Ich spreche Deutsch!

Remember my post a week ago about a German test I'm supposed to take? Well, I had it on Tuesday morning. Results were released on Wednesday and I'm glad to say that I effin' passed!  83/100! Hah! Not bad for someone who didn't take the full Level 1 course.

Wingman Makati Now Delivers!

Woohoo! I've been waiting for this for the longest time!

Next time you have a craving for those yummy wings, dial 212-1212 and they'll deliver right to your doorstep. Personal favourite is the medium Classic wings.

Wingman Menu

Wingman

Suite B, The Collective

7274 Malugay St., San Antonio Village

Makati City

(02) 478 6770

In the Land of Pepe Le Pew

Visited Paris in June of 2009. Took the TGV train from Stuttgart which cost 200 Euros roundtrip. I think it took us three hours to get to Paris but then we didn't mind since it was way cheaper than flying.

One of the many statues in the Luxembourg Garden.
Caption: Dammit, standing here the whole day fully exposed
with this tiny thing is bad enough.
Now this pigeon decides to poop on me? Why me???

Stayed at the Hotel Excelsior Latin which was in the middle of the Latin Quarter (5th arrondissement). The hotel was walking distance to the Pantheon, Louvre, Luxembourg Garden, Notre Dame, Centre Pompidou and the Sorbonne.

Notre Dame illuminated at night. 

Rose window in the North transept in Notre Dame with the
theme of the Old Testament. 

La Pyramide Inversee, which is a skylight,  in the Caroussel du Louvre. 

Sacre-Coeur Basilica, located in the summit of Montmartre,
is the highest point in the city.

Unlike our trip to Barcelona, we decided to be all-touristy in the city of love. This included walking along the Moulin Rouge district, viewing the city from Montmartre, going to the Eiffel Tower, walking up Champs-Elysee where all the high-end shops are, visiting the Louvre, etc.

Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower from below.

Walking along the Champs-Elysees towards the Arc de Triomphe 

Arc de Triomphe

Moulin Rouge

A cute little fueling station on one of the streets in the Pigalle district.

If you're in Paris for a limited time, I suggest you visit the Musee D'Orsay rather than the Louvre. If you are a true art lover, you would need more than a day to see everything in the Louvre. If you're going there just for the sake of saying you've been there, then just pick a specific section that you really are interested in. I'm guessing most people would want to see the Mona Lisa. Prepare to be disappointed though since the Mona Lisa room is normally packed with tourists and the painting itself is not even that big. Very difficult to get up close and take a good photo.

The famed Mona Lisa portrait of Da Vinci.

Among all the things we did,  I would recommend that you take the Seine River Cruise and a day trip to visit the Chateau de Versailles. The cruise costs about 10 Euros if I'm not mistaken. To go to Versailles, just hop on a train headed outside Paris. You'll be there in less than an hour. Another suggestion is to grab a baguette sandwich in one of the many delis in the city and hang out by the Seine or the Luxembourg Garden to people watch.

If uncertain of which area in Paris to stay, check out this map as it describes the differences among each neighbourhood.

More pics from the trip will be posted soon!

See you in February, Bangkok!

It's the annual Bangkok Hat on Feb 11 and 12, 2012. In my opinion, this is the most fun Ultimate tournament in Asia. The first time I played in this tourney was in February of 2004 and since then, I make it a point to attend even if I only partake in the sideline drinking, the boat races and the heckling.

Since I'll be saying goodbye to Asia around February next year, I have planned on doing a weekend stopover in BKK just so I can participate in the Hat. I have booked my one-way flight to BKK and from there fly to Europe. I have a feeling that it'll be one fun-filled, crazy weekend! So psyched!

Only thing to do now is to look for reasonably-priced hotels.

BKK Hat 2010. Apple Pie Shots.  Happy times!

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

In exactly one week, I'll be taking that Level 1A German certification from Goethe Institut. I've started trying to learn the darned language a few months ago by going over the books I bought and also by utilising a number of free online exercises. It seems though that the older you get, the more difficult it is to learn a new language. Anyway, I've enlisted the help of an instructor to help me cram for the test. Just finished 3 out of 4 sessions and I think I'd manage passing it. Or maybe I'm just being cocky :)

California Nails and Day Spa

Looking for a last-minute place to get a manicure, I decided to try California Nail Spa at Market Market.  I arrived at 5pm on a Sunday and was told by the very unaccommodating receptionist that a slot will open at 5:30. Since I didn't want to sit and wait in the salon, I walked around the mall a bit. I went back to CANS at 5:30 fully expecting to be ushered to my seat, however, the receptionist asked me to take a seat and wait some more. At first, I cooperated thinking the wait won't be much longer since I already had an appointment. I waited for almost 30 minutes and then I lost my patience. I believe that had I not asked the receptionist again, I would've been waiting longer than that.

