Makati City Trip.

(NOTE: Please click on the pictures to enlarge them.)
I’ve been in the Philippines nearly 2 weeks now. October 13th-17th F.B. & I spent the week in Makati City. We always visit Makati city for a few days when I visit. We stayed at the Best Western Astor Hotel. And this time we managed to get ourselves up early for the breakfast buffet all week. We decided this year we would do that to save money. That way we only had to pay for dinner all week.























We spent a lot of time at Mall of Asia. F.B. bought me another pair of Havaiana’s as a belated birthday gift. (I love them!) And also a skull/star hoodie & a t-shirt from SM Department store.



































Here are some random city shots:

Philippine Traffic... looks more orderly than it is!


















The cabs say 'with aircon’ (That's what air conditioning is called in the Philippines.)


















Look! A Hog Dealer! So Random! Haha!


















I managed to get some pretty sunset pictures again at Manila Bay, when we were at Mall of Asia:






















































































We also ate at our favorite places; Gerry’s Grill, Chow King & Yellow Cab Here is F.B. contemplating which slice of pizza he wants!























I wanted to try Burger King in the Philippines so we ate there one evening. It tastes the same as the U.S. I was glad they still have the onion rings! F.B. thought his whopper was really “small”though, hehe!























We decided to try ‘Tempura’ a Japanese restaurant, we’ve never ate there. It was pretty good, but we both like Tokyo Tokyo or Saisaki Buffet better for sushi. Oh! F.B. taught me how to eat like a Filipino with both a fork & spoon at the same time. Hehe!


















Saw some more movies. We watched ‘Strangers’ which I thought was a lot of anticipation and not a lot of action. And we saw ‘Mirror’s’. I thought it was similar to the ‘Sixth Sense’ in a way, but not as good.

We went to Manila Ocean Park- Aquarium on Tuesday. They had a lot of pretty fish, sharks, sting rays, alligators. They even had a glass tunnel you walk under and the fish swim all around you.














































Fishies:








































































Stone Fish:



















Giant Crab:
























Crocodiles:



















I like the blue spotted sting ray best; he always gives the evil eye!


















I also liked this Tiki dude they had around the park:













































They had a Starbucks at Ocean Park. And they even make my white chocolate mocha as a Frappucino in the Philippines too! Whoo hoo! I think we had Starbucks 3 times during our stay in Makati, haha!




















































































Friday we checked out of the hotel but we couldn’t use the car. They have traffic rules and on certain days depending on what your license plate starts with you can’t use the car between certain hours in the city. So we took a hotel cab to Glorietta Mall and spent the day there. We ate Thai food at ‘Dusit Thani’ I had two San Mig beers. They sat the beer in front of F.B. again and his water in front of me! Haha! They always assume! We had the seafood soup we had before and look I even ate the squid with the tentacles! Ewwww! Haha!



















Ooooh! And on the way out of Glorietta I came across this lovely purse and bought it! Heehee! Matches my wallet I already have!

















We walked back to the hotel. It’s not such a far walk back, so when we stay in the city and visit Glorietta Mall we usually do that. Got back to F.B.'s house around 9pm.

F.B. & I acting silly in Makati:


























We still have to visit Fort Santiago and the Manila Zoo. And we want to take a day trip to Tagaytay. We also want to go back to Mall of Asia to check out the 3D IMAX Theater again when the new films are showing.

Sad news though. I found out my Dad had to have his dog Hunter put to sleep this week. He was really sick and wasn’t eating. He was around 13 years old. We’ve had him since he was a puppy. He was a guard dog at my Dad’s junk yard for quite a few years.























And then yesterday Coco, F.B.’s family dog also had to be put to sleep tonight because he was ill. Here’s a picture of him I took of him last week:
























P.S. I forgot to post pictures of the pretty rose F.B. gave me the night I arrived:

Philippines: Arrival & F's Birthday
















Back in the Philippines! Arrived here at 10pm on 10-7-08. I didn't have any delays with any of my connections this time, thank goodness. The 15 hour flight was so long though, I tried to sleep most of it.

I had a little trouble finding F.B. at the airport, since it was the larger airport this time. When I got my luggage and got through customs I had to go outside and was asking the guards where the waiting area was. There wasn't too many signs, so I called F on his cell phone and he said he could see me and to wait where I was and he would go get the car.

We got back to his house around 11:30pm. He gave me a red rose and a rattie stuffed animal.
















(The door to F.B.'s room.)













My first day in the Philippines we went to change my money into some peso's and then headed to 'Big R' the mall near F.B.'s house. We stopped at the supermarket so I could pick up some toothpaste, shampoo, etc. And we also stopped at the music store and F.B. got me the new Cueshe c.d. for my belated birthday gift. Later that afternoon we checked out the new mall in Marikina City.

There's a new stray cat hanging around F.B.'s house. He calls him 'Stupid Cat' because he always runs away when F.B. tries to pet him. I think he liked me though, he sniffed my hand and posed for me!





















