We spent our babymoon/belated anniversary getaway at Wisemans Ferry. We were there from 16 Oct til 18 Oct. We didn't do anything at all. I slept more than half the time. The 'highlight' of our holiday was dinner at Riverbend Restaurant. The town was so tiny. We were as relaxed as relax can be. Our mobile phones didn't even have any reception the whole time we were there. Good thing the hotel has free wifi and Foxtel.
Here are some photos:
the local supermarket was just a tiny, tiny shop
post office
Solomon Wiseman
Webbs Creek Ferry
i love this picture -- so peaceful, so serene, so calm
Last Saturday my husband and I went on a long drive to Canberra, Australia's capital. It's about 3 hours drive from where we live. We went there to visit my husband's friend and his family, and at the same time to go to Floriade. We have been to Floriade in 2008, when we just arrived in Australia. Back then we still didn't have a car so we took the bus with some friends to go there.
I always enjoy going on a long drive with my husband because we get to talk about heaps of things, everything and anything! Although I sometimes fall asleep while he's talking. Haha!
I bought this Scoopon voucher for a two night getaway for two people at the beautiful Australis Retreat at Wisemans
on the stunning Hawkesbury River in early January. Back then my husband
and I didn't know that I would fall pregnant in April. I convinced him
to let me buy this voucher just so we could go on a mini holiday this
year knowing that we will not be able to go on a holiday out of
Australia (permanent residency to citizenship conditions). Now that I'm
pregnant, we've decided to book this mini holiday for our babymoon!!! :)
I
will be a little over 26 weeks when we take this trip. It's just over
an hour drive from Sydney. It's going to be a very laid back holiday
because we just want to relax and enjoy each other before we welcome
Jacob into our family. This holiday will also be a belated celebration
for our 12th/6th anniversary this end of September. I feel blessed that I
have been with my husband for more than a third of my life.
I'm
still in the process of researching about things to do in the area.
Otherwise, my husband will probably be swimming most of the time while I
watch him do so. Haha. I must remember to bring some reading materials
then. =)
Sadly, we weren't able to go to Port Macquarie over the Easter long weekend. I had blood test and ultrasound on Good Friday and when the nurse rang me for the results that arvo, she said I had another blood test and ultrasound scheduled for Monday. My husband and I talked about it and decided to cancel the trip since Port Macquarie is about 5 hours drive from Sydney. I was so sad that day, I wanted to cry. But what can we do? As my friend Jeana said, some things are more important than others. And so Saturday came. We were at home thinking of things to do when my husband got a call from his Uni friend who lives in Canberra. He asked if he and his family (wife and two kids) could come visit us. Of course we said yes. They arrived Saturday evening so we planned to go to the Easter Show the day after.
We've never been to the Easter Show ever so my husband and I were excited! Here are some of the pictures we took:
Manabat Family from Canberra =)
dagwood dog & lemonade
slinky apple
We didn't get to try any of the rides. We were happy just walking around and soaking up the atmosphere. We got to watch a lumberjack show, though. We also didn't buy any showbags. *gasp* I wanted to buy one or two but my husband talked me out of buying by asking the all important question: Do you really, really need it? Don't feel sorry for me though. I got my "revenge" when we went to the factory outlet on Monday but that's for another entry. >:)
We had fun at the Easter Show. Hopefully we can go back next year. :) How was your Easter?
We've finally finalized our Easter Holiday destination this year -- Port Macquarie! We will be staying in Seychelles Apartments with three other families. We are in the process of building our itinerary and researching about things to do there -- the FUN part I reckon. :)
We celebrated Easter last year in Coffs Harbour. Good times! We would have wanted to go back there but it would be a much longer drive now that we're back in Sydney. Living in Tamworth definitely had its advantages. Sometimes I wish we were still back there. [Who would've have thought I'd say the last sentence! Haha.]
On another note, I'm quite nervous about our IVF Orientation Visit tomorrow. We originally wanted to bring the car with us as I got so dizzy and I felt sick during our train ride home last week. Upon factoring parking fee and bus fares, we decided against the car and agreed to just take the train to the city again. Hopefully tomorrow's travel will be much kinder to me. I will update as soon as I can tomorrow. :)
I'm back!!! So sorry for the long absence/non-blogging. Anyway, we've been back in Sydney since Tuesday. We've been going to house inspections because we need a house SOON! My husband starts work again this Monday. I can't believe the number of people looking for a rental property right now. Is there a shortage or what? Forgive me if this post is beginning to sound like a rant. A lady told us that the hardest part of going on a holiday is that YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO COME BACK. Very true, indeed. But I won't let negativity affect me anymore. Fact is WE HAD AN AWESOME HOLIDAY!!! Time spent with family and friends is truly precious, no amount of money can buy.
