A: How I made the most out of my vacay in the Philippines!

If thinking happy thoughts would really make you fly, then am pretty sure I would’ve been up in the air after I booked our flight going to the Philippines. I have gone back home twice since I started working abroad, and the amount of excitement coming home is the same if not even greater this time.

I had everything planned right away. Well, I can say that the "planning"  part is easy; you choose the dates, book flights, buy pasalubong, and pack your bags. It's  making the most out of my limited time back home that gets quite challenging. But having learned many lessons from my first trip back home, I now know the to-dos and not-to-dos when coming home for a vacay. 

So many loved ones, so little time? Not anymore. Here are some tips on how you can maximize your time when visiting home:

Tip #1: Make a schedule

Coordinate with people you want to meet. Create a time table for all the meet-ups you will have, and this should include the place. 

If you are going out with a group of people, make sure everyone is aware of and have agreed to the date and time of meet-up, this way there will be no room for sudden changes in plans.  If you have a group of friends who prefer to chit chat while eating, and another group who prefers to do just the same but over a couple of drinks, then set a lunch date with the former, and a dinner date with the latter. With schedules starting quite late, you can even inject some shopping time in the morning. Find those filipino goods you missed while you were away from home. 


Tip #2: Too much of anything is bad

Unless you are meeting friends over their 1-hour lunch break, then the tendencies are you all would want to stay and chitchat longer and enjoy more food or more drinks. And this is why it is not advisable to schedule a meet-up with three different groups of people in a single day. The last thing you want to do is check on your watch every minute and worry that your other friends might already be waiting for you.


Tip #3: Location location location!

Ask your different sets of friends to meet you in places that are near each other.  This gives you enough time to enjoy every second you have with your first “date” and not worry that there could be heavy traffic on your way to your next meeting place.

Plus, I bet the people you will want to meet are your really close friends, and with that being the case, am sure they’d be willing to compromise. 


Tip #4: Take the level of drunkenness to a 0!

Remember that time when you went out drinking with friends, you had so much fun you downed all the alcoholic drinks you got your hands on? Then the following morning you woke up perfectly fine, all energetic, and ready to go malling? Yeah, neither do I.

We all know how bad hangovers can get after a night of all-out partying. And although letting lose with friends can be a lot of fun, it will not be so entertaining while you try to drag yourself in to the bathroom so that you can start preparing for another day out with friends. It also can be heartbreaking when you know you will not get to leave the house because you're still dizzy from last night's drinkathon and you cannot leave your bed.

Depending on your alcohol tolerance, a couple of bottles should be okay. None of us wants to be that KJ (kill joy) balikbayan who only wanted iced tea, right? Have a good time, but make sure you will still be strong enough, if not sober enough for the following day's agenda. 


Tip #5: Always be on time

It’s simple, if you get to your first schedule on time, then the chances of you becoming late on your next meet-up is very small. If you really want to spend enough time with people you want to see, then you should stick strictly to your schedule.
 
These are the tricks that worked for me on my last trip in the Philippines.We would also love to hear how you make the most out of your time when you go back home or when you visit places. Please feel free to share them with us on the comment box below.

Now this is the part that I'm excited about the most. This is how it all went down during my 7-day vacation in my country.

HELLO PHILIPPINES!

Flight back home: We booked the 1:20AM / February 7, 2013 flight and we were happy that we landed on time. Smooth flight and comfy seats. Thank you, CEBU PACIFIC!


Day 1 / Feb.7.2013 Thursday:

Sunrise!

Our first stop was of course, at that fast food chain with a red-and-yellow-striped bee! :D Popo’s mom and dad had no idea he was coming home, so needless to say, they were both surprised to see us early morning in their house, with Jollibee breakfast meals!

Teatime!

We went to SM Mall Of Asia (MOA) later that afternoon and did a little shopping. Oh I missed looking at that globe. We also finished what needed to be done at BDO. They really find ways! Special thanks to Mr. Ryan Bautista.

All the walking got us tired. How about some merienda? RAZON’s! Ooohh you got to love their halo-halo!

Sunset!

And of course, what better way to end our first day back home but by having dinner with our families at Seaside Dampa! Julie’s Ihaw-ihaw provided a wide variety of grilled meals and all-Pinoy dishes. We savoured their Sinigang na hipon, buttered shrimp, ensaladang mangga, baked tahong, grilled liempo, and calamari. Oooohh just typing these meals makes me hungry. And for dessert? The White Hat Italian fro yo and Chatime milk tea!