Photo from the CANS FB page

Anyway, as to the quality of their work. The manicurist who did my nails was okay. Light hands and didn't nick me at all even if my cuticles are a bit thin, therefore, difficult to work with. They have a lot of options when it comes to nail polish colors. If you opt to have the OPI brand of polish used though, you would have to pay extra. I chose the regular polish and it lasted almost two weeks before it showed signs of chipping. Pretty good since in some of the salons I've tried, the polish only lasted a week.

I prefer a salon that's quiet and has that relaxed feel, but if you don't mind a crowded salon with the occasional chatty staff or clients, then CANS is a reasonably-priced place to get your nails done.

Here's the contact information for CANS in Market Market:

359 3rd flr. Market! Market! Mall
Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Tel. 886-7400, 758-2175
Cell phone: 0928-3525297
califnailsmarket@yahoo.com

For information on their other branches, click here.

Congratulations, Sebastian Vettel for being the youngest driver to win back-to-back F1 World Championships!

Photos from Red Bull Racing

Rest in Peace...

"The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle." - Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs' Commencement Address, Stanford U, 2005

Blog Milestone

I just realized today that my blog has now over 10,000 pageviews! Cool! I know it's not a big number but considering that I'm not a regular poster, I think it's great.

There are a few people I'd like to thank of course.

First, there's Sebastian Vettel who's responsible for a lot of my PVs. In terms of search keywords, he tops the list. I didn't know there were a lot of other people searching for him. Thought it was just me. :) Thank you Google for sending me traffic.

Next, I'd like to thank PinoyExchange readers for clicking on the URLs and visiting my site. PEx rocks!

Thanks as well to Stephan for his extreme patience while teaching me the basics of HTML. I guess working on the tags paid off somehow.

Lastly, thanks to my 17 followers though I know not everyone really reads what I write. :P

Vettel Wins the Singapore 2011 Grand Prix!

Sebastian Vettel wins his 9th Grand Prix of the season and is only one point shy of being back-to-back World Champion. Only Button stands a slim chance of stealing the championship from Vettel and that is if Jenson wins all the remaining five races with Seb not getting a single point.

Singapore GP 2011 podium finishers: Vettel, Button, Webber

Congratulations, Seb!

Photo from Formula1.com

Red Bull 1-2 in Singapore F1 2011 Qualifying!

Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber take the front row for tomorrow's Singapore Grand Prix. Too bad I'm not there to witness it. Now back to sulking. 

Nice job guys! Let's got for three trophies tomorrow!

I'm happy it's Friday but definitely devastated that I'm not going to Singapore for the F1 Grand Prix this weekend.

So I'm not going to the GP, where my driver Vettel, can possibly seal his 2nd consecutive World Championship title.

Been checking for flights up until last night but even if I finally agree to spend twice the usual amount for tickets to SG, I still wouldn't be able to get in the track as tickets are sold out. Boo. Another GP that I'll be watching only on TV.

Anti-Planking Act of 2011

Winston Castello, a Quezon City Congressman, is set to file a bill called the Anti-Planking Act of 2011 or House Bill 5316.

While only students are prohibited from planking during certain situations, it's still an insanely ridiculous bill.  

Seriously. Can't you come up with a bill that's focused on more pressing matters? This is such a waste of time and taxpayers' money. 

Wandering Flipflops Recommends: Panglao Island, Bohol PART 2

On Day 3 of our Bohol trip, my friends and I went on a sea tour. Our bangka (boat) picked us up from the resort at 6am. Apparently, the dolphins are out only until 8am so the earlier you head out, the better your chances are of spotting them. It was a bit of a long ride out to the dolphin spot. According to our boatman, Vito, you have to be lucky to be able to spot the dolphins since they aren't always there. I was ecstatic to see the dolphins, however, I was also a bit frustrated by the way some boatmen chased them just so their passengers can have a closer look. Good thing Vito had more respect for the animals and always kept a safe distance.

After this, we were off to the Balicasag Marine Sanctuary which is known for its diverse and exotic marine life. Bring some bread or biscuits so you can experience feeding the wild fishes from your hand. 

Just off the boat and waiting for a smaller
boat to take us out to the spot. 

Too bad we didn't have an underwater cam.
Photo from here

Last stop of the sea tour is Virgin Island. As you approach it, you'd see a sandbar which my friends and I call a "runway". It's an uninhabited island with an awesome stretch of powdery white sand beach. Going around the island takes less than 20 minutes. The best part of this stop was the fresh uni. Locals dive for sea urchins and sell it at P50 for 3 pieces.

The sandbar leading to the island. 

Freshly-caught sea urchins.

Me playing with the sea urchin Fear Factor-style. 

Fresh uni with a drop of vinegar. Yum!

We finished with the tour a little before lunch time. Since we were hungry and wanted to hang out somewhere else, we decided to head over to Bohol Beach Club which is a much nicer resort compared to ours. If not a guest, you have to pay P500 for using their facilities, however,  P350 of this is consumable at the restaurant so I think it's worth it.

Spent an hour napping on this comfy hammock. 

More hammocks lining up the path.

BBC's beach. 

I think heading over to BBC was a great idea. The food was good and we had a chance to relax by the beach (except during a wedding party's photo session!) since most of the other tourists opted to stay in the pool area.  

