It's weekend and I still have a lot of incomplete tasks needed to be done at work but I'm still having a hangover from the holidays and I can hardly function. So before I totally ditch blogging about our year-end trip (like what I did to the other trips), I'll throw in a few snaps of our Siargao getaway.

Our first Christmas as married couple was spent in Siargao with family. Five days and two nights in paradise is definitely not enough, especially when were not able to cover everything the island has to offer. We spent a day or two tucked up in bed when Typhoon Ursula came raging in. Still, it is one of the best islands I've been to.

Boarding our plane.

Lunch at Kermit Surf Resort and Restaurant

Naked Island.

Guyam Island with my sister, Abi.

Buffet lunch served at Daku Island.

Magpupungko Tidal Pool

Low tide, big waves.

The guesthouse we stayed in surprised us with this cute and yummy cake! Thank you so much, Ohana Guest  House!

Cloud 9.

Yummy curacha!

Our ride, driven by Jan. Might blog about this.

That's not all but that pretty much sums up everything.

We were not able to go to Sugba Lagoon since the coast guard had strictly prohibited voyage on all watercrafts due to typhoon. I was not able to surf because, well, Jan has become too overprotective of me (8-weeks prego here, btw). So it follows I was also not allowed to climb up an iconic coconut tree in Guyam (just for the gram), swing at the famous coco swing, or jump off from a huge rock at Magpupungko. Aside from eating and basking under the sun, this was the most I can do:


I had limited activities but I enjoyed nonetheless. Siargao is indeed beautiful. Missing a few tourist spots is definitely an invitation to go back.

Davao City — Ever thought of trading the hustle and bustle city life for a day or two of unplugging without having to go too far? There’s no bad time for a relaxing escape to the Tengoku Japanese House. Situated not too far away from Eden Nature Park, this charming two-bedroom Japanese-inspired house calls for guests to unplug, reconnect with nature, and rediscover peace and quiet.

The main house.

Jan and I have been eyeing Dahilayan for a long time. But since we see transportation a potential problem (going to Bacolod or Cebu was easier), it always gets to the bottom of our must-visit list. But not until we had Bill.

Manolo Fortich in Bukidnon is by far our Jan's longest drive. Our road trip destinations are going farther and farther and I guess, sooner or later, we'll find ourselves driving to Camiguin, Dapitan or even as far as Visayas! Or not.

I knew I should have just rolled this Gov. Gen. and Mati trip into one long blog post. I realized that after coming home late at night from a 2-leg road trip and waking up really early the next day for Easter Sunday service, I'm too drained to churn out something coherent.

I don’t feel so good about myself, and I don’t think my body likes me much. The brain hasn't really been active at night but I'm still fazed how its idleness can still keep me awake at night. I haven't had enough sleep daily for the past month. This isn't new. And usually, when this happens, a quick beach getaway "fixes" everything.

Yesterday was our baby's string of many firsts.

First, we named our baby, Bill. I know Bill doesn't have anything to do with a car. Unlike others, I didn't name it after its color, it's performance, or whatever's under its hood. I could come up with Silver Bullet, Speed, Sasha (because it is grey haha), Lil Beasty, or even Sasuke because it almost sounds like the car brand. But I like Bill Parish from Meet Joe Black. It doesn't really have to have a significance and I don't need a reason to name it Bill. But Bill sounds good and that's good enough.

I know naming a car is not an uncommon practice. I think, if not all, almost every car owner does it and I think I know why. Mike Wazowski once said, "Once you name it, you start getting attached to it." Once you get attached to it, you take good care of it and I would like to believe that would make you a better driver.

Anyway, it was also yesterday when it had its first wash. Bill needs to look good because we had it blessed.

We also took bill on its first out of town trip. We went to Sarangani Province to celebrate my lola's birthday. But before that, we took it on a road trip.

And a rough one at that. I never really intended Bill to go through such an ordeal. I never expected the road to be unforgiving. Since it was a spur of the moment getaway, the lack of research has taken its toll on the car. But it survived the steep and rocky roads just to get us to this: