Aningalan is dubbed as “The little Baguio” of Western Visayas. Aningalan was one of the top destinations you can visit in Antique. Even the TV show Magandang Buhay, a local talk show in the Philippines, featured this place in one of their episodes, watch it here.
Exploring the place
Aningalan is perfect for those who loves flowers and plants and also who loves nature photography just like me!!!
model ng sunflower ghorl?
You can also experience riding an ATV around Aningalan! 300 pesos ($6) for an hour? NOT BAD!
This is where the strawberry garden is located. Sadly it’s not strawberry season when we got here :(
I LOVE VIEW!
After exploring different attractions. It’s time to eat a hot lomi.
Just enjoying my alone time here. Appreciating God’s perfect creations. Breathing fresh air and meditating.
Don’t underestimate the power of traveling. Some people say it’s a waste of money. Those people saying that didn’t appreciate the true essence of traveling. It can help us mold as a person, meeting different people, helping our mental health, see through different perspective in life and of course the experiences we collected all through out the journey that we will keep until we get old and gray.
BE A RESPONSIBLE TRAVELER AND ENJOY EVERY MOMENT!
hit me up on my socials if you visited the place or planning to go:
Igbaclag Cave + Sunflower Garden in Antique province - our experience
Igbaclag Cave are one of the many attractions you can experience when you visit Antique. This is located in San Remigio, in Antique province. Antique is part of the Western Visayas region in the Philippines, with its neighboring places like Aklan, Iloilo, Capiz and Guimaras.
We planned a day trip going to Aningalan, a famous destination in San Remigio. Aningalan is dubbed as “The little Baguio” in Antique. With its cooling breeze and high trees along the way, it’s really look like Baguio but in Visayas. Going to Igbaclag Cave are one of the destination you shouldn’t miss when going up to Aningalan.
Exploring the place
This where the adventure begins. Let’s go inside the cave!
It’s really dark inside, so we use flash on taking pictures. look at those rocks!!!
It’s quite challenging walking inside the cave but the view from the top is all worth it!
tip: I suggest you to wear a hiking sandals/ shoes when you visit the cave because the rocks are really slippery.
road to Aningalan!
This place really WOW-ed me! Look at those sunflowers!
Everywhere is so Instagramable!
The experience was good! Very family friendly! Just a nice balance of relaxing and adventure. Perfect for distressing yourself from the toxic life we have in Manila.
Perfect time to visit the place is around summer (March to May) or if you want to experience the foggy Aningalan you can visit it around December to February.
Be a responsible traveler! Enjoy every moment of it!
hit me up on my socials if you visited the place or planning to go:
Had a pretty uncomfortable journey from Hanoi. The International airport in Hanoi is a joke and Cebu Pacific Airlines is like its sidekick. Awful combination. Hanoi Airport didn’t have electronic self-checkin and the customer service reps were unprofessional and didn’t speak good enough English. After waiting in couple lines for 1 hr, running from one customer service rep to another about 5 times, nearly breaking down crying (I did get teary at one point, it was way past my bed time), I got my ticket and got on my plane that was 30 min late.
Cebu Pacific Airlines runs its international flights mainly at night, that’s why the fares are so cheap. My flight was at 1 am, the plane was so uncomfortable it was almost like being back in US, and it was cold in it as in a freezer. I survived, thanks to Sufjan Stevens playing on repeat on my iPod.
My first impression of Philippines is … that it is very modern and super happy and friendly. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever met friendlier people!!! The city of Manila looks kinda like Honolulu and it got similar feel as well, though you don’t really get to see the ocean. I’m still in Vietnam-mode so getting used to regulated traffic and the lack of motorbikes will take some time. It’s kinda weird that I don’t have to dodge cars and motorbikes anymore.
In terms of what to do in Manila… there’s nothing to do in Manila but shop at many malls. It’s a huge huge city, very busy, very industrious, and I wouldn’t recommend spending more than a day there. Next time I’ll be here is on April 10th, the day before my flight back home.