I'd like to enumerate first some of the places we went to and the things we did. Then I'll elaborate in later posts. Here it goes:
~ Coron, Palawan --> island holiday with my family, non-stop swimming, snorkeling and of course, picture taking/camwhoring
~ Tarlac --> saw my godchild, spent the day with friends
~ Hong Kong --> wandered aimlessly but still had a great time, HK is <3
~ UP --> ate at Rodic's, saw half of Maskipaps and friends from Beta Epsilon
~ Tagaytay --> zipline baby!, lunch @ Dencio's
~ Daet, Camarines Norte --> visited my husband's family ~ Manaoag, Pangasinan & Camiling, Tarlac --> attended mass @ Our Lady of Manaoag, visited relatives in Tarlac
These are just some of the places/things that come to mind right now. I'm sure I missed heaps that if I check all our holiday pictures, all the memories will come rushing back. :)
One of things I enjoyed the most was our family photo shoot. I'm glad I got to share it with each and every member of the family. <3
As 2010 is nearing its end, I’d like to look back, reminisce and hopefully put into perspective how this year unfolded for me.
January – My husband and I welcomed the New Year in Hong Kong. We arrived there New Year’s eve and stayed until my husband’s birthday, 5 January. It was a different experience altogether - one that I will fondly remember always. After Hong Kong, we flew back to Manila, spent a week there before flying to Singapore with my family. Another holiday I will cherish. After four days we went back to Sydney, back to reality.
February – I was supposed to have surgery this month but it was postponed because my husband was assigned to work in a project in Tamworth, NSW. Tamworth is the country’s Country Music Capital, about 400km or 5.5hours from Sydney. We were apprehensive at first because we were so used to living in the city but we chose to look at it as a blessing in disguise. And indeed it is a blessing, in more ways than one.
March – I celebrated another milestone in life, I turned 30! My husband and I normally celebrate my birthday with a holiday but we chose to forego that tradition this year. Instead, we celebrated with a simple dinner at home. Greetings from family and friends made my day more special. I felt loved and blessed.
April – We went on a 5-day holiday to Coffs Harbour at the beginning of the month, in time for Holy Week. It was our first time to go there and we weren’t disappointed. We didn’t have any plans or itinerary going there but we had heaps of fun! Great food and great place = happy us. We vowed to go back soon. Before the month ended, we went on another holiday, a short one, to Hunter Valley. It was also our first time to go there. Heaps of firsts this month!
May-June-July-August – Not much happened during this stretch. We spent several weekends in Sydney. Most notable was my husband’s fraternity’s anniversary in August. Good food and great company are always a treat to enjoy.
September – My husband and I celebrated our 11th Anniversary/5th Wedding Anniversary on the 30th of the month. We had a simple dinner at my favourite Italian restaurant here in Tamworth. Again, I marvel at the fact that I have been with the same person for more than a third of my life. Amazing!
October – I had surgery in Sydney on the 8th. I had hysteroscopy and laparoscopy, my first two operations EVER! I was so nervous! Thankfully, everything went well. Thanks to my very good anaesthetist and specialist, another hurdle on our TTC (trying-to-conceive) journey taken care of. Excited, hopeful and positive about the possibilities!
November – My husband was told that his next project will be in Sydney. This means that we won’t need to go back to Tamworth after our holiday. Yay! As I’m writing this entry, we only have 5 days left before we fly back to Manila. I am so happy, ecstatic even! To be able to celebrate Christmas with my family is indeed a blessing I am thankful for.
December – Holiday season will be spent with family and friends!!! Plus, we’re going back to Hong Kong. Two HK holidays this year. Yay!
I was watching the show Ellen this morning and that very same question popped on the telly. I guess because it’s almost Thanksgiving that’s why. It made me think, even though we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here in Australia, likewise in the Philippines. I have a lot of blessings I am thankful for. I can’t even begin to name all but here are some:
-I am thankful for my husband; ever loving, ever reliable and ever understanding. He is my rock, my best friend in the truest sense. I am thankful that we are both healthy and that my husband has a good job which can support both of us without me having to work. (Note: I well and truly intend to look for a job as soon as we’re settled back in Sydney.)
-I am thankful for my family in Manila. Despite the distance between us, I feel loved, always. I am thankful that my parents and grandmother are all relatively healthy, same with my brothers and sisters.
