Was supposed to post this story last Monday, but the summer's heat must've brought me down the past few days and I just can't function 100%. Anyway, last Sunday (as I have mentioned in my previous posts), I tagged my niece along for a day at the Enchanted Kingdom as they open a new attraction - the EK BiKi Waterworld. I can bring two people with me, and I was supposed to take my Aunt and my niece, but because my Aunt can't walk long distances, she just asked me to take my niece instead.




We got to Makati City around 8:30am, and by 9:30am (the actual call time), the bus moved on. In as short as one hour, we were already at the Enchanted Kingdom, ready to soak up the sun. We were asked to go to the BiKi Waterworld area first to witness its opening, and since we didn't bring proper swim wear, I just asked my niece to pose for pictures. I really loved this new attraction - it's like being in a real resort!


We ate lunch, and we were given passes for the 4D Theatre. They had a new 4D film - "Dora & Diego's 4D Adventure." It was Grace's first time to watch a 4D Film, and she really enjoyed it. She loved the layered effect of the film - she said it's like the characters were just right in front of her. The air blowing and the water squirting in our faces, as well as the chair moving also added fun to the experience.

Together with some bloggers in the metro, we went ahead and checked out the Rialto Ride, and although the seats were moving more than the 4D Theatre, Grace still loved the 4D experience.


From Rialto, we decided to part ways and roam around the park on our own. Some took the Anchors Away ride, some went to the Bump Cars. Grace and I went to ride on the Flying Fiesta, because she saw it on our way to the 4D Theatre. This is one of my favorite rides at the Enchanted Kingdom and I loved that she liked it, too.

We also took a ride in their Roller Coaster. Not as thrilling as the Space Shuttle (which I will never dare try), but it was a good riding experience. We got tired after this, so we went to Sips Ahoy to eat (or drink) snowcones. I just love this!


We walked around the park, and heard something from the Bandstand. Realizing that it was already 4pm, we went to take a look... and the local commedianne Candy Pangilinan was the guest story teller. The play was a spin off the ever popular Cinderella, and I loved the twist they did to the story.

The Jungle Outpost was just near, and the reason why Grace wanted to come with me here was the picture of the Jungle Log Jam I let her see, and she wanted to try it out, so we did. While at the queue, she started feeling bad about it, but we still went through. The first drop was exciting, but she got scared. I told her we cannot back off because we were already there and there is no way for us to cancel. When the higher drop was coming, I told Grace to scream... but as we were dropped, I just couldn't scream! She told it felt as if her soul separated from her body, and that she would never, ever try that ride again if given the chance. It was my second time to try the Jungle Log Jam... and I am happy my body was able to carry out the ride.

We saw blogger companions at the queue of the Jungle Log Jam, and upon telling him that Grace and I would take the Rio Grande Rapids ride after, they asked us to wait for them so we could take the ride together. It was my first time to try The Rio Grande Rapids ride, and it was one of the funniest and most enjoyable rides I ever tried. Each "car" can carry 8 people, and since we were only 4, a group of four people share in the car with us. We don't know them, but for the whole ride, it was like all of us have known each other for a long time. Grace and I were the first ones to get wet, but we were thankful for that because if we sat on the other side of the car, we would be wet all over. My pants got wet, but I wasn't able to bring extra set of pants, so I just let it be for a while. Good thing the air was able to dry my pants before we left the park.


After fixing ourselves, we went to the Wheel of Fate. I really wanted to see the sunset from the Ferris Wheel, but the queue was too long that it was already night time when we got in. Still good, as this was my first time to see the park high in the sky at night time.


The shuttle service will take us back to Makati City at 8:30pm, so after the Wheel of Fate, we ate our dinner. We were also able to watch the dance performance at the Jungle Outpost, and from there we went to the parking area. The road home was long, and as weary and tired that we were, both of us enjoyed the day. Grace told me this was the nicest April she ever had, and I am happy that I was able to make her happy by taking her here.

*** Jenn ***

PS - I am traveling to Pangasinan early tomorrow morning with my Aunt and niece Grace, so this will be my last story 'til I get back first day of May.

Today is my Aunt Jo's 64th birthday. For a little over a week now, she and her granddaughter Grace had been staying here in our house for a vacation. Aunt Jo just lost his husband (he had lung cancer) nearly a year ago, and she wanted to stay here for a vacation upon knowing my mom had her eye operation. They never intended to stay long here, but because I still had an event to attend to come Saturday, I asked if we could just travel back to Pangasinan on Sunday. My mom and my aunt had previously talked that I would travel back with Aunt because she is hypertensive, and that I also wanted to take a vacation myself.

Happy birthday, Auntie! It's really great that you celebrated your birthday with us. I am glad you liked the spaghetti I cooked for lunch, and thank you for helping me out with the house chores. I know you're our guest, yet being a mom, you never really allowed me to do all the house chores alone. Thank you for everything.

