Treasure Find 31 -- The Brown Bag

JUST AROUND THE CORNER:

Recently, my colleagues and I have been going home from work at around 12 midnight to 1 am.  Yes, you just read it right.  In fact, call center agents have better situation than us since after their night shift, they can sleep in the morning.  But for us, we still report in the morning.  Oh well, this post is not about my blood draining work life.  

When I go home, I sometimes pass by at convenience stores to buy water or milk or anything refreshing.  That's the least I could do to treat myself.  

Treasure Find 30 -- The Quest for Deep Sleep Indulgence and The Discovery of Remington Hotel

JUST AROUND THE CORNER (JATC): 

With my job, long quality sleep / rest has already been a much desired luxury for me. In fact, I even need to plan for it. No kidding, I myself am surprised. Oh well, I guess that already is the reality I have to face each day. With lots of thought and pseudo-planning, I finally came up with a decision -- take a break and get that much needed sleep / rest. After long hours at work (often until 12 midnight!) and several weekends sacrificed, I guess I deserve a day-off on a Monday right? :)  Sometimes you just need that different environment to destress, unwind and recharge.  And it doesn't have to be far or out-of-town.  I'll check-in and sleep in a hotel right here in Manila!   

So I planned for that quest for deep sleep indulgence.  But since I've been nice since birth (haha), something much nicer came up!  I, together with the rest of my Bloggies Jeman Villanueva of Orange Magazine TV, Ruth Floresca of Write Breathe Live, Rod Magaru of The Rod Magaru Show, Myke Soon of Mix of Everything, Enrico Dee of Byahilo, Enzo Luna of Juan Manila, Alex Dizon of Recycle Bin of a Middle Child and John Michael Toress Bueno of Kumagcow just got an invite from Remington Hotel in Resorts World Manila to try their rooms! How could I say no to that right? So without much further ado, I gave my sweet yes and planned for that stay! :)

Treasure Find 29 -- Sabik sa Subic and the Commodore's Cup 2012 International Regatta

BAYANIHAN REPUBLIC:

After the US military left Subic, no one knows what will happen to the place. A lot were skeptical but there are also hopeful individuals.  But now, after several years, Subic has been turned into one of our tourist and economic attractions.  

Tourism wise, it has now adventure based theme parks such as Ocean Adventure, Zoobic Safari and Treetop Adventure.  It has several tourism facilities such as hotels, restaurants, spas and casinos.  It is one of Central Luzon's premier eco-tourism destinations, thanks to Pamulaklakin Traits, JEST Camp, Triboa Mangrove and several beach resorts, dive sites and bird watching spots.  It is also a top destination for MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) and cruise ships as it has natural deep harbor, modern passenger terminal and unique combination of tourist attractions and terminals.  And if you think you are already drowned with these attractions then try to get a life vest and hold on to your breath and Subic has a lot more to offer.  It is also a premier sports tourism destination having hosted the 23rd South East Asian Games for archery, kayaking / canoeing, sailing and triathlon; Le Tour de Filipinas; Philippine Olympic Festival, and many more.  

Treasure Find 28 -- Expedition to the World of Tubbataha

BAYANIHAN REPUBLIC:

When I went to the picture perfect Batanes, I thought nothing can surpass nor equal that experience anymore.  But our Bayanihan Republic has a lot to offer.  The Philippines is a paradise country and each corner of the archipelago offers something unique.  And that is why we also need to be extra careful and responsible about taking care of our environment as majority of our country's attractions are gifts of nature. 

I've been a wildlife enthusiast since I was a child.   And that fascination led me to becoming more concerned about the environment.  As most of the problems encountered by the wildlife is largely because of the loss of their homes.  That same interest also made me dream of being part of National Geographic or Discovery Channel or Animal Planet and capture nature's spectacular moments myself.  But destiny led me to a new direction.  And that new direction led me to having a more pro-active work for the environment, it led me to helping out WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) Philippines.

Photo by Sophia Dedace of WWF Philippines

WWF Philippines manages various conservation programs in the Philippines.  One of its most important project sites is the Tubbataha Reef which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered as the 8th best dive spot  in the world according to CNN.