Lamyerda: Trip to Taal

I have been to Tagaytay so many times that I lost count. My father was originally from Cavite and so we vacation there from time to time. A friend also lives there so we basically go to restaurants there when we visit. I have seen Taal so many times as well as most restaurants we go to has an overlooking view of Taal. But I have never actually been there and when the chance came to go there, I quickly grabbed it. Over the holy week, my boss decided to suddenly come to the Philippines and do some business stuff. So I was able to meet up with my online workmates and also meet my boss. With that, me and my other workmate decided to go to Tagaytay and to Taal.

This is my boss. He does handstands on the streets during his spare time.

I was not prepared for the trip down Taal. I know it would be a long way down, but had no idea it would be a bit more extreme than I anticipated. You see, it was raining a bit but luckily, on the way down, it did not rain much, but it drizzled a bit. We actually just rode a tricycle down and I was riding at the back so that was the extreme part for me. I can basically feel the trike swivelling a bit and creating strange sounds as it twisted and turned with the road. To give you an idea how twisty and turny the road is, here is a map. I did not dare take a photo while on the trike.

We arrived at Talisay and what looked like a beach resort of some sort that rents boats to tourists. We waited a while but the boat costs PHP3,000 I think. The boat ride took about 30 minutes and it was a nice boat ride. It was a lake so it wasn’t as bumpy as when it is at sea.

Upon arriving, we were greeted by many many vendors of some sort. Everything has to be paid for. From the photos, to the dust mask. Not that it’s an issue for me, but it is kind of annoying how some of them keeps on selling you your photo that they printed even if you do not want it. We had to ride a horse to the top of the crater and I forgot how much we paid for it exactly, but I think we separately paid for the horse and guide for PHP1,000. It was a dusty ascent and there were a lot of tourists during this time. There was even a bit of horse traffic as we were about to go up to where the horses should be tied up.

Being on top of a crater is pretty cool. You know it’s a volcano but feel a bit oblivious to this fact as you look down the water filled crater of Taal. There were actually some glowing substances below the surface of the water and I wonder if it’s lava. There was a tiny island on the water and I can even see a sort of wooden structure there that may mean that there are people who actually go there.

  

We went down after a few minutes as the heat was unbearable. At the same time, the clouds looked menacing and we wanted to get back to Talisay before it turns into rain. It was a lot quicker getting down and soon we were heading back to Talisay to get back on that extremely winding road.

Lamyerda: To Hermana Menor Island

Summer is for going to the beach so since I wanted to make the last hurrah for summer, I went along with a friend who invited me to go to Hermana Menor. It is an Island in Sta. Cruz Zambales, which is 3 to 4 hours away from my home city, Olongapo City. I saw photos of it and it looked really untouched and the water is really gorgeous. We spent, approximately PHP1,500 more or less. These includes the bus fare, the snacks and meals, the boat fare, hut rental, tricycle fare and the bathroom fee (we kind of had to use a bathroom owned by locals there to wash off the sand).

To get to the island, we had to get to this Petron station and ride a tricycle to go in further to where the boat we rented waited for us. We left at about 2 am and rode a bus ride from hell to Sta. Cruz. I say bus ride from hell because we rode an unairconditioned bus that basically blows off your face and does not let you adjust your seat to get comfortable enough to sleep. I actually woke up with a bit of a concussion since I was sleeping through the ride (yes, sleeping, I was tired) and I may have bumped my head while the bus careened through the sleepy streets of Zambales. We had to go through some murky waters to ride the boat and balance ourselves in there. It was fine for me, though, as I was kind of used to floods. :P

It took about 30 to 40 minutes, I think, to get to the island. It was not exactly sunny when we arrive so the waves are a bit rough and we were screaming our lungs out every time the boat hits some high waves. But we eventually got there in one piece.

There is a curious structure here in this island and some mentioned that someone actually owned the island, so some parts of it are not accessible to visitors. There was also an abundance of trash when we got there that may have been blown in by a previous storm.

There's a cute puppy that kept making friends with us but I'm sure it was because he wanted some food. But he was so cute and friendly that it is just hard not to pet him.

The beach and the water are so clear that it is such a joy to just stay there even when I know that I will get sunburnt after this. I did put on some SPF but I feel that it won’t be enough to combat the sun.

All in all, it was a great experience and it was a truly beautiful island. I hope that people would be more mindful of their trash though. I saw bottles of liquor there and plastic and various trash. The people who take care of the island and gets fees should try to maintain the cleanliness as well and hopefully, the island stays as untouched and as beautiful a few years from now.