More things to be thankful for the past week:

• Me and JM finally settled our differences and were back to being good friends. I really missed you my friend!
• A great weekend with my niece Grace and the other bloggers in the Metro at the opening of the EK BiKi Waterworld in Enchanted Kingdom.
• The "TLC - Tomatoes, Lettuce, Cucumber" burger my sister gave me the other day.
• My mom's eyes healing perfectly okay. She just had her check up last Tuesday and the doctor already cut down the eye drops and mom can now wet her eyes, although she still has to wear her protective goggles.
• A meet and greet scheduled with photoblogger friends come Saturday for the Aliwan Fiesta grand street parade.
• Nearly complete with the items to "hunt" for Kristi's April photo hunt.

I am now off to the mall to meet up with mom - the family will be having dinner at a restaurant to celebrate Aunt's birthday. Thanks for dropping by!

*** Jenn ***

Last Sunday, I was invited to witness the opening of the new attraction in Enchanted Kingdom, the EK BiKi Waterworld. A very timely new attraction to go with summer. Enchanted Kingdom teamed up with BiKiWorld of South Korea have agreed to set-up the first and only world-class inflatable water park in the country.

According to Echanted Kingdom's President, Mr. Mario Mamon, he didn't really realize that the vacant lot they had, which serves as a parking area during hectic days at the park would turn out like this. The EK BiKi Waterworld has a variety of six giant inflatable pools with water slides, games and rides that families can enjoy in a safe and hygienic water environment.

Some pictures I took:



The Sea Dragon... one of the six pools in the EK BiKi Waterworld.



A priest giving his blessings for the brand new attraction.



Two more inflatable pools in the area.


Enchanted Kingdom's Cast Members and Circle of Performers doing a dance routine.


The opening of the EK BiKi Waterworld coincided with the Talent Show of the 2010 Miss Earth Philippines, so the girls took part of the opening, too.



Celebrity spotted: Former Miss Earth Karla Henry.



An aerial view of the EK BiKi Waterworld (left part of the image) taken from the Wheel of Fate.

My niece, who was with me that day wasn't able to bring her swimwear, so she wasn't able to enjoy it. But, seeing how the kids enjoyed the inflatable rides and playing in the water affirmed that this will be a big hit. Actually, adults can also enjoy the EK BiKi Waterworld. Who says one has to be a kid to enjoy this kind of water fun?

From April 18-30, enjoy EK Biki Waterworld’s pre-grand opening promo rate of only P250 per person. Starting May 1, 2010 admission rate is P350. You can also enjoy a “twicket” (twin ticket) of an EK Good-Same-Day and EK Biki Waterworld Regular Passes for only P700 from May 1 until June 6, 2010.

Just so you know, guests who wanted to enjoy the EK BiKi Waterworld are required to come in proper swimwear complete with swimming caps. From April 19 to 23, 2010, EK Biki Waterworld will be open 11:00AM to 9:00PM.

Come to Enchanted Kingdom and EK Biki Waterworld where the magic stays with you! From now until June 6, 2010 the park is open Mondays-Fridays from 2PM to 9PM and Saturdays to Sundays from 11AM to 9PM with Fireworks Display at 8:55PM. You may check Enchanted Kingdom website or you may call 584-3535 or 584-4326 to 29 for more details.

*** Jenn ***

13 - 14 April 2010

*photo flood ahead*

It was May of 2009 when I received a gift certificate from Enchanted Kingdom as part of our prize for winning their Magikalympics. It was a gift certificate for an overnight stay with breakfast at One Tagaytay Place, and although Tagaytay City was a mere 4 hours travel from where I live, it took nearly a year before I was able to use it. The GC was about to expire by the end of the month, and I didn't want it to go to waste, so I took the effort to ask around who wanted to share it with me, because none of my family would like to come with me.

I was lucky that one of my friends took interest in it, and last Tuesday and Wednesday, we traveled to Tagaytay. Check in time at One Tagaytay Place was at 2pm, and since we arrived at a little past 10am, we just left our bags at the hotel and went to Picnic Grove, which is actually walking distance from the hotel (if you're up to a long walk, that is. If not, there are tricycles and jeepneys you can take).

It was a hot and sunny day, but it didn't hinder me to take pictures:


Memories of College. I remember in 1996, I was in my first year in college, and our group had to report about "film," and we decided to create a short film. One of my groupmates' ancestors lived in Tagaytay, so we went there to creat the film. Before traveling back to Manila, we stopped by Picnic Grove and even if I didn't have a camera that time and our video camera ran out of battery, I could still remember this sight, where we all sat and enjoyed the view.


Horseback Riding. I don't know if they are brothers and sisters, but I just found them sweet to be sharing the moment.


On the way out of the park, I noticed this big tree and the small building. PAGASA is actually an acronym meaning "Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration," but pag-asa also meant "hope" in Filipino, so upon seeing this, I quickly took a picture of it.

After eating lunch, my friend and I went back to the hotel, and after watching a lot of shows on the television, we went up to the penthouse.


