Archive for the year 2009
Island Hopping in Visayas
Posted on September 25, 2009 by Ching under Travel.
This is where we will be in less than a week’s time:
The map above is of the Central Visayas region of the Philippines, which is where we will be spending our time this trip. Manila is not in the cards, unfortunately. We will for sure be spending time in Cebu, Bohol and Negros.
Mom is right. Brian probably won’t be needing any Tagalog on this trip. LOL.
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Lugar Lang!
Posted on September 23, 2009 by Ching under Travel.
I’d like to thank mom for reminding me about Manong and Manang, etc. I have to make sure that Brian knows how to use these properly and also Inday and Dodong and all of that stuff. However, I just realized that I forgot one of the most important and most useful phrases of all: Lugar Lang!
In doing some research I found out that tourists should avoid “private taxis” at all costs because these taxi cabs take advantage of tourists by charging 5-10 times the regular cab fare. Cabs that do not use their meters are to be avoided as well. Most of the cabs are metered so it shouldn’t be a problem to find one.
Cab fare is pretty reasonable: P30.00 to get in the cab, P2.50 for every half kilometer, and P2.50 for every 5 minutes they wait. However, the cheapest way to commute from one place to another is via jeepney. Jeepneys are everywhere and usually have specific routes. These routes are usually marked on the sides of the jeepney. Jeepneys are usually safe, but will tend to get cramped and overcrowded (with some people even hanging outside) during certain times of the day.
To hail a jeepney, one simply needs to wave their arm as the jeepney approaches. Drivers will generally stop unless they are completely full. To get off, just shout “Lugar lang!” If you don’t say it loud enough, the jeepney driver might not hear you and continue to drive off without stopping.
There are also several bus operators. Ceres and Sunrays are two such bus operators that travel to and from Cebu City. Traveling by bus is a cheaper alternative to taking a taxi cab.
I think mom and dad want to rent a car. I doubt Brian and I will do any driving on our own. We might just ride around with mom and dad or any of the other relatives. If we want to do some exploring on our own then we might just do it on foot or via jeepney or something. Unless, of course, we find a place to rent a little moped!
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Useful Phrases
Posted on September 22, 2009 by Ching under Travel.
I thought I would post some basic words and phrases for Brian to learn in preparation for our trip. Let’s see if he can learn these. LOL.
| Useful Words and Phrases | ||
|---|---|---|
| English | Bisaya/Cebuano | Tagalog/Filipino |
| Thank You | Salamat | Salamat |
| Please | Palihug | Paki- (used as a prefix, e.g. Paki-linis means “Please clean”) |
| Yes | Oo | Oo |
| No | Dili | Hindi |
| Money | Kwarta | Pera |
| Wallet | Pitaka | Pitaka or Walet |
| Cop | Pulis | Pulis or Buwaya (slang) |
| How are you? | Kamusta ka? | Kamusta ka? |
| Fine, thank you. | Maayo, salamat. | Mabuti, salamat. |
| Help! | Tabang! | Saklolo! |
| Good morning. | Maayong buntag. | Magandang umaga. |
| Good afternoon. | Maayong udto (11a to 1p) or Maayong hapon (after 1p). | Magandang tanghali or Magandang hapon. |
| Good evening. | Maayong gabi-i. | Magandang gabi. |
| I don’t understand. | Dili ko kasabot. | Hindi ko naintindihan. |
| Where is the restroom? | Asa dapit ang CR/kasilyas? | Saan ang CR/banyo? |
| I’m lost. | Nasalaag ko. | Naligaw ako. |
| I’m tired. | Gikapoy ko. | Napagod ako. |
| I’m hungry. | Gigutom ko. | Gutom ako. |
| How much is the fare? | Pila ang pliti? | Magkano ang pasahe? |
| Where is my change? | Asa ang akong sukli? | Saan ang sukli ko? |
| Who’s there? | Kinsa na? | Sino to? |
| How much is this/that? | Tag pila ni/na? | Magkano ito/yan? |
| I have no money. | Wala ko’y kwarta. | Wala akong pera. |
| That’s expensive! | Mahal pud ana! | Mahal yan! |
| I don’t like this/that. | Dili ko ani/ana. | Ayaw ko ito/yan. |
| I like this/that. | Ganahan ko ani/ana. | Gusto ko ito/yan. |
What other words and phrases should Brian learn? Any suggestions?
