Thursday, February 24, 2011

Bicol: CamSur and Mt. Mayon

My grandfather was originally from Bicol, specifically Paracale, Camarines Norte. It's where my dad and his siblings grew up. But I haven't been there since year 2000. I never liked going there 'coz there were no nice places to visit. I wished that I could reach other parts of Bicol (or Region 5) someday. And this wish was granted by my job as a Project Officer of Smart Sports.

My job lets me travel to different regions to promote Smart Communications, Inc. through event sponsorships. And my first stop was the Camsur Watersports Complex in Naga, Camarines Sur last Aug. 21-22, 2010. I went to the trip alone 'coz it was an ocular visit for my upcoming event. I was invited by the organizer of the 2010 Ironman 70.3 Philippines to witness the event.

I stayed at CBD Hotel, in a room good for 4, but I was alone. From my room, I can view SM Naga and the Naga Coliseum under construction. There were free bus transfers to CWC from the hotel and back that were arranged by the event organizers. Plus all my meals were free! Super cool.


registration area

 cabins and cabanas

 view from my hotel room window

 coliseum :)

I love the original Laing Pizza from CWC Clubhouse
 
co-workers from Smart Naga team

I also joined a friend's team for their carbo-loading dinner somewhere with the city. They were participants of the corporate relay category of the Ironman70.3.

The next day, I woke up early to catch the start of the race. There were a lot of participants from all over the world, including the elite triathletes.

 let the race begin!

 after the swim part, they pass through these showers

relay cyclists waiting for their swimmers to pass the time chip

 there were a lot of spectators too

 the finish line

 1st Place: Pete Jacobs

 2nd: Terenzo Bozzone (last year's 1st)

 quite a cute guy huh? LOL

 1st for the women: Magali Tisseyre

2nd for the women: Michellie Jones

Also, two Filipinos made it to the Top 10 for Men:  Neil Catiil (8th) and Arland Macasieb (10th). For the women, Rachel Paxton on 3rd place and the next four slots were  already Filipinas who were Monica Torres, Ani de Leon, Alessandra Gonzales, and Manda Carpo.

I felt so lucky to have witnessed such an event. I really enjoyed it.

After a month, I went back to CamSur for my major event which was the 1st Camsur International Marathon. This time, my supervisor at work accompanied me and we were there from Sept.24 to 27, 2010. Good thing I have already made all the necessary arrangements prior to the event so it just felt like a vacation while we were there. And since all the planes going to Naga were fully booked, we took a flight to Legazpi, Albay instead. And this game me a chance to see Mt. Mayon for the first time! It's very popular for its perfect cone shape.

first time!
 super nice:)

 on our flight back (not much clouds anymore)

I love CWC so I felt lucky that I was able to go there again for free. I always wanted to try wakeboarding but I'm too scared 'coz I'm not a swimmer plus the water didn't look that good. haha! But even if I was there for work, I was able to enjoy it. I did nothing but watch TV, sleep in the air-conditioned cabin, walk around, eat in free buffet in the clubhouse, and drink at the club/bar. CWC is indeed a total package.:)

Mt. Isarog facing the wakeboarding area

 resort

So my work there was basically to ensure the exposure of Smart in the event. We put up several booths, banners, billboards, kilometer markers, etc. within the race course. I also attended the PressCon w/ Gov. LRey, Coach Rio dela Cruz, the race organizers, and the celebrities who participated in the race.



On Sept. 26, the race took place. There were more than 17,000 participants for all the distance categories (3k, 5k, 10k, 21k, 42k). Elite racers (Kenyans) were also there.

Team SMS (Samahang Mananakbo ng Smart) before the race

racers waiting for the gun start
 runners after the race

Team SMS after the race

The experience could've been better if my friends joined me. Hopefully we get to join next time.:)

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Why Tagaytay?

From North to South! We all live in QC area and we really missed having a trip down South. Our KSP barkada just can't enough of going out of town, most especially on holidays.  Since Sept.10 last year was a holiday, we spent an overnight weekend in Tagaytay, Cavite. Yeah, we just realized there that Tagaytay is in Cavite instead of Batangas, most especially the village where we stayed.

On our way to Tagaytay, we found out that it was Diether Ocampo who's inside the car beside us along C5 road (Market Market area). It was so funny 'coz  it was the guys who noticed him. The girls wouldn't believe until we chased his car and we all screamed to the top of our lungs after proving that it was really him. Haha after that we said to ourselves, "hey, why did we just do that? did he hear us scream? omg, we're like jejefans! watta shame!" haha! But that was actually fun.:))

he's the one driving actually so he's at the other side

We had a stopover for lunch somewhere along SLEX then we he headed to the house we rented in one village in Tagaytay.

 very affordable rest house w/ lots of beds :)

This time, we didn't play the games we used to play in Fontana. This trip actually involved a lot of chatting or more like gossiping about our own lives. LOL. The girls bonded over some "girl talk" in the room upstairs, while the boys played Poker downstairs in the afternoon. 

 poker face?

