2011: what a year!

It’s been a while since I posted anything on here so I thought I’d cheat and do a quick recap of (perhaps) the most amazing year for B and I.

Here’s a list of the significant dates for us this 2011:

1. January 1
   B had a great birthday, a significant age milestone!
2. January 6
   Received the email from New Zealand immigration, our NZ Residence visas, which we have been waiting 3 years for, have finally been approved!
3. February 5
   Papa turned 70, had an amazing birthday party with the family complete! We also received great news that we have a new nephew on the way.
4. March 19
   B and I flew to India for the first time. Beautiful country, amazing food, great people!
5. April 9
   The big move to New Zealand. It was an emotionally charged day, and I cried like a baby on the plane. Sad to leave my family behind, but so excited about our future in NZ. Wow what a day!
6. April 10
   Arrived in Auckland and had a first glimpse of our new country, beautiful!
7. April 11
   Touched down at our final destination, New Plymouth. Our mouths dropped when we saw how beautiful the place was. Though it felt like we were in limbo for a few days, loved the place but we were living out of a low-cost hotel room, which I hated.
8. April 15
   Moved in to our new apartment. Finally I was happy! We were sooo so lucky to get this place and we can finally say we are finally home!
9. April 18
   First day on the new job. NZ is a great place to work, I love my Kiwi officemates.
10. May 28
    The start of our weight loss journey, attended my first Weightwatchers meeting with a starting weight of 78.3kilos or 172 pounds, 6 months later.. we ended up losing 10kilos or 22 lbs each
11. October 3
    I turned 33 this year!
12. November 11
    One of the best days of our lives, we got married surrounded by family and friends! It was absolutely the most perfect and beautiful day.
13. December 19
    Honeymoon in Fiji, 9 days of pure bliss with the love of my life

What can I say? We’re having the time of our lives! We feel so incredibly happy and blessed for this wonderful year!

Getting ready to head out…

Wow, three days later and it’s time to go home!

All bags packed and ready to go, check!

Gps destinations listed and programmed, check!

Last minute photos at the hotel, check!

Have a bit of shopping to do before we go back to New Plymouth, let the card swiping begin!!!

Pit stop: The Fat Pigeon Cafe, Piopio, NZ

Survived the first 176 kilometers! Hot chocolate for me and iced mocha for the driver.

What the fog!!

We just a brief section of road where visibility was down to a few meters because of fog! It was like silent hill! Scary!

Live blogging on the great road trip!

We headed out early this morning later than we hoped but hey it’s dark outside and we are not rushing to catch a plane anyway…

A glorious Taranaki sunrise has been accompanying us for the first ten kilometers! Woot!

The great Auckland road trip!

Tomorrow we’re off to another great mini adventure! We have been in NZ for almost six months now, and we haven’t really been exploring as much as we like. So tomorrow we are packing our reliable little blue car, and driving the five hours to the great city of sails. Armed with a new gps, my new iPad, and a bunch of chicken sandwiches. Yahuu! Auckland here we come!

Balicasag Island Marine Sanctuary

Before our India trip, we visited Bede’s family in Bohol, then got a chance to stop by Panglao Island. Just want to share some of my favorite photos from our trip to the Balicasag Island Marine Sanctuary.

* taken with a Pentax Optio W80 waterproof camera

From exotic Bangalore to beautiful Boracay in seven days

Bede and I both love to travel. We have visited the different islands of the Philippines, but haven’t had the chance to go out of the country together.

The opportunity to visit Bangalore was unexpected and sudden. Even with a hectic schedule, Bede and I decided to visit India for the first time, and it was worth it!

Is it corny to say that having your loved one with you, makes the experience much much better? Excuse the photos if you see a whole lot of giddy Genas! More after the jump…

Rediscovering Iloilo

I was born and bred in Iloilo City and I feel so lucky because of that. Our city is one of the oldest in the country, it has its own unique identity setting it apart from the other cities in the Philippines.

Here’s a few tips I would give friends who would like to visit Iloilo:

1. Eat as much seafood as you like (and can, without getting sick). My dad eats talaba (oysters) for merienda almost everday, one small serving if you order it roadside in Mohon, Arevalo, is about 30 bucks. If you want one whole sack, it can cost only around 750 petot. Make sure though that it’s well cooked and fresh, that’s what my Papa always say.

Home Sweet Home

Finally I can lay down my head on my own pillow tonight after a long and wonderful vacation in Iloilo.

Met a few old friends, ate as much talaba as possible, spent quality time with family, baked brownies, ate sashimi, scanned my baby photos, shopped for cheap goods at Iznart, and watched Twilight! Haha…

I promised my friend I’ll post some Iloilo must dos for her since she’s visiting this weekend. Watch out for that!