I would definitely love to go back to Panglao Island. Maybe next time, I'd stay on Alona Beach which is the livelier (read: noisier) part of the island just so I have more options when it comes to where to dine. 

Wandering Flipflops Recommends: Panglao Island, Bohol PART 1

If you're staying on Dumaluan Beach but don't want to spend $100/night at the Bohol Beach Club, then book a room at Dumaluan Beach Resort 2. We got a Deluxe room for half the price. The resort is not as swanky as BBC, but then, we had more money to spend on booze and food so, Yay!

Deluxe Room 

Garden Area where you can hang out 

For cheap, grilled food, head over to the DBR grill which is only a few steps away from the resort. 

Instead of getting stuck in a day-long happy hour, book a countryside tour with Tatsky (contact info below) and see the following:

Butterfly Farm - We almost skipped this one but thank goodness we changed our minds. This was the highlight of our trip that day mainly because of our guide, Marlon, who was recommended by Tatsky.

Butterflies in heat.

Man-made Mahogany Forest - Beautiful 2-kilometer stretch of Mahogany trees planted during President Garcia's time.

Philippine Tarsier - Smallest primate which is no bigger than my hand. They're nocturnal but I guess all the tourists milling about are keeping this guy up.

Chocolate Hills - According to our guide, there are around 1,300 of these hills. Going to Bohol and not visiting the hills is like going to Paris and not visiting the Eiffel Tower.

Loboc River Cruise - Buffet lunch is served on the boat while going on a cruise. Buy your ticket from River Watch Cruises as the food is better than the rest. Costs P400.

Prony the Python - Around 20-30 feet long. The main attraction on this trip was actually Marimar :)

Baclayon Church - One of the oldest churches in the Philippines. Our guide, Tatsky, pointed out this wall which they say has Padre Pio's likeness etched on it. Padre Pio became known for his stigmata.

Padre Pio on the church's wall. 

Padre Pio

There are around 12 sites included in the countryside tour, but, you can always tell your guide if you want to skip some.

Hinagdanan Cave - Nothing special about this and only good for photo ops. We were done in five minutes.

Hanging Bridge(s) - Again, you can totally skip this. You cross one bridge to go to the other side where locals sell you stuff then come back using the other bridge. Took us some time to cross since a lot of people stop in the middle to take photos.

The Real Blood Compact Site - According to our guide, the monument that overlooks the sea is not the real one. A few years back, the National Historical Society found documents describing where it really happened. According to what the NHS found, the blood compact happened near/at a well located between two rivers.

The REAL Blood Compact Site
Photo from Unsubcultured

Bohol Bee Farm sans the bees - This was the last stop of our tour. They sell stuff like flavored honey, dips, spreads, and ice cream with weird flavors like malunggay, spicy ginger, panda, etc.

Photo from Unsubcultured

We got back to our resort tired and sweaty around 6pm. First thing we did when we got back? Order drinks of course. It was a long and hard day after all.


P.S.
If you're looking for a tour operator in Bohol, contact Tatsky. I highly recommend him. Excellent service!

Tatsky Cubero
jessercubero@yahoo.com
0922-367 1051
0915-794 5556
0912-747 2737

WTF was I thinking?

Played in the M&M Ultimate league yesterday after a five-month hiatus. Spent half of my Sunday guarding and running after kids 10+ years younger than me. Really bad idea. I'm aching all over.

An Afternoon of Zen...tea

I was finally able to visit Zentea along Mother Ignacia over the weekend. Thankfully, traffic along EDSA was not so horrible that it took us less than an hour to get there.

I've tried several milk tea places before so I wasn't really expecting much with regard to how different Zentea tastes compared to the others.

I started with the Autumn Tea which, I was told, was one of their bestsellers. I found it tastier and better unlike some of the others I've tried which tasted a bit watered-down and bland.

Having enough milk and jello to last me a week, I decided to switch to their green tea offerings and chose 3Berries (strawberry, blueberry and grape).

3Berries

I loved this tea. It was refreshing, light and it reminded me of the fresh iced tea that I normally got at the Salcedo Market. If, like me,  you don't like your drink that sweet, you can always request for the guys to add less syrup.

Was also able to try another one of their green tea bestsellers called Sunshine. If I remember correctly, this had ginger, calamansi and honey. This was also really good. Don't be turned off by the ginger since they only put a hint of it so the taste is not really overpowering.

Sunshine

Aside from their teas being reasonably-priced (slightly cheaper than the others), another thing I like about Zentea Mo. Ignacia is the fact that the store is really cozy. It's a place where you feel like hanging out with your friends for some chit-chat over a cup of milk tea.

Inside of the Store

My take on Stonehenge. The design on this changes daily
as customers love playing with it. It's so Zen!

If you're in the area, drop by their store located at the Mo. Ignacia Food Court just across ABS-CBN. They also deliver to buildings nearby for a minimum purchase.

For other details, you may also visit Zentea Mo. Ignacia's Facebook Page.