I think I had not mentioned this, but after the Pacquiao and Marquez fight, the people were buzzing still, but not as loudly as before. There were less talks about it... and if you know the story, you'll know how most people react. I'd rather not document it.
After the Dapitan escapade, getting back to the hotel was not noteworthy. I had to stay there for some hours to wait for the gang to come and hang out with me. After all, Ate Ann (a distant cousin) had asked me that Friday if I was willing to let her sleep in the room.
After the Dapitan escapade, getting back to the hotel was not noteworthy. I had to stay there for some hours to wait for the gang to come and hang out with me. After all, Ate Ann (a distant cousin) had asked me that Friday if I was willing to let her sleep in the room.
Of course, I will not mind. She's a relative, after all!
There were a lot of some trivial things that I did before dinner, so I think these were not that significant. By the time the clock hit seven, the gang was almost complete, so it was time to hit the road and go out there.
And so started another round of escapade! How many hours had I spent walking around just for that day?
Because it was past seven, dinner came first in the agenda. How can we sustain without food being digested at the pit of our stomach? Even the simple chicken barbecue and rice combo meal was enough to satisfy the need of the body.
Strolling along the long boulevard in the late evening was very refreshing because it aided in digestion of food. I did not feel so stuffy unlike in Cebu when I do not have anywhere to walk around after dinner (at least in our place). Second part of our agenda was singing to some videoke bars. I love to dance, by the way, but I hate disco clubs. I prefer videoke bars even if the songs never like me.
The videoke bar where we went to was a bit dim, but it was open. I prefer that kind of setup compared to an air-conditioned one that will make me feel chilly. It was December, for crying out loud! I sang a song, but I did not join in the drinking spree. Certainly, it's never my cup of tea. No, no, I'm not being killjoy. It's just a serious case of allergy thing.
Because the night was a bit young for just videoke, the gang and I hit the Capitol park. In Dipolog City, the park of the Capitol is designed to sparkle along with the season every year. This place makes for a favorite hangout aside from the park near the city hall.
The epicenter of the decorations was the giant Christmas tree which was made of lights, lights, and lights. The towering height of the decor reached up to the height of the giant trees that it was awesome. Speaking of awesome, feeling so small compared to the Christmas lights and looking up was truly awesome!
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| Giant Christmas tree in Dipolog Capitol |
I know that Christmas is a merry season, but who would have thought that Halloween would transgress? I found it shocking at first when Riza and Yang-yang told me about this, and I thought they were joking. When I saw what the stuff was about, well, they were not making up tales after all.
Whoever had the idea certainly was a fan of Plants Vs. Zombies! Yep, my dear friends, there were the statues of the different zombies scattered around the premises compared to the number of the plants that would fight the zombies off. Good thing, these zombies are just figures. If not... then, go figure.
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| This zombie reminds me of... a singer. |
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| The sunflower that gives sun to the fighting plants. ^_* |
Lastly, we hit Julie's Bakeshop, which was our favorite hangout since 2009. Hey, it's not just high school students who need to have a place to loiter around. The working class certainly needs one too! Though others would prefer joints where they drink booze, I certainly will go for the bakeshop.
A better way to end the night was having a cone of Selecta Cornetto. I am not advertising or something, but I greatly thank Selecta for creating this wonderful treat. Back then, when we were not financially sufficient to enjoy a half-gallon of a 3-in-1 plus 1 ice cream, we'd settle for the less expensive Cornetto. To celebrate our friendship, we dug into the milky goodness of the cone ice cream that will forever hold good memories in me.
December 10, 2012, Monday
I will not fabricate a separate post for my last day in Dipolog because it was just a short experience.
Anyway, Arirang channel and Song Joong Ki greeted my morning just like last Saturday, and I was super thrilled to see my Joong Ki baby again. To make the matters worse (ironically, in a good way), the regional group of ABS-CBN in Dipolog aired an episode of "Sungkyunkwan Scandal," an episode late compared to Manila. Well, I don't really care if I saw an episode later than all the people in the metropolis, just as I can get to get dreamy about Goo Yong Ha and Moon Jae Shin.
One thing that has been answered for me was that I was able to get to meet my landlady again. Congratulations to me! After so many attempts, my effort was finally rewarded.
My landlady's house is located behind the Capitol building, and it is not difficult to locate as the house has a sari-sari store (uhm, a local version or mini version of a ritzy convenient store, if I have to put it). The two of us talked of things gone by, our misadventures and concerns for the future. She was also asking me about nursing schools in Cebu as her eldest (whom I fondly called Sharpay ^_*) will be graduating high school come March. Nope, only those who are Grade 7 (starting school year 2012-2013) will reach Grade 11 and Grade 12 for the K-12 program of the government.
