Ocean Park Adventure

December 14, 2008 -- We left Manila at 5:30am and arrived in Hongkong at around 9:00am. Our first stop was Ocean Park...

Tita Baby and Reina arrived 1 day earlier. Above: At Tita Baby and Reina's Suite

On our way to Ocean Park

Main Entrance of Ocean Park with Cousin Reina, Mig and Anchit

3 Little Angels

Nice View

Our Loving Mom

With Coleen, Mom and Tita Baby

Just Ate Ribs and Chips


Ocean Park Tower



Ocean Park Tower with Cocoy


Ocean Park Cable Car

We went back to the hotel around 8:00pm to meet Ate Rannie who came from New York. We all went out again to look for a good Chinese restaurant and found 1 after a 15-minute walk! Temperature that time was 10 degrees, yes really freezing cold but it was worth the walk. Their congee and noodles were perfect, except for the fingers :-)

All of us could not wait for our next stop... Disneyland!

2008 Year-Ender

It's been a long time since we got the chance to visit our blog. We got so tied up with work lately.

2008 has been a beautiful year for both of us. We got the chance to visit new places like Ilocos last summer and Hongkong last Christmas season. These travels made us realize there's so much beauty to explore in the world around us. This year we added these two memorable places in our list of unforgettable get-aways that we will tell our future kids - Marielle and Marco.

In terms of our career, I got a very good offer from another company and I accepted it. It gave me another major milestone in my quest for my dream job as an HR professional. Cocoy continues to enjoy his career in IT job due to exciting challenges given to him by his current employer.

The highlight of our year-ender was when Cocoy met two of the most important and special people in my life - Kuya Eften and Ate Rannie, who came all the way from New York for a grand family reunion after five long years since their last vacation.

We hope this 2009 becomes more memorable and eventful as we draw closer to our most awaited day of our life together in 2010.

Vacation in Ilocandia

Our Holy Week 2008 was highlighted by no less than a 12-hour drive (inclusive of traffic and stopovers) to idyllic Fort Ilocandia. Li-Ann and I were joined by PJ, Conne, with their 1-year-old son CJ, and other barkadas.

In the season of Lent, we can say that the trip was full of contemplation, since the long trip started with a prayer led by Li-Ann and Conne. The prayer led us through 500+ kilometers of safe journey through Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur, and Ilocos Norte.

We arrived 5:30AM of Holy Thursday in Fort Ilocandia. The sight of the resort's European-inspired red brick edifices and deep green grass gardens instantly took away the fatigue from the long drive we had from Manila. It was indeed worth the trip.

From that moment of sunrise, we took a short nap. We then started enjoying the resort's near perfect facilities such as Olympic-size swimming pool, Sunset Lounge, and videoke. Other rarities in the all-in-one resort are Water Sports (Banana Boat & Parasailing), All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) ride, Hot Air Balloon, Archery, Golf Driving/Putting, Boating, Horseback Riding, and Go-Kart.

Come Good Friday, we drove 75 kilometers to Pagudpud's Saud Beach, the so-called "Boracay of the North". The white sand shoreline -- naturally trickled with coconut trees and seaweeds -- was a perfect backdrop for souvenir photos that would later become the wallpaper/screensaver of our cellphones. We also took photos of the Windmills of Bangui enroute to Pagudpud.

In the evening, we then went to St. William's Cathedral in Laoag City for the customary Via Crucis.

Black Saturday was our time to bid goodbye to the little paradise of Fort Ilocandia. Li-Ann and I went for an early swim in the Olympic-sized pool, after which we had buffet breakfast. We then drove back to Manila, of course with major stopovers at the Marcos Residence in Batac, Ilocos Norte and at the old Spanish ancestral homes (with cobblestone roads) of Crisologo in Vigan, Ilocos Sur.

Overall, it was an unforgettable Holy Week vacation worth telling to our future children and grandchildren.

My Guardian Angel

Li-Ann is my life. I will do everything to make our love last forever.

I couldn't live a day without Li-Ann beside me. She's my real Guardian Angel who keeps me safe and warm from all storms of this earthly life. I will never stop loving her unconditionally, no matter what obstacles we meet out there.

Life is fantastic!

New Hobby

Thanks to PJ and Conne who patiently explained to us what this new hobby is all about :-) Now you will hear a lot of ideas and comments from us and we will share as well our day-to-day learning experiences from our work (both from an IT and HR perspective) and of course, our beautiful life together. Till next time!