MAMA'S BIRTHDAY 2012

It's the eve of my mama's birthday that night, March 15, 2012 so I decided to buy her a cake and surprise her when I get home.

I bought this cake from Kitchen of Cakes called 7th Heaven and this musical candle. Cute.

When I got home, I woke up mama and gave her the cake. Of course I greeted her and hugged her and kissed her. 

On the day of her birthday, we all went to Banana Leaf in Trinoma. I think it's a Thai Restaurant base from the food on their menus

Simple yet memorable.

MEETING KARA DAVID

Last Friday, April 13, 2012 while waiting in line at the check-in counter of Cebu Pacific Air bound for Roxas, me and my crew saw Kara David, a well-seasoned reporter of GMA 7.

I am a fan, I have to admit that. I grew up watching some of her reports and documentaries on GMA particularly on I-Witness.

So we approached her and humbly asked if we can have a picture together, in which she agreed.

Here it is, with Kara David.

ZAMBOANGA, THE LATIN CITY IN ASIA

The plane bound for Zamboanga departed around 5:15am. I was with my Cameraman to spend 3 days of coverage down south. We were welcomed by the people from DOT Zamboanga the hotel where we will stay.

I was still sleepy when we arrived at Garden Orchid Hotel, one of the posh hotels in Zamboanga. We had our breakfast, a short meeting on what's gonna happen for the next 3 days then off we went to work.

Our first shoot was about this certain crab called "CURACHA" that cost Php 450/kilo in the market. Why it's pricey? Well, people need to get them under the waters of Sulu Sea and have it transported to Zamboanga. Restaurants, particulary Alavar Restaurant serves Curacha crabs with their infamous Alavar Sauce.

I got to taste it and yes it's delicious!

We went to this area in Zamboanga that's similar to Baywalk in Manila, the only difference is that the water is clean.

DAY 2

The next day, we went to this downtown carinderia that serves Tiula Itum or black soup in English. One bowl cost Php 50.00.

The Tiula Itum is a soup made from burned coconut meat mixed with a lot of herbs and spices. The soup also contains some  slices of beef meat.


By noon, we went up a house situated on top of the mountains of Zamboanga. The house is owned by a couple whose both doctors. They even have lanais. You can see the entire Zamboanga region from up there.

Then we head back to shoot the Dia de Zamboanga Festival at the grandstand where five (5) entries competed for the Zamboanga Seal Competition.

On our last day, we visited Sta. Cruz Island which is about 30m minutes away from Zamboanga City.

The island is tagged as the "Pink Beach" because of its pinkish sand that is produced by the crushing of red and white corals. The island is 15 minutes away from Basilan, so for safety reasons we have our security escorts with us.

I got to pose with a Vinta, Zamboanga's distinct boat with colorful sails.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff of DOT Zamboanga for all their help and assistance to us.

Muchas Gracias. I'm looking forward to go back to Zamboanga as a tourist.