So here’s what is new and interesting to me about Philippines so far: - almost everybody speaks decent English, and with good enough pronunciation. - the vast majority of people seem super friendly - very few people look at me with interest or curiosity, no staring !!! - the Filipinos in Manila are considerably fatter than Vietnamese or Thai people - the vast majority of food on the street and in restaurants is deep-fried. No vegetables. No street vendors selling cut fruit :-( - things are cheap! My dinner consisting of Tandoori chicken with pita was only $3 :-) - Catholic Churches are a common sight, so are bakeries with brownies
I have always been known as the person who starts a venture and jump from one to the other without totally mastering any particular field. In the astrological point of view of the Western and Chinese cultures, it must be primarily caused by the position of celestial objects at the time of my birth. I was born under the zodiac Gemini (the twins known to have split personalities) and the year of the Metal Horse (impulsive in productivity). After all, I’m part Chinese and it’s my second nature to involve astrology every time I get the chance.
One of these ventures engages in different cuisines to further enhance my culinary skills. Today, I was so delighted to spend my free day from work to prepare a sumptuous and complete meal for my family. I decided to do it completely Japanese! It may look like a laborious and dull domestic chore, but it’s actually therapeutical and pleasurable to do. Results of hard work in the kitchen are best harvested when you see the people savouring the food with every bite. Nothing beats the rewarding and pleasurable feelings out of making other people happy. I think it’s one of the best lessons I still bear in mind from my Home Economics teacher way back in high school.
Anyway, here are the photos of every dish I prepared for our dinner.
Presenting our menu:
Miso soup
Salmon Sashimi (sliced salmon)
Gunkanmaki (warship roll)
Shrimp nigiri
California maki
A variety of makizushi (sushi rolls)
Ebi Tempura (shrimp)
Nasu Tempura (eggplant)
Satsuma Imo Tempura (Sweet potato)
Tamagoyaki (fried egg roll)
Green tea ice cream
Individual Platter: (L-R) California maki, Makizushi, (T-B) Ebi Tempura, Satsuma Imo Tempura, Nasu Tempura and a ball of Japanse rice.
To share Platter A: (L-R) Salmon Sashimi, California Maki, two kinds of Gunkanmaki, Shrimp Nigiri and Tamagoyaki.
To Share Platter B: California Maki and A variety of Makizushi
To share Platter C: (L-R) Salmon Sashimi, California Maki, two kinds of Gunkanmaki, Shrimp Nigiri and Tamagoyaki.
Platter C is almost the same as Platter A. The only difference are the kinds of Gunkanmaki included.
Dessert: Green tea ice cream (to cap off the lovely night)
On the side note: I was dreadful the day before thinking of the worst, which is not finding any tuna available in any store nearby. Lo and behold, there was no available tuna everywhere!!! It’s my first time preparing a complete Japanese meal without a tuna so I settled with salmon instead.
I’m proud to say that all of my culinary skills were either self-taught or passed on to me by my parents. Neither of my parents work for the industry (both CPAs) but our family and extended family are very passionate in cooking! Plus, it’s a common Filipino culture for families and relatives to dine in together in every possible meal. Thus, it’s a pleasure to be preparing food for large groups of people. I never received any formal trainings in Japanese cuisine and in anything about cooking/baking in general but I’m longing to have one. Practical work may be the best way to learn but not when it isn’t backed up with theoretical knowledge. It has always my been principle when it comes to learning. Both must go hand in hand.
A little history on how I started, I first prepared sushi when I was in high school. My dad bought me a simple hard-bound sushi book with the most basic recipes. There were only less than 10 recipes on it, and one of them is how to prepare the rice - the most important ingredient! I started with a simple bamboo sushi mat as my tool, tried the other kinds that promise to do the task faster and more efficiently, but as I go along, I decided to stick to the very first one I had - the bamboo mat!
Then after several trial and errors accompanied by my research on basic readings of How-Tos and different techniques from different chefs and culinary enthusiasts, I learned to develop my own style, which is the one that suits my needs and my skills best.
Basic knowledge in absolutely everything is at the tip of our fingers with the power of Internet. Gone are the days of literally dragging ourselves to the library (which includes catching up with their closing time) just to satisfy our hunger for information. With great power comes with great responsibility… and of course, opportunity!