The next agenda I had in mind was going to a local pizza parlor named "More Bites." Yep, as the pizza good for one had a rather generous size, you definitely should have more bites to it. Just make sure that by the time you enter or exit the parlor, you won't encounter any angry dogs, or you'll get dog bites instead.
What was my thing for going to More Bites? Pizza, of course. Inexpensive pizza with lots and lots of toppings that you will find it hard to regret purchasing it. Nope, I didn't eat my pizza in the store. I had it to go.
The next agenda coming to mind was Grandma's Best restaurant, a cozy and ritzy store selling gourmet cakes, pasta, and whatnot. The cakes being sold are better than the commercial ones that the marketing giants are showcasing around the country (at least, for me). If you mean soft and moist, if you mean work of art, the cakes at Grandma's more than just pass with flying colors.
As to whether or not I bought a cake, let's just say I'd keep it a secret.
Last but not the least, I went back to Big Joe's to say goodbye to the trendy joint. I missed the burger, and was not able to order one that Saturday. Now that I have all my time, it was sweet revenge!
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| An interior of Big Joe's |
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| An interior of Big Joe's |
What a miss! I was literally pressed for time that I was not able to get to Kendough Magic, another restaurant that I had visited only once back in 2009. I could not forget the scrumptious food that not being able to get back there was such a pity.
Anyway, no more use crying over spilled milk.
I would not miss Maya and Sir Chief for the world, so a better way to enjoy the show was also to enjoy my company of pizza and burger. Gluttony much?
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| 이 피자가 너무 너무 맛있습니다! 어때요? ^_^ |
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| Addicted to Big Joe's... No, I'm not gonna be an endorser! |
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| When I mean super burger, it had lots of toppings that I found it hard to munch off much in a single bite! |
After lunch, Riza came to me and asked me for assistance for her wedding invitation. It was a secret between her and me during that time, but since her wedding (as of this writing) had already passed (it was last January 12), I guess it will be all right to tell it here. Being a copywriter (and a blog writer...and a writer... and an article writer) has its perks. Not only had I given some of my wonderful mind and writing to my mother's high school reunion, and had contributed some parts of a tag line for an establishment of which a cousin of mine had worked, I had also contributed to literary works in the form of wedding invitation for my board mate and friend.
After the nap, it was finally time to go. The check-out time in Camila is 1:00 PM, but one can extend and add only a hundred pesos per hour. Cool, right? I checked out at 3:00 PM and had paid extra two hundred on top of the basic room accommodation. By the way, I still booked the Room 330 when I checked out that Saturday. The hotel also has a free service to the airport, and Ate Ann had told me that if I had told them I would be arriving that particular time last Friday, I could have been fetched by the free hotel car service. Well, lesson learned. But if you happened to want to take an adventure to Dipolog, and want to get to the city proper easily, you can avail of the free hotel car service.
Time and again, I had said that I am not told by anyone to endorse their businesses. I just want to share contact details with you so you will get to know some of the best things in Zamboanga del Norte. There are a lot of other cool hangouts and wonderful restaurants that I had not visited during my stay, but Dipolog is a small city, and you can hit most of the sites in a day. There are a lot more food to enjoy, and if you should go there, you better indulge.
Hotel Camila (Camila 1)
Gen. Luna Street, Dipolog City
Zamboanga del Norte
+63.65.212.3008
Gen. Luna Street, Dipolog City
Zamboanga del Norte
+63.65.212.4111
+63.65.212.3025
www.bigjoes-cafe.com
Cafe Isabelle
Sta. Isabel, Dipolog City,
Zamboanga del Norte
+63.65.212.7978
More Bites Pizza
Malvar Street, Dipolog City
Zamboanga del Norte
+63.65.212.5198
Grandma's Best
Arellano St Dipolog City
+63.65.
Quezon Ave Dipolog City
+63.65.
Fantasyland sa Dapitan
Sunset Blvd., Dapitan CityZamboanga del Norte, Philippines
+63.65.906.0054
www.gloriasfantasyland.com
The information above are just some of the places that I had been to. Traveling is indeed fun, and it is educational. If I have enough financial resources, I will want to travel to other places in the Philippines, such as Vigan, Bohol, Baguio, or Palawan. With the wonders of the Philippines, it is a given that still, it's more fun in the Philippines!
Ahhh... so that ends my journey. And what started as an airplane ride ended with an airplane ride as well. Aside from the Philippines, I hope I can also travel outside the country... like Singapore or South Korea, perhaps? ^_^
See you soon in my future entries!
좋은 하루 되세요!!!!
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