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Funniest. Book. Ever.
Posted on September 20, 2009 by Ching under Sex.
We went to Brian’s parents’ house today to deliver the replacement gift card to Brian’s mom. When we arrived, we found Brian’s dad cleaning out the closet. He pulled out this book, which I think belonged to Brian’s grandmother. It was printed in the 1930s — you know, before they used actual numbers on the copyright page and they were still using roman numerals. I flipped through the pages and read some sections aloud and we all busted up laughing. This book is hilarious!
I may need to buy a copy for Jenni. LOL.
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Our Movie Date at Old Town Warren
Posted on September 20, 2009 by Ching under Movies, Things to Do.
I noticed that Brian blogged about the Director’s Suite so I thought I would share some pictures. We were in there last night watching the late show of The Informant! — the new Matt Damon flick. The movie itself was okay, but I figured this blog would be dedicated to reviewing our experience in the Director’s Suite.
The prices are pretty reasonable: $12 for matinee shows (includes $4 food voucher) and $18 for evening shows (includes $8 food voucher). Brian and I paid $36 for our movie tickets last night but, after redeeming $16 in food vouchers, the actual cost of the movie ticket is really just $10 — only $1 more than watching a movie one of the regular auditoriums. At first glance, I thought it was a pretty good value. Then again, is it really worth the extra $1? We couldn’t really answer that until after we’d watched a movie in there.
Unlike the Balcony at 13th Avenue Warren, there is no assigned seating. My suggestion is to get there early so that you have your choice of seats. The problem with arriving late is that a couple of the rows only has three seats. If you get there too late then you won’t be able to sit next to your partner. This wasn’t a problem for us because Brian and I are always early to everything. LOL.
The reclining chairs are pretty comfortable. There are 22 seats altogether. Most rows consist of four seats. The suite is long and narrow. Brian and I sat in the next to the last row. I think I would have preferred to sit closer to the screen because it’s really tiny. The screen and suite actually remind me of someone’s basement home theater room. All I needed was a Snuggie. =P
It’s not too bad if the person in front of your reclines their seat. However, for a short person like me, the head of the person in front of me gets in the way unless their seat is reclined. It’s fine when they are in the recline position and I am not, but when I recline my seat also then their head is once again blocking my view. I really hate that.
While the viewing experience is not that great, the dining experience is crappier yet. Our show started at 10:15 PM, but they wouldn’t seat us until 30 minutes before. The problem with this is that the service is really slow. Our food did not arrive until almost halfway through our movie. This meant having to eat in the dark, which I really hate. At least when we’re in the Balcony, our food usually arrives before the show or during the previews (except for when we watched Die Another Day because they were shorthanded that time and it was more like Die of Starvation). Besides not seeing what you’re eating, eating during the movie makes you miss stuff because you’re eating instead of giving the movie your complete and undivided attention.
Another thing that is really distracting is when they come to pick up everyone’s plates. If the head of the person in front of me is getting in my way, you can imagine how distracting a person who’s standing there picking up plates is… Gah! Also, it’s hard to ignore it when someone enters the suite because the door isn’t quiet at all, and there’s the clanking of plates just outside. I can’t tell if the suite is just poorly soundproofed or if the door has been left open; thus allowing the sounds to come through. Though the server tried to be quiet when settling the bills, it was still really distracting because they verbally told you what you owed instead of just giving you your check like in the Balcony. It was very annoying. I think they need to streamline that whole process.
The Director’s Suite is small and intimate so I think it is more suitable for private parties than for actual movie watching. If you are movie buff, the screen is way too small to really enjoy the show. Personally, my preference would be to watch movies in one of the larger auditoriums; otherwise, it would be just like watching a movie at home and I don’t have to pay $36 to do that.
I saw some pictures of the Showcase Lounge on the Warren Theaters web site. This was previously Oscars, the theater sports bar, which has now been redone so they can show movies in there. There are actual tables instead of the makeshift plastic ones that insert into your seat’s cup holder, so the dining experience is probably better. Though, if your food isn’t delivered until after the movie starts, then I’d have the same issues. The screen in there is way bigger, though, because it is an actual auditorium. We’ll probably check that one out one of these days and report back.
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