Watercolor Adventures

It’s been awhile since I last posted here and during the times that I was not posting, I was basically working and goofing around with watercolor, journaling, and calligraphy. I have been to a few places as well during my blog posting hiatus and crossed off Boracay and Taal off my list of places to visit. I have been very active in Instagram though and post there incessantly. I post mostly things I draw or my calligraphy stuff and also my art journal entries. It has been fun discovering more about watercolor and I basically try to paint one artwork a day because this is a new medium for me. I currently have three watercolors and the first one I bought was a student grade one. I will be reviewing the three of them and I just want to say that I am no expert. It has been barely a year since I started with this medium and I still feel lost at times when it comes watercolor. It is such a tricky medium and sometimes, the idea that I have in my head that is so perfect becomes lost when I try to paint it with this medium. But I do know that practice is the key, and I am a bit more proud of my work now. But for those who want to dive into this medium, here are a few watercolors that I think can give you a great start and I say this because I have used them and am a beginner so yeah, I know what would work for people like me.

Sennelier Aquarelle - Student Grade

I got my Sennelier at Art Nebula. I actually have gone through some serious decision making when I bought this set. I was worried that this isn’t what I wanted. Theres the tube watercolors that I feel I don’t need but maybe I was wrong. Ultimately, I decided with the student grade Sennelier since it is much more affordable and I wanted to try student grade colors before I even try premium grade ones so that I get to appreciate the difference. I am happy with this watercolor, but there are times that the pigments are quite lacking for me. But as a beginner, it barely mattered, really. I just enjoyed it and learned a thing or two about watercolors in the process.

St. Petersburg Whitenights Premium Grade

By the time I found out about whitenights, I have been watching a lot of watercolor artists videos. I especially loved iraville and she suggested that for people who want to try a premium grade watercolor without having to spend much to buy this brand. Luckily enough, I found a seller selling this in Shopee. The box is nothing special. It is plastic and I actually saw enough Schminke and Winsor and Newton to fancy the metallic containers that they are in. But, upon trying this, I was amazed. I have never seen blue watercolor granulate like this one. It is hard to control and just does what it wants. I was amazed. I used it but I ultimately failed in creating a masterpiece. I knew that I needed more practice. And it is far more pigmented than the student grade one, for sure.

Prima Watercolor - The Classics Premium Grade

I actually ordered this one in Amazon and I purchased this before I even bought the Whitenights. But I had to actually wait for my relatives package from the US to arrive before I can have it along with the Tombow and Micron Pens I bought. I love the combination of colors in this set. I especially loved the fact that it has purple and pink in there. I often have to combine colors to get these ones so it is a relief to have ready-made colors. But, I am not as amazed by this as I was with whitenights. I think I prefer it for my calligraphy practice rather than for my watercolor painting. It is also highly pigmented, but I feel that it does not granulate and mix with other colors as well. It's pretty awesome for calligraphy though and I often use it for my journaling and I love that it's in a metallic container.

So I think I did the right thing by buying the student grade one first and I would suggest this to other aspiring watercolorists. You would appreciate the premium grade ones this way and you will really be amazed by how watercolor moves on water. But my dream watercolor is really Schmincke, but it is oh so expensive. Hopefully, I can get a set this year on Christmas. I like giving gifts to myself and I plan to get that for myself as a Christmas gift.

My Fiverr Account Just Reached Level Two Seller Status

When I created my first gig at Fiverr, it was supposed to be just a thing I wanted to try out. I had no real expectations about it and I am not even sure if people will order from me. My first gig was I will write an RPG game plot for you and I actually haven't done any concrete plots for an RPG before. But I had ideas and ideas run rampant in my head and that is something I can work on. When I received my first order, I was ecstatic. I felt happy that someone trusted me enough to order. I worked on it and I felt happy. I feel at home at doing something like this and it doesn't even feel like real work. My ideas came to life and my first client even ordered the full package, which included illustrations of enemies, maps, and characters. When I delivered the finished product I was nervous and willing to edit anything just to please my client. But as it turned out, he loved it and I got my first positive review.