-I am thankful that my operation last October went well. Now we are hopeful that we will be blessed with an addition to our family soon.
-I am thankful for the opportunity to spend the coming holiday season with family and friends. Time spent with them are truly precious, something no amount of money can buy.
These are just some of the things that come to mind right now. I’m sure I’ve forgotten heaps but you get the picture.
Just a few updates before I actually forget to write about them. :)
~ I had surgery (laparoscopy & hysteroscopy) last 8th October at the North Shore Specialist Day Surgery. I was scheduled for 7:15am but my husband and I went there early just to be on the safe side. I filled out some forms for admission. We didn't pay for the hospital expenses because it was covered by my health insurance. We were told that the doctors' fee (specialist and anaesthetist) will just be mailed to us. By about half past 7 I was prepped and ready to go into the theatre. Everything happened so fast. It took less than 10 seconds after I was asked to inhale the anaesthesia for me to be knocked out. I guess it was a good thing. :)
When I woke up, the first two questions I asked the nurse were 'Is it over?' and 'Where's my husband?'. When asked how I was feeling, I answered 'hungry'. Hehe. I can't help it. I was famished because I was asked to fast from the night before. Not even water. Not long after I woke up I was transferred to a recovery pod where I was deposited in a very comfortable la-z-boy. Soon my husband joined me in the pod. I was so happy to see him. I guess we were both relieved that it's over. I was given some snacks, which I asked my husband to finish. Hehe. My specialist came over and told me that his suspicions of me having endometriosis were confirmed and that it has been taken care of. He said he will ring me because I probably wouldn't remember anything he said. Bear in mind that I was still under general anaesthesia at that time. :)
By midday, I was discharged and we were on our way 'home'.
~ My specialist rang me on the 14th of October, explaining that the surgery should have increased my chances of getting pregnant by 100%! I don't know if he's just saying that or what but I believe him. I have faith that in God's time I will fall pregnant. He asked if I already had my stitches taken out. I said no because I was waiting for his instructions. My husband and I thought we needed to go back to Sydney for the specialist to take them out and at the same time have the follow up check up. Apparently we didn't need to see him and that I could have the stitches taken out already. So I rang my husband from work and asked him t take me to Tamworth Base Hospital. Good thing they were not busy at that time and I was immediately attended to. The specialist said to give it 3-4 months for me to fall pregnant. If not, we need to go back to him. I'm hoping and praying that it doesn't come to that. :)
~ There are only 38 days left before our holiday. Yay!!! I'm so excited. I can hardly wait to see my family. My homecoming is extra special because for the first time in I don't know how long, the family is complete. My brother who is a seafarer is also home. I will not miss the opportunity to have a family picture taken! :)
~ We are going back to Sydney on the 30th of October. We need to send a box full of goodies to Manila. We were originally planning on putting everything in our luggage but it was too heavy. Too much Cadbury chocolates if you ask me. Hehe. We don't want to risk having excess luggage because it's too expensive so we decided to just send a box ahead of us. We're also attending the baby shower/birthday party of a friend. Can't wait!
Too many things to look forward to. Thank you, Lord for all the blessings you continually bestow upon us.
When we went back to Manila for a holiday last year we decided to have mini-holidays on the side. We figured it's much easier (and cheaper!) to go to other countries from Manila than Sydney. So it resulted to us going to Hong Kong (where we spent New Year 2010 and Ochok's birthday), Macau and finally Singapore before returning to Sydney. Using my husband's words, that holiday was like Amazing Race. Hehe. In total we only spent two weeks in Manila, that meant just two weeks spent with family and friends. I only realized that fact when we were back in Sydney and felt like I didn't spend enough time with them as much as I should have. I must say though that my family was with us in Singapore. Still, I felt like time went by so fast.
St Paul Ruins, Macau
Merlion, Singapore
For our holiday this year, we still have mini-holidays but not as long/hectic as before. We've learnt our lesson the hard way. As I mentioned in a previous post, we're scheduled for a family holiday to Coron. I can't wait for that trip. I reckon we'll have heaps of (mis)adventures! All the tours are already organized, we just need to fly there. Then just last week my husband and I booked tickets to go to Hong Kong (again). Just for 4 days this time. I'm still on the process of doing our itinerary, searching for new things to do and new places to see. We might skip Disneyland this time. We're still debating about Ocean Park though because there were heaps of renovations last time. We're thinking maybe they have new attractions to offer now.
