MNL-NRT-JFK

This is it! It's Bobby and me on a two-month vacation in NY. The promo fare came just in time (thanks to Northwest Airlines and BPI). Every detail of our travel seemed to fit so well. Start of sem break, here we go... Change plane at Narita International Airport, Japan Arrival at JFK International Airport, New York

UPLB @ 100

Year 2010 is UPLB's centennial year and on October 10, it celebrated its 91st Loyalty Day. The Agricultural and Rural Development Scholars (ARDS) had "Kumustahan Night" on October 9 at the SEARCA International Residence. It was great to see familiar and new faces from the first batch down to the 30+ batches. Imagine, the younger batches look like our kids. The following day, we had our symposium with no other than SEARCA Director Dr. Saguiguit as our guest speaker. Some of the former directors and staff of the Learning Resource Center (the Center which handled our scholarship program) came to celebrate with us. The Loyalty Day Parade this year was held in the afternoon. Bobby and I joined the NGs and in the evening, we were with our bros and sis at the Alumni Homecoming at the Sacay Villa Clubhouse. It was a fun-filled evening of dining, reminiscing, and chatting with one another. We were all surprised to meet our guest speaker, Cong. Teddy Casino.

Side Trip to Boracay

After the meeting, we had a short visit to the Butcher Mansion. Samuel J. Butcher is the owner of Sampaguita Gardens and the creator of Precious Moments.

Our group of seven then traveled to Caticlan port and boarded the fast craft to Boracay. The winds were strong and the sea was rough but it was only a 15-minute ride. We checked in at Casa Pilar Beach Resort (located in Station 3) at around 7:00 p.m. and immediately ate our packed dinner. Then, we strolled on the beach, taking pictures here and there up to Station 1 then back to the resort to rest our tired legs... and off to sleep.

The following morning, the waves were still strong and there was a coming storm, so we hurriedly packed up and left Boracay. I felt sorry for my friends who were not able to explore the crystal waters and powdery white sands of Boracay. Of course, they brought with them some souvenirs and samples of Boracay sand.

Precious Moments @ Sampaguita Gardens

Sampaguita Gardens is located in New Washington, Aklan which is the Christmas fantasy and seafood capital of the province... And every day is Christmas at Sampaguita Gardens. And what's inside Jojo's Christmas Cottage? And so much more...

Kalibo, Aklan

Kalibo is the capital of Aklan and it's noted for its Ati-atihan festival which is celebrated every third week of January. It is also known for its pina cloth, the queen of Philippine fabrics. On September 10-12, I attended the Mid-Year National RMIS Coordinators' Meeting at the Sampaguita Gardens in New Washington, Aklan. Our group had a chance to visit a couple of places in the area before we started our session.