. I love it!
They have a videoke machine too but a group of teenagers was using it so I can’t say if the songs were updated or not.
Nope, we didn’t go night-swimming because it was too dark and dangerous, but you can opt to sit on the sand, listen to the waves and watch out for falling stars with your cold beer!
—————————————
Day 2 is a going around Bolinao day.
We said goodbye to SCL Garden Resort
We’ll definitely go back there.
I want to stop by the gorgeous rock formations but the sun was still high and too early to take pictures, and well, we didn’t think we’d have enough time . Instead, we passed by the Enchanted Cave:
From what I remember, there is a different entrance fee for those who want to take a bath inside the cave. We didn’t plan on swimming so just paid for the cheaper fee. The water is really cold down there so if you have a lot of time to spare, I suggest you have your lunch there and experience the icy cold water inside the cave.
We also stopped by Cape Bolinao:
And took a looooot of photos. The lighthouse itself was a beauty even if it’s small. Good thing the sky was clear, we had a lot of good photos
We had a hearty lunch at Bolinao Seafoods Grill just for over a thousand pesos. We ordered chopsuey, a plateful of sizzling mushrooms, pakbet, liempo and my favorite, crispy bangus! YUUUUM!
This photo above I took last March 2011. This is the sign inside the restaurant but they have a different name posted outside the gates. I’m a bit confused too. But you can immediately see this place (right side) before you reach the main road (coming from the resorts area).
.
Perfect weather, awesome beach, great company = epic weekend!
.
Check out our Bolinao Trip video and outtakes here, compiled and edited by Kizia
Since this blog is also about travelling, expect posts even way back in 200-something. I won’t post a lengthy entry about my 2006 travel in someplace, but at least you’ll see pictures. Some pictures, that is. And videos. So let me add an international trip I had last year (2011) with my friend in one of our most favorite cities in the world – Seoul, South Korea.
Please enjoy this short video I made last year about our trip. I’ll post a detailed entry soon!
Here’s a short preview of my recent long weekend trip with Jojo and his team. This is what I’d like to call an accidental editing. Why? Because of Canon s100’s Movie Digest Feature. I didn’t know what the Movie Digest Feature could do but when I got home and transferred my photos and videos to my laptop, the Movie Digest Feature apparently records a few seconds of the photos you take to record instances for the day. It’s one awesome feature I will surely use often in the future. But don’t worry, Flip, I will still use you.
Music: Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap from the 500 Days of Summer OST (I do not own this)
P.S. Please don’t get tired of me saying I love my camera. Because I do.
I am very much looking forward to celebrating another Christmas party with my UBE friends. Last year was our first official Christmas party and we celebrated it in our house at the province. This year, we haven’t decided on the venue yet (we have a committee for the logistics, exchange gifts, activities, food and drinks, transportation [should the party be held out of town] awards and coordination) but since I volunteered to be a part of the Awards Committee, I’ve been sleeping late for the past three days editing the awards video for the party. I’m not complaining, NO! It’s just that I am excited and overwhelmed with what I am doing and what I already finished! 8 out of 13 videos! Yeah baby!
And a summary of what happened last year by Kizia :
I still have a lot to do before the party (layout and print awards/certificate, decorate the ‘trophy’). And I still have a LOT of videos to edit before the year ends. I hope this editing (and creative) rush continues until I finish everything!