Day 2 / Feb.8.2013 Friday:

Sunrise! 

I woke up Friday morning feeling really happy. I'M HOME, B%^#CHES! :D For breakfast, mom bought some creamy pandesal.Yuuuummm! I started to finally unload the things inside my luggage before I prepped for another day of gala.

Teatime!

We made sure we pay our "college mommy" a visit. We stayed for a couple of hours, and just did some catching up over ice cream and juice. Haha! Here's our photo with our mommy Chil in Letran. Love her!


Sunset!

After Letran, I went straight to Greenbelt to meet my drop dead gorgeous high school girl friends. We enjoyed our dinner at Gerry's Grill Greenbelt 3. Our dinner was followed by a few bottles of beer, and then some coffee. I have never, in years, laughed so hard, and had much fun as I had with them. We met around 8PM and were in Greenbelt area until 3AM. I am crazy about these girls!  

(Notice that I changed my outfit? I met my mom at Glorietta first and bought a different top before I went to see my girls. Haha! I can’t help it.)

 
Day 3 / Feb.9.2013 Saturday:

Sunrise!

Usually, I get grumpy when I only get 3 hours of sleep, but not this time. I got home from my Fridate past 4 in the morning, slept around 5:30, and I was up prepping around 8:15.

I visited some some friends from my previous work in Mandaluyong. It felt weird to wear a visitor's ID. Haha! We headed to Hap Chan after some chikahan in the office. :) 

Teatime!

I spent the entire afternoon with another close friend, my ate Tine. I enjoyed this part of the day so much. We had so much catching up to do, and we did that over shopping. Even more fun huh? I got to buy so many items for very reasonable prices, all thanks to Fashion Market at Market! Market! If you live near the mall’s area, you should drop by and visit their four floors of all-affordable goodies; native delicacies, clothes, gift items, house displays, and furniture. You can find many nice items with good quality, and practice your bargaining skills at the same time! 

Sunset!

My amigang Yka would have seriously demanded we go to a bar in Timog had I not explained to her I really have somewhere I need to be early morning the following day. Haha! She loves me! So instead, we enjoyed dinner and a few bottles of beer at Giligans Glorietta 5.

I have one question though, Giligans. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED? We had this old metal table that leaned to the side and wobbled. So you can just imagine how careful we tried to be when pouring pork sinigang in our bowls. The place was dead quiet. It was nothing like how it was before. 

Good thing the girls I was with were anything but boring. I love these girls, and I will always have a day/night dedicated to being with them when back home. It's funny how we "attacked" the mangga't bagoong served to us? Hahahaha!

Day 4 / Feb.10.2013 Sunday:

Sunrise / Teatime! 

We were at Jollibee SLEX a few minutes after the sun rose on my 4th day home. After munching in on our breakfast meals, we were back on the road. Next stop: Tiaong, Quezon; home of the Dipasupils!

My lola (grandmother), native chicken, and fruits picked from our trees backyard, are just some of the many reasons why I always visit Tiaong.

 
Sunset!

And as if we haven't had enough Chinese food in Singapore, dinner at Chowking! Well, Popo and I still enjoy Chinese food cooked the Filipino way.

Day 5 / Feb.11.2013 Monday:

Sunrise / Teatime!

Remember our first joint entry? That would fall under this day. Bebi J and I spiced up our Monday.

Photo taken at Conti's Greenbelt 2. Love that Mango Bravo!

 
Sunset!

With my college/org friends that night for some good old peer bonding.

Day 6 / Feb.11.2013 Tuesday:

This day is specially for my mom. I really miss going shopping with her, so this day is for some mother-daughter bonding.   

Sunrise!

Photo not taken in the Philippines. Just wanted to show you my mom! Haha!

We went back to Market! Market! and shopped a little, then waited for my cousin, kuya Joel before going to Max’s for our (late) lunch. 



 
Teatime!

With time still in our control, we went back home first to drop all the things we bought and freshen up before leaving again for Makati.

Sunset!

It was our last night in the Philippines. After buying all we needed at SM Makati, we headed to Conti’s Greenbelt 2 for our family dinner.

Day 7 / Feb.13.2013 Wednesday:

Ensaymada, caramel bars, happy peanuts, dragon sid, Oishi Cracklings, Tomi sweetcorn, sour sampaloc, and some processed goods. Yes, our bags are packed. Bound for Singapore.

- A (02.24.13/11:00PM)