And that was a year ago. I created more gigs on Fiverr but my best seller has always been my first one. I have done some sci-fi themes, post-apocalyptic, fantasy and even text-based ones. I mostly adapted to what my clients wanted and even research about the game they want to base it on. I have played a lot of RPG's but know that there are still many out there that I have not come across and the new discoveries make me giddy. I am so happy doing this gig that I barely noticed when I finally reached the Level Two Seller Status. It basically means I have sold more than 50 gigs and was able to maintain a 4.5 rating. To do something you love and get paid for it is really very rewarding. It feels like I can do this forever. Through this gig, I was even invited to be a part of a team of indie game developers and served as a Concept Designer. I feel really happy about this because I have never thought that this was even possible. I graduated as an Accountant and basically taught myself everything I know about Illustrator and Photoshop. Writing just came to me because I have so many ideas that I needed to put on paper. I cannot remember how I came upon Fiverr, but I am so happy that I was able to stumble upon it as I was able to do something I really enjoy doing, which is creating RPG game plots.

If you are interested in my gigs, you can definitely check out my Fiverr account. I do a lot of other things and would be happy to take orders.

https://www.fiverr.com/ajajaireh

I Made Planner Stickers!

Okay, so it has been a while since I last made an entry here since I have been super busy with a bunch of jobs and basically, I cannot do anything but regret my inability to post more stuff here. But I have been doing a lot of Hobonichi Journaling and got into the world of art journaling. It's pretty awesome since I can do three of my most favorite things. Draw, write and collect cute stickers and stationeries. I have loved stationeries as a kid and did collect them, but I just do not know what to do with them, so I kind of stopped. And stickers are just so cute and I love any cute item. I actually bought a printer so I could print my own stickers. All I am missing is a Cricut Explore and I could basically stay happy forever.

For those of you who love Journaling, I actually made stickers that are free and ready to print. I hope this can be useful to your daily planning needs. :D

Here is a link to the PDF file: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-NAOwtjmLd_VTliWDFodUZGQWc

Here is a link to the PNG file: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-NAOwtjmLd_ODJZUTlNZjN3VWc

7 Ingredient Carbonara

Here is a quick and easy meal to do when you are home alone and have a hankering for some pasta. All you need are seven ingredients which you can typically find in your own kitchen.

INGREDIENTS:

Cooked Pasta

Parsley

2 Eggs

Bacon

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Garlic

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

First, boil the pasta then prepare to chop the bacon the garlic and the parsley which you will need later. You should then cook the bacon until it is crispy. Add the garlic to the bacon and it’s also a good idea to add extra virgin oil since you will be adding the pasta next. You should then mix the pasta with the bacon, garlic and extra virgin olive oil. Turn off the heat and then prepare the 2 eggs and add some grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Mix it well and then add it to the pasta while it is still hot and whisk away. Add a little of the water where you boiled the pasta to  thin out the sauce a bit. You can add a little salt and pepper to taste and voila, your easy carbonara is ready.

2 Day Foodgasm and Lamyerda

I have not left the comforts of my own city for a while so I was pretty excited when a friend decided to come home roughly a week ago. We, my high school bestfriends, decided to go to Cavite to our other high school bestfriends house and stay there for 3 days and 2 nights since our friend who came home also decided to stay there. It was always fun to stay at our friends house so it has been 2 days of eating and drinking wine late into the night.

We decided to go to Tagaytay the day after we arrived. We decided to eat lunch at a restaurant called Pamana and the ambiance of the place was really homy and you have this wonderful view while you eat.

Pamana Tagaytay

This restaurant is owned by the Barrio Fiesta Group and is a fine dining Filipino Restaurant that serves heirloom recipes handed down from generation to generation. They have all this antique furnitures in the restaurant along with family pictures that reminds me of how my grandparents house used to look like.

And outside you have this wonderful view.

We ordered a bunch of food since it is lunch. And they all tasted superb but I do love the Bulalo more.

Sisig

Inihaw

Nilagang Bulalo

Legaspi City's Famous Laing

Pansit Buko

You can check out more of their menu through their site: http://www.pamanarestaurant.com/

Sky Ranch Tagaytay

After lunch we decided to go to Sky Ranch Tagaytay. It was actually nearly sundown when we went there so the air was getting pretty cold. So the general entrance fee was Php 50.00.

We actually rode only 2 rides which are the Sky Eye and the Super Viking. We screamed our lungs out during the Super Viking ride. I would recommend riding the Super Viking to people who have been stressed out for a while and want to release some by screaming. And by the way, its Php 150.00 fee per ride.

Vikings MOA

The next day was the day I finally get to pig out at Vikings. My friend oftentimes mention this place to me and I was pretty excited to finally be able to eat at this place which is a buffet style restaurant that serves various cuisines. I get pretty excited with the thought of eat all you can food so I was already sold on this place even before the mention of sashimi and steaks.

It was a wonderful 2 days and 3 nights foodgasm for me and while I was on the bus ride home all I could think of was riding my bike and get the bloated feeling out of my system.