October 9th, was F.B.'s 29th birthday. We had lunch at home and headed to Mega Mall. It was pouring rain and hard to see when driving. It's been cool here at night time, I get cold! (In the Philippines!) We watched 'Tropic Thunder' with Ben Stiller at Mega Mall. I thought it was okay, but F.B. really "liked" it.






















Around 7pm we met up with F.B.'s parents and his sister at Mega Mall and went to Saisaki Buffet for F.B.'s birthday dinner.













































Today we just hung out around the house. Slept in late and played around on my laptop. And picked up F.B.'s Dad and Sister later in the evening.

10-7-08

Blogging from my cell phone! It's tuesday evening around 6pm. I'm in Hong Kong waiting for my flight to the Philippines!

Edit 10-9-08: Just wanted to updated & let everyone know I'm in the Philippines! I arrived 10-7-08 around 10pm. Today is F.B.'s birthday. I've been on the dial up for an hour paying bills so and we're tired and have to get up early. So I will blog another night with some pictures!

Leaving Monday!

The countdown is on. I leave for the Philippines Monday! Yesterday I was out sick. There's been a virus going around at work and I caught it. A lovely little head cold. Blah. I spent Thursday in bed. Oh well... the first time I visited the Philippines I gave F.B. a cold. And in January his family was passing around a cold & I ended up catching it. So I guess it's my turn again to give him a 'sipon' (cold in tagalog.) Going to sleep in most of this weekend and finish packing on Sunday. So maybe I can get rid of this cold. Been taking extra vitamin C all week.

Today was my last day of work. They did extend our seasonal agreement until October 31st, so I'm not sure if we will be furloughed before I come back from the Philippines in December or not. I guess we will see. My co-workers gave me some flowers & a card since it was my last day since I'll be on vacation for 2 months. I probably should have taken pictures of them right away when I got home, I put them in water but they aren't as nice looking now as when I received them. (And shhh... I couldn't find a vase!)

F.B. & I decided we should take a day trip back up to Tagaytay City and see Taal Lake & Taal Volcano again. We went back in 2006. We stayed 2 nights but it would have been better as a day trip since there wasn't much else to do up there besides see the volcano. But it will be nice to take a day trip up there and get some new pictures of the volcano.

My family will be taking care of the ratties for me. They took care of them the last time I was in the Philippines. I will miss them though. Especially waking up every morning to little rattie faces peeping out of the cage at me waiting for me to say good morning! Or cuddling with my Cinnamon rat. She loves to cuddle with me when I'm in bed reading or on the laptop. She's been very affectionate since her emergency spay. Sugar & Spice will also be turning 1 year old on October 24th. Cinnamon won't be 1 years old until February 15th. I still want to get one more rattie, but that will have to wait until I'm back in the USA and have the time to introduce another rat to the girls. Sugar & Spice were very territorial about Cinnamon at first. They were constantly fighting. It took around 2 months or so before they were used to each other. Spice had been the dominant rat until Cinnamon came along and took her place!

I picked up another book for the plane at Target. I got 'The Heretic's Daughter ' by, Kathleen Kent. Target always has a nice book selection. So now I have 2 new books to read during my flight.

Leaving Monday morning around 5:45am. Hoping to get down to Philadelphia International Airport around 6:30am. And my first flight leaves for Chicago around 9:30am. (My Flight Itinerary.) I'm Excited! Just a few more days! We will be staying in Makati City 10-13 through 10-17. We want to visit the aquarium & the zoo. Visit Fort Santiago. And F.B.'s 29th birthday will be October 9th!

P.S. Took pretty flower picture this morning:

Just about a week!

Next Monday I'll be off to the Philippines! There's just 9 days left until I leave now! I really was going to pack next weekend, but I decided to start packing the stuff I'm not wearing. So I spent the morning packing. Next weekend, I'll just have to wash and pack the clothes I will wear this week and pack all the miscellaneous last minute stuff. Decided not to take my bright purple suitcase because it's not going to be big enough and I don't really want to take two bags with all the new luggage rules at the airport. So I'm taking my huge black suitcase with wheels and a smaller suitcase with wheels for my carry on. (Since I'm taking the laptop this year!) And that will be it, besides my purse.

I visited my Nana last night. She wanted to see me before I went away for 2 months. So I got to share with her my trip pictures from January. And I brought the rats as a surprise. She's seen pictures of them but she hasn't met them. I thought she might be freaked out that I brought rats to her house, but instead she said, "Ohhh! You brought the rats!" And she pet each one on their head and even said their tails were cute. (My Mom cannot stand rat tails, haha!)

Afterwards my brother & I stopped at Starbucks to get hot white chocolate mocha's, yum! It's been getting colder now and the leaves are starting to change color. But in just a week I'll be seeing palm trees again and wearing sandals! And getting to be with my boy! Also can't wait to eat at my favorite places again. Gerry's Grill & Chow King and Saisaki Buffet! Yay! I'm excited!

Rattie Love!

Give a rat a tissue box... and they make a new bed! My ratties love old tissue boxes. (Any old box really!) I should have bought 3 tissue boxes! Instead they had to take turns with this one, what good girls! Hee hee!

Sugar, Cinnamon & Spice:




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