Don’t you love our generation? We can utilise whatever we have to enhance our skills efficiently and conveniently!
FYI, I also learned my Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator skills just by reading tutorials through the Internet. ;) I’m very much grateful for it!
I have been experimenting combining two or more colours in painting my nails to make it less too common and show a bit of my quirkiness. I gathered all my nail polishes and ended up combining two of them - Sally Hansen’s Berry Important and Mauve Along.
My normal nail paints is either a plain natural colour for everyday wear or something more striking and bright on spring and summer seasons. Good thing I’ve been having spare times lately to explore a bit of my creativity through trying out different things.
(L-R) Sally Hansen Diamond Shine Base and Top Coat, Dashing Diva Cuticle Nectar, Sally Hansen Berry Important 543, Sally Hansen Mauve Along 374 and The Face Shop Nail Dot Pen (white).
I believe a nail art should be suitable to the shape and length of the nail because some arts require a lot of space especially those with intricate details. Also, the capability of the one doing it should be taken in consideration.
In my case, I do it to myself rather than going to a salon and spend over AU$20 just for a manicure + depending on the type of nail polish I have chosen. That’s just too expensive! I’m so glad my mom taught me how to do my own manicure since I was 11 years old. This way, I’m certain that my tools are sanitised and very personal unlike going to a salon and sharing the same tools with other people. It’s one of my pet peeves >.> *health conscious*
I like keeping my nails as short as possible for convenience in cooking/baking, doing house chores, working with my hands and spending hours in front of the computer. So, for my short nails I have chosen the V-style 2-colour combination (I just made up that term by the way *LOL*) to make it appear longer, not too young for my age of 24, and still work appropriate for my day job.
My Manicure Kit: (L-R) 4-Step Buffering Block, Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover, nail brush, emery board, cuticle pusher and a nipper (which is not in the picture *oopsie*) ^^;
My step-by-step process:
Step 1: A manicure. It’s very important to clean your nails first before applying nail polish to ensure that your hands are bacteria-free from all the work you’ve done in a week. This step includes buffering your nails and removing excess cuticles.
Step 2: I applied the base coat to protect and avoid my nails from turning yellow after applying nail polish. I believe this is an important step as well especially if you’re the type of person who does not go out of the house with bare nails. I used Sally Hansen’s Diamond Shine that also provide stronger nails. Win-win isn’t it?
Step 3: I applied my base colours alternately. Sally Hansen Berry Important on my ring and index fingers, then Sally Hansen Mauve Along for the rest of the fingers. I’ve already worn bright red last week so I wanted to tone down on the red this week. ^^
Step 4: Let it dry. If there’s one thing I learned from applying nail polish, it is “patience is key” to a perfect finish. I’m usually the type of person who jumps from one activity to another - I get bored easily. (Must be a gemini’s thing. >.>) Thus, I end up with scratches or fingerprints on my nails most of the time.
Step 5: Applying the second colour in V-shape. Cover the nails using plain sticker strips or masking tape and leave the part of the second colour to be painted on. This way, it’s easy to apply the second colour! I applied Berry on top of Mauve and the other way around. Let it dry again.
Step 6: Cover imperfections between the two colours by applying white dots using The Face Shop’s Nail Dot Pen in white. I got this before I left the Philippines in 2012 for Php 150.00 in their Glorietta branch and still it’s not dried up at all. Talk about getting your money’s worth. :D
Again, let it dry. This time, since the white paint is a bit 3D, it requires more time to dry up.
Step 7: Apply top coat to protect the nail art. I used Sally Hansen’s Diamond Shine again since it serves as both base and top coat! It promises not only to provide high-gloss, but also it’s quick drying, it prevents your nails from chipping and extends the wear of your nail colour up to 10 days! Isn’t it a bargain?
Finally, the last and my most favourite step that most people skip.
Step 7: Apply cuticle nectar. Most people would apply hand lotion, which is totally fine but this formula is especially designed to make your cuticle moisturised and healthy with that salon finish look. *wink wink* I got mine at Dashing Diva in Greenbelt 5 branch before I left the Philippines. *LOL* I hoarded a lot of skin care products before I left.