But later that afternoon, everybody gathered in the "chill spot" downstairs and shared our own stories and jokes while drinking 'til past midnight.


our traditional group shots

And since all of our guys are photographers, or at least are passionate about photography, our photo shoot sessions are a must!:)





 
It was another fun trip away from Manila. As we always say everytime we leave our vacation place, "back to Manila, back to reality."

DSLR-captured photos by www.jianalvarez.com

Monday, February 21, 2011

Weekends at Fontana

Fontana has been the usual weekend getaway destination of my KSP barkada 'coz it's near , affordable, and relaxing. We used to get discount stubs from our friend Lalie, which made it even more interesting.

Everytime we go there, we don't actually swim. We just stay together in the villa playing games, watching TV, making "chismis", and in my case, 'sleeping'. haha! We also do photo and video shoots. Just the road trip alone is actually fun, so what more when we get to the villa? It's chaos!:))


We were there last July 31-Aug. 1, 2010 to have a break from work. I was asleep in the afternoon 'coz I came from work earlier that day.


 Venetian-inspired hotel lobby

The Games we played were: Wet Head (something like Pinoy Henyo but with a gadget that gets you wet when you're not able to guess the item), Twister (of course, we all know it), Questions ("alcohol" game that's quite confusing but will really test how drunk each participant is), and Showdown Staredown ("stop dance" w/ a twist where opponents will stare at each other and make funny faces when the music stops, and whoever laughs gets eliminated).

playin' "Wet Head"

playin' "Twister"

While the girls were on a road trip to Bulacan, the boys and I had a "Step Up"-inspired photo shoot and a "Asianovela"-inspired video shoot (subtitles included LOL). Plus the boys danced "Careless Whisper" for a "bridal shower"-inspired performance. haha!:))

 one of the boys

 The Streets :p

 Inception???:))

 baby freeze!

And of course, we didn't leave the place without our daytime groups shots.:)

 the girls

the gang

We also went to Fontana last October 25-26, 2010 for the double celebration of the birthdays of Lalie and Denise. We did the same thing. This time, GIRLS vs. BOYS. haha! Girls did the charades and Pinoy Henyo items for the boys, and vice versa. Super funny!:)) Plus we also played "Hello Jack" card game. And as usual, I was so sleepy so I spent a lot of time sleeping again.:p




 Fontana? More like FUNtana!!!:)

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Bicol: CamSur and Mt. Mayon

My grandfather was originally from Bicol, specifically Paracale, Camarines Norte. It's where my dad and his siblings grew up. But I haven't been there since year 2000. I never liked going there 'coz there were no nice places to visit. I wished that I could reach other parts of Bicol (or Region 5) someday. And this wish was granted by my job as a Project Officer of Smart Sports.

My job lets me travel to different regions to promote Smart Communications, Inc. through event sponsorships. And my first stop was the Camsur Watersports Complex in Naga, Camarines Sur last Aug. 21-22, 2010. I went to the trip alone 'coz it was an ocular visit for my upcoming event. I was invited by the organizer of the 2010 Ironman 70.3 Philippines to witness the event.

I stayed at CBD Hotel, in a room good for 4, but I was alone. From my room, I can view SM Naga and the Naga Coliseum under construction. There were free bus transfers to CWC from the hotel and back that were arranged by the event organizers. Plus all my meals were free! Super cool.


registration area

 cabins and cabanas

 view from my hotel room window

 coliseum :)

I love the original Laing Pizza from CWC Clubhouse
 
co-workers from Smart Naga team

I also joined a friend's team for their carbo-loading dinner somewhere with the city. They were participants of the corporate relay category of the Ironman70.3.

The next day, I woke up early to catch the start of the race. There were a lot of participants from all over the world, including the elite triathletes.

 let the race begin!

 after the swim part, they pass through these showers

relay cyclists waiting for their swimmers to pass the time chip

 there were a lot of spectators too

 the finish line

 1st Place: Pete Jacobs

 2nd: Terenzo Bozzone (last year's 1st)

 quite a cute guy huh? LOL

 1st for the women: Magali Tisseyre

2nd for the women: Michellie Jones

Also, two Filipinos made it to the Top 10 for Men:  Neil Catiil (8th) and Arland Macasieb (10th). For the women, Rachel Paxton on 3rd place and the next four slots were  already Filipinas who were Monica Torres, Ani de Leon, Alessandra Gonzales, and Manda Carpo.

I felt so lucky to have witnessed such an event. I really enjoyed it.