So far those are the mini-holidays confirmed for this year. I'm thinking of not adding to it anymore. I want to spend more time in Manila, more time with family. I'm looking forward to having quiet days at home. We'll see if I can stick to the plan. :)
We are spending the weekend here in Sydney. Yay! We left Tamworth at 7 this morning, arrived at around half past 12. Our first stop was the Filo store in Marrickville to replenish our 'supplies'. Then off we went to the storage. Next destination was Newtown where we ate lunch and I had my eyebrows waxed. Then we checked into our 'home' for the weekend, Formule 1 @ Enfield. We immediately proceeded to DFO in Homebush, where we only had a little over an hour to shop before the stores closed. Bitinsobra! Hopefully we could go back on Monday if we still have time.
I'm looking forward to BE's 81st anniversary celebration tomorrow. We are having a picnic lunch and I'm sure we'll share not just food but heaps of stories as well. :)
Back here at the hotel room, we're catching up on our favourite TV series, Entourage and White Collar. I love how fast the connection of my wireless internet is here in Sydney. We don't get a good signal in Tamworth so sometimes it takes ages to download one episode, it makes me wanna cry! So I'm taking advantage right now.
It's our third time to go back here since my husband was assigned in Tamworth. Hopefully the next time we do it'll be for good.
I've decided to list the places (outside of the Philippines) that we've been to since I discovered the 'love' for traveling. I know it's only a handful and as some acquaintance aptly put it we 'haven't done much traveling' at all. So many places to see, not enough time and money. If only we have an unlimited supply of money I'd travel the world several times over. In the mean time, I'd have to be content with these places.
• Singapore (September 2006 and January 2010)
• Malaysia - Johor Bahru (September 2006)
• We have been residents of Australia since June 2008 and so far these are some of the cities/places we've been to: Sydney, Canberra, Blue Mountains, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Melbourne, Tamworth, Coffs Harbour, Hunter Valley
• Hong Kong (December 2009-January 2010)
• Macau (January 2010)
We're going back to Manila on November 2010 and we're staying until January 2011. We might do sidetrips to Hong Kong (again) and/or Bangkok. *fingers crossed*
After we get our citizenship in 2012 we're planning to go to Europe and America. Most likely we'll do the European holiday first, just because! :)
Yay! It's only 100 days before our Philippine holiday.
I've been keeping myself busy by doing the prerequisite research before each holiday. As of writing this post, we have already booked our accommodation and island hopping tours for Coron. The only detail left for me to sort is food/meals whilst not on the said tours. You see, the tours that we availed of include food. Based on what I've read about Coron, we wouldn't have problems in terms of food because restaurants and cafeterias are abundant. We just have to choose which ones would suit our budget.
This is my first time to plan a holiday for a group of 11 people. That's a fairly big group for me. I only ever planned for holidays for two people -- my husband and I, so it was always straight forward. So when faced with the task of organizing our Coron holiday I was worried at first, especially since I'm not in Manila. But thanks to my sister Aina and the trusted websites I frequent before each holiday (GIRLTalk and Pinoy Exchange), all is now well and truly good.
I'm still on the lookout for cheap flights to Hong Kong and Bangkok. My husband wants to bring his god-daughter Dana to HK Disneyland. The problem is she doesn't have a passport yet. We've been bugging her mum since last year to get her one. Dana was supposed to be with us when we went to HK last December but because of the passport issue she was left behind. I'm afraid history will repeat itself this year. I hope not. Also, I was hoping I could cross Bangkok off my travel list but the matter is still under 'negotiation' with my husband.
I can hardly wait to go home and be with my family. *excited*
Hey everyone! I’m sorry I haven’t been able to update this blog for ages. It’s now August which means there’s only month left of Winter before Spring comes. Spring is probably my favourite season because it’s neither too cold nor too warm. Just the right balance, I think.
Anyway, here are some updates since I last blogged:
~ My husband and I went back to Sydney on 12-14 June. We took some supplies from the storage, as well as some winter clothes. While in Sydney we also met up with my husband’s fraternity brothers. It’s always good seeing these people. They’re like our ‘family’ here. As usual, we stayed with the Balintec’s, who are always so gracious and hospitable hosts.
~ My husband heard word from his boss that we ‘might be going back to Sydney’ by September or October. Judging by how things are going, I’m banking on October. That is, ‘if we get lucky’. But I’ve learned my lesson; I’m not keeping my hopes high. Que sera sera.