And that’s it. It only took me 1 ½ hours to do everything, which is already a quick one for me. >.> Last week, I spent 3 hours using one nail polish. Haha! Amateur~
Hey guys, I know I don’t post much in this blog anymore and I am not exactly sure who will see this but I’m posting this because today is the Philippine Presidential Elections and, just like what other people here are already saying, we’re fighting for our lives right now.
We are fighting against the return of dictatorship in the country. We are fighting against the continuation of corruption and injustice. We are fighting for a better future. We are fighting, so that we may finally know peace.
Today,multiple issues regarding the elections have come up. Vote-Counting Machines (VCMs) “malfunctioning”, SD cards missing, people getting PAID for voting for the dictator’s son and his party, and more. Even the commission in charge of ENSURING FAIR ELECTIONS is failing to fully understand the grasp said issues, wasting people’s time and votes.
If you do find this post and read it, all I ask is that you share the news about the Philippines. Anything about today (May 9, 2022), about Halalan 2022/PH Elections 2022, about BBM and the Marcos Family, about Leni Robredo, Kiko Pangilinan, Chel Diokno and the rest of Robredo’s senatorial slate (+ Neri Colmenares),
and if this inspires you to learn everything else, then please do.
We are asking for your help, not in votes, but in sharing what is happening here to the rest of the world. Whatever happens, whatever the results are, we want the whole world to see what is going on. (But thank you to the foreign news outlets who have been speaking on this).
All the Filipinos are asking for is a fair government, where lives are recognized and uplifted. We cannot be kept in the dark again, we have had enough.
And if we need to meet in EDSA once again, then so be it.
UPDATE: The Philippine Star has published an article* stating that Marcos has won the presidency.
*Will be reblogging this right after with the full article
HOWEVER, please be informed that the PPRCV is still tallying the votes. They also said that they are “not about speed, but about accuracy.”
**Will come back to this once PPRCV has come to a final voter’s count and if there are more updates.
I am truly hoping for a major plot twist. The result of this election is very crucial. It will dictate what will be the future of my country for the next 6 years or even more.
Students and activists are mad. Top universities have declared academic walk out. Like what I have read on Twitter, it’s either we join a celebration or a resistance.
People are now gathering, ready to protest if ever we lose unjustly.
I am so scared for the future of my country. This is my first time to vote, and hopefully not the last one.
i don’t normally voice out my thoughts alone on tumblr but i just want to say this:
Maybe you have heard about my country, the Philippines, going through their elections right now and news outlets are already proclaiming Bongbong Marcos as the winner.
All current results are declared unofficial unless stated otherwise.
I and so many others oppose this early declaration and spreading of misinformation. A lot of us are currently waiting for results of the manual count and hoping for a miracle.
So many things happened the day of the election, from machines processing ballots breaking down and alleged tearing of unprocessed ballots by the police. Some even waited up to 24hrs with their ballots to personally process them to prevent their votes getting tampered with and had to brave alleged intimidation by staff and police to leave their ballots for them to process it themselves.
So many things happened to make the people doubt the results and it does not help that news local and overseas are treating it like a clean win.
It’s stressful and disheartening. But, know that many people are against bringing the son of a dictator back. Still, we are against people with powerful connections that can control things from the shadows.
The spread of information is rampant in my country, but please do not blame the filipinos too much. They are vulnerable victims of powerful people who will do anything to regain what they had rightfully lost.
In the matter of 24 hours our country’s already going to shit, granted it was already shit. Now it’s just going on a downward spiral towards the nine circles of hell coupled with stupidity and moronic decisions as per the contribution of 30 million dumbasses who decided to metaphorically press the self destruct button
May those idiots get the heavy wave of realization for their dumbassery whilst drowning in their consequences for letting a dicatator’s son take away our freedom once more. May they choke on their words as the generations of youth blame them for the dark future that rests upon the horizon.
Congratu-fucking-lations Philippines, you’ve just set off towards the path of implosion.
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