Pool Overlooking the City. Upon entering the hotel, I wondered where their pool could be, until the staff of the hotel told us to hit "LP" on the elevator. I then realized that their pool was located atop the building and as queasy as it may seem, I loved the look of the place. We didn't take a dip, though, as the air was blowing quite hard and it brought us chills.


My Bed. One of the things I loved about One Tagaytay Place is their cozy and and fluffy bed and pillows. I actually went to bed earlier that night (around 9pm), because the feel of my back in the bed was just so comfortable.

Day two, we woke up a bit late (7am), so I wasn't able to catch a good view of the sunrise, if there's any. Watching more television, my friend and I talked about what to do on this day, as we basically had until lunch in the city.


Longsilog for Breakfast. The GC included free breakfast, and I had their Filipino Breakfast consisting of longganisa (sausage), eggs, fried rice, and coffee. The breakfast included a glass of fruit juice, but foodies had a choice whether to have juice or a plate of fruits. Of course I chose to have a plate of fresh fruits.

My friend wanted to go back to Manila earlier because they had to process their IDs at work, but I somehow convinced my friend to check out People's Park in the Sky. Going there, my friend was ranting about my willingness to go there, making me feel bad. My point was that, it's not everyday that I could get to see a particular place, so might as well maximize the trip.

Upon reaching the park, it got foggy, and my physique was tested because from the gate, tourist had to hike up going to the park itself. I let out of a few complaints, and my friend was doing the "I told you so" thing, but I told that I may complain and all, but in the end I still get it done. True, complaints are part of who I am, but it was just my way of letting off some steam. Doing an uphill climb and cold weather are two of my most hated things, but yeah, I somehow managed to do what I had to do, and I am fulfilled.


Me at the Chapel. Somewhere in the park was this chapel, and seeing some people pose by the facade, I also asked my friend to take my picture. I am thankful that we just got there at the right time, because after taking a few more shots, the fog got heavier to the point that it was difficult to see anymore.


Jeepney From the Fog. One of the last images taken before leaving the park. We wanted to take a picture of the heavy fog, when this jeepney arrived.

From People's Park in the Sky, we took the jeepney back to Olivarez Plaza where we took a bus back to Manila. By 3pm I was already home. I am very thankful to my friend for being my companion and despite the many bad words spoken to me (which, according to my friend "are meant not to be taken seriously"), I am grateful for this getaway. It wasn't what I expected, but at least I was able to use my GC and was able to have pictures from Tagaytay City.

*** Jenn ***

Last Tuesday, I was privileged enough to travel to Tagaytay City. It was basically my second time there, but it felt as if it was my first time as the first time I was there, I only 16 years old and didn't own a camera yet. We also just went there to do a school project, so I didn't really get to enjoy its sceneries.

I was with a friend, and the first stop we went to was the Picnic Grove. I wasn't able to take that much pictures because it was way too sunny and bright that images tend to create silhouette, or others became overexposed, but I will try to share pictures in batches. For now it's all about images of people.

I admit, taking pictures of people - street photography and/or portraiture - is my weakest suit. I just am not comfortable taking pictures of people because I know I need to capture the emotion and the essence of it. I am also afraid to try my hand on it because I always feel that the people I am taking pictures of would get angry at me for taking their pictures.

The first picture from this post was the last picture I took. I just like the look of the Taal Volcano (the little mound of earth on the leftmost side), and seeing this couple pass by gave me the chance to take their picture. Here are more pictures I took.

Lovebirds. I took this one while waiting (more of praying) for the clouds above the volcano clear up. Despite the heat, the volcano was somehow covered with fog. I noticed this lovebirds in one of the cottages, and found them to be so sweet, so I aimed for a shot. I don't want to be noticed, so I squatted and used the fence surrounding the cottage as my frame.

In wheelchair. The camera I used was my friend's DSLR, which had a 55-250mm lens. We were in one of the benches, trying to cool ourselves eating ice cream when we saw an old woman in wheelchair from afar. I actually took a lot of pictures of them, and in this shot they already noticed that I was taking their picture, but really, among the bunch, this was the one I liked the most, because they weren't too dark here.

I was posing for pictures when I spotted this woman carrying a basket of pineapples. Pineapples are one of the produce known in this part of the country, and this woman was roaming around the park to sell it.

Framing. We were at the Alamat Restaurant when I saw this - a family eating lunch outside of the restaurant. Having eyeglasses somehow restricts me from taking good pictures using a DSLR, as I seem to have a blind spot on my right side. Looking through the viewfinder, I seemed to have framed it good, but as soon as I hit the shutter, there seemed to be more space on the right side of the image. After a few adjustments, I seemed to have taken this one good, but the sad part was, the father's head was blocked by the window grill. :(

Good Grooming. A picture I took on the way out of the park. This wasn't the best scene, but this was the best image in terms of quality.

I still could say I am not comfortable taking pictures of people. But, I am happy that I am taking my little steps. Hopefully in time, I could take the courage of taking pictures of random people.

*** Jenn ***