~ WE ARE GOING HOME TO MANILA IN NOVEMBER! Yes, you read it right. Some people might think it’s too soon because we were just there last December until January of this year. I say I don’t care. I’d rather spend Christmas and New Year with my family. There was a good enough fare from Qantas so we grabbed it. Our tickets have already been paid so it’s confirmed. We’re leaving from Sydney on 27 November and returning on 3 January 2011. That’s more than 5 weeks of holiday! I’m so excited and I can hardly wait.
~ We chose to leave Australia on the 27th of November because my whole family is scheduled to go to Coron, Palawan on 28 November-1 December. I’m just hoping that we wouldn’t be too tired to enjoy the trip because we’ll be arriving in Manila on the evening of the 27th then an early flight to Coron the next day. At the moment 11 people have confirmed flights but I wouldn’t be surprised if the number goes up. It will be the first time we’re all going to be in the same flight. How fun! It will also be Dana’s first flight EVER so we’re pretty excited to be with her. See how she reacts.
Ever since our flights to Manila and Coron have been confirmed I’ve started a list of things that we needed to buy. On the top of my list was an underwater camera. I figured we would do heaps of water activities in Coron as it’s a group of islands so I better invest in a waterproof camera. I’ve been eyeing the Canon Powershot D10 since it came out last year. At that time we found it too expensive plus our digital camera was still fairly new so I just admired it from afar. After attending mass yesterday I asked my husband if we could go to Harvey Norman and just look around. I think it was a blessing that we went there because we saw the D10 on sale! Original price was $599.95 but it was on sale at $297. That’s a little more than 50% off. It’s was already a great deal right? But it got better. We asked for the best price and the attendant said if we pay in cash he can give the camera to us for $250. Yay! But we didn’t have any cash so we hurriedly went back to the town centre, withdrew money and went back to Harvey Norman. Whew! We are now proud owners of a Canon D10. We also bought a 4gb memory for half price, it was $39.95 but we got it for $20. Thank you Harvey Norman for the great deals. =)
My husband wants to go back to Hong Kong with Dana after Christmas. I’m checking out flights and hotels to see if it would be possible. Otherwise, I’d rather go to Bangkok because we’ve never been there. But nothing’s definite yet except for the Coron trip. I’m trying not to make our upcoming Philippine holiday as hectic as our last. Fingers crossed!
~ We’re going to see Inception tomorrow, see what all the fuss is about. =)
These are all the updates that I have for now. Cheers!
We spent the Anzac long weekend in Hunter Valley. It was a last minute decision. So last minute that I was only able to book our accommodations the night before we left. So Friday night I was frantically searching for things to see and do for the weekend. We left Tamworth later than expected last Saturday because we overslept. We went straight to the Hunter Valley Gardens. There were heaps of gardens inside like Oriental Garden, Formal Garden, Border Garden. They even have a Sunken Garden. My favourite is the Storybook Garden. I swear you'll feel like a little kid again. :)
Oriental Garden
A Mad Tea Party @ Storybook Garden
Sunken Garden
It rained on Sunday so we decided to just stay in our villa and chillax. We left Hunter at around half past 9 on Monday and in 3 hours we were back in Tamworth. It was a very relaxing holiday. I enjoyed a lot even though it seems we didn't do anything. :)
I was able to book accommodations for us last night. It was so last minute, so not me. So here I am, writing this post from the villa where we are staying at. I love holidays! I’ll make a separate post about our holiday later.
On our way to Hunter Valley this morning, we stopped by the Muswellbrook Information Centre where a Big Thing is located. It is home to The Big Blue Heeler.
This afternoon, we saw another Big Thing at the Hunter Valley Gardens Village. We’re on a roll! Hehe. Here are photos of The Big Wine Bottle.
Our relaxing weekend is just beginning and I’m already invigorated. I love it! Later peeps. :)
Easter holiday is over. We're back in Tamworth, back to reality. I'd have to say this holiday is one of the most relaxing holidays we've had in a while. We didn't have any itinerary or schedule to follow. No pressures at all. We didn't get to REALLY explore Coffs Harbour but I'd say I've seen enough to fall in love with the place. Everything is so laid back. It would be nice to have a holiday home there someday. For now, it's just me dreaming. I have heaps of stories to tell I don't even know where to start! For now, here are some of the photos we took on our first day.
view of Muttonbird Island taken from Jetty Beach
salt and pepper squid and chips from the Coff's Harbour Fishermen's Co-operative -- so yummy!
Coffs Harbour Jetty
beautiful houses taken from the Jetty
schools of fish below the Jetty
customary cartwheel @ Coffs Harbour Jetty
cartwheel @ Jetty Beach
P.S. Thank you, God for the glorious weather that we had while in Coffs Harbour.