After a month, I went back to CamSur for my major event which was the 1st Camsur International Marathon. This time, my supervisor at work accompanied me and we were there from Sept.24 to 27, 2010. Good thing I have already made all the necessary arrangements prior to the event so it just felt like a vacation while we were there. And since all the planes going to Naga were fully booked, we took a flight to Legazpi, Albay instead. And this game me a chance to see Mt. Mayon for the first time! It's very popular for its perfect cone shape.

first time!
 super nice:)

 on our flight back (not much clouds anymore)

I love CWC so I felt lucky that I was able to go there again for free. I always wanted to try wakeboarding but I'm too scared 'coz I'm not a swimmer plus the water didn't look that good. haha! But even if I was there for work, I was able to enjoy it. I did nothing but watch TV, sleep in the air-conditioned cabin, walk around, eat in free buffet in the clubhouse, and drink at the club/bar. CWC is indeed a total package.:)

Mt. Isarog facing the wakeboarding area

 resort

So my work there was basically to ensure the exposure of Smart in the event. We put up several booths, banners, billboards, kilometer markers, etc. within the race course. I also attended the PressCon w/ Gov. LRey, Coach Rio dela Cruz, the race organizers, and the celebrities who participated in the race.



On Sept. 26, the race took place. There were more than 17,000 participants for all the distance categories (3k, 5k, 10k, 21k, 42k). Elite racers (Kenyans) were also there.

Team SMS (Samahang Mananakbo ng Smart) before the race

racers waiting for the gun start
 runners after the race

Team SMS after the race

The experience could've been better if my friends joined me. Hopefully we get to join next time.:)

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Why Tagaytay?

From North to South! We all live in QC area and we really missed having a trip down South. Our KSP barkada just can't enough of going out of town, most especially on holidays.  Since Sept.10 last year was a holiday, we spent an overnight weekend in Tagaytay, Cavite. Yeah, we just realized there that Tagaytay is in Cavite instead of Batangas, most especially the village where we stayed.

On our way to Tagaytay, we found out that it was Diether Ocampo who's inside the car beside us along C5 road (Market Market area). It was so funny 'coz  it was the guys who noticed him. The girls wouldn't believe until we chased his car and we all screamed to the top of our lungs after proving that it was really him. Haha after that we said to ourselves, "hey, why did we just do that? did he hear us scream? omg, we're like jejefans! watta shame!" haha! But that was actually fun.:))

he's the one driving actually so he's at the other side

We had a stopover for lunch somewhere along SLEX then we he headed to the house we rented in one village in Tagaytay.

 very affordable rest house w/ lots of beds :)

This time, we didn't play the games we used to play in Fontana. This trip actually involved a lot of chatting or more like gossiping about our own lives. LOL. The girls bonded over some "girl talk" in the room upstairs, while the boys played Poker downstairs in the afternoon. 

 poker face?

But later that afternoon, everybody gathered in the "chill spot" downstairs and shared our own stories and jokes while drinking 'til past midnight.


our traditional group shots

And since all of our guys are photographers, or at least are passionate about photography, our photo shoot sessions are a must!:)





 
It was another fun trip away from Manila. As we always say everytime we leave our vacation place, "back to Manila, back to reality."

DSLR-captured photos by www.jianalvarez.com

Monday, February 21, 2011

Weekends at Fontana

Fontana has been the usual weekend getaway destination of my KSP barkada 'coz it's near , affordable, and relaxing. We used to get discount stubs from our friend Lalie, which made it even more interesting.

Everytime we go there, we don't actually swim. We just stay together in the villa playing games, watching TV, making "chismis", and in my case, 'sleeping'. haha! We also do photo and video shoots. Just the road trip alone is actually fun, so what more when we get to the villa? It's chaos!:))


We were there last July 31-Aug. 1, 2010 to have a break from work. I was asleep in the afternoon 'coz I came from work earlier that day.


 Venetian-inspired hotel lobby

The Games we played were: Wet Head (something like Pinoy Henyo but with a gadget that gets you wet when you're not able to guess the item), Twister (of course, we all know it), Questions ("alcohol" game that's quite confusing but will really test how drunk each participant is), and Showdown Staredown ("stop dance" w/ a twist where opponents will stare at each other and make funny faces when the music stops, and whoever laughs gets eliminated).

playin' "Wet Head"

playin' "Twister"

While the girls were on a road trip to Bulacan, the boys and I had a "Step Up"-inspired photo shoot and a "Asianovela"-inspired video shoot (subtitles included LOL). Plus the boys danced "Careless Whisper" for a "bridal shower"-inspired performance. haha!:))

 one of the boys

 The Streets :p

 Inception???:))

 baby freeze!

And of course, we didn't leave the place without our daytime groups shots.:)

 the girls

the gang

We also went to Fontana last October 25-26, 2010 for the double celebration of the birthdays of Lalie and Denise. We did the same thing. This time, GIRLS vs. BOYS. haha! Girls did the charades and Pinoy Henyo items for the boys, and vice versa. Super funny!:)) Plus we also played "Hello Jack" card game. And as usual, I was so sleepy so I spent a lot of time sleeping again.:p




 Fontana? More like FUNtana!!!:)