If you booked your flight/s with Cebu Pacific via their website, then you've probably chosen either of their three payment options. You can choose to pay (1) through your credit card, (2) through Bancnet, (3) or Over-The-Counter.
Now, I've usually used the first payment option. But when I no longer had any credit card to use, I would resort to the last mode of payment --- and that's to pay through Banco De Oro (amongst other alternatives). But it was just a few days ago that I stumbled upon a somewhat perplexing question: what details do I put on the BDO slip? Cebu Pacific didn't provide a set of handy instructions for this certain matter.
So I had to google it, in hopes that I will not go into a BDO bank oblivious of what to write. But unfortunately, I didn't find any valuable information to my rescue. And so, I just approached the bank teller for further instructions, with a copy of my confirmation #.
Here's what was instructed of me:
1) PRINT or NOTE down the confirmation number (you'll see this on the flight itinerary).
2) Ask the bank teller for the ORANGE Payment Slip, as you won't find this in any of their slip/brochure counters (I don't know what those are called).
I've been disheartened for like the nth time, every time a US consul pulls out that notorious 'blue paper'. And for some reason, the different consuls that came to review my application, didn't seem to find me credible of my words. Thus witholding me of a chance to visit the rest of my family in Houston.
I've already been rejected of a US Visa three times, and I don't think I want to try anytime soon. Family members have tried to figure out the deal in every ordeal but would just end up thinking that I may have probably been denied mainly because I was a single woman, who came with pretty good genes. *=P The consuls may not believe that I am an honest businesswoman, then that's just their word against mine. I know who I am, and I never had any intentions of going TNT in the US nor marrying a US citizen for a green card.
So in lieu of this entry, I would like to turn my rejections into a positive one. I hope that with this post, that I may be able to help out anyone who's planning on getting that most sought after document on their passport's.
For now, here are my tips:
1) Go online and type in the link: http://manila.usembassy.gov/
I once visited The La Mesa Watershed and Ecopark with Rubel's family. And believe me, I was awe-stricken! Who would've thought that an eco-friendly park was just a drive away? I am a QC resident, so it was a treat for someone like me to get the opportunity to experience a park that was just so near to me.
*A Budget is a plan that outlines an organization's financial and operational goals. So a budget may be thought of as an action plan; planning a budget helps a business allocate resources, evaluate performance, and formulate plans. - About.com*
In my own way, I get to travel without having to sacrifice the comfort and thrills of my trips. That to me is always an awesome plan. And as long as I stay in my budget, I will always consider myself to be the budget traveler. =)
Explore & Be Free!
Mai
I was still rocking a Nikon D40 at the time, so we were always excited about using it. And since we wanted to maximize the DSLR, we decided to go on a DIY Photo Walk. Rubel and I managed to drive all the way to Intramuros just so we could experience the very idea of 'walking while taking photos'. Intramuros was definitely the perfect venue as the sights were so picturesque.
Here are just some of the photos that we both took during that february afternoon (back in 2010):
Hey Biyahera's & Biyahero's!
Did you go to this weekend's Travel Expo at SMX Convention? I did!!!
Well, to cap thing's off, the expo ran from February 17-19, 2012. I went on a Friday, so I was hoping there weren't going to be too many people yet. But since Rubel and I only took the MRT going to Mall of Asia (MOA), we already got there around 10 am. The line was pretty long by then, and it stretched and curved towards the direction of the newest MOA Eye. But waiting in line didn't take that long.
{January 28, 2012} Our Day Tour for our second day in Coron consisted of the following sites: Kayangan Lake, Twin Lagoon, Banol Beach, Coral Gardens, and Siete Pecados Marine Sanctuary. We were picked-up at the resort at 9:30 am. The tour also ended at exactly 4:30 pm.
First stop: Kayangan Lake
First stop: Kayangan Lake
{January 27, 2012} We wanted to maximize our weekend, so we booked an extra tour from Ms. Cherry. She suggested that we go for the Day Tour right after checking-in at the resort. Now, our schedule was tight since our flight to Coron arrived late in the afternoon. And with that, we've only managed to squeeze in two hours on our impromptu tour (5-7PM).
For our first afternoon in the island, our tour guide Jhun, took us straight to Mt. Tapyas. I wasn't able to do any research on this particular place, so I was caught off guard when he said that we needed to do "a little climb up the mountain". LITTLE ALRIGHT! We actually needed to climb 700 steps before reaching the summit; and climbing 700 steps wasn't a joke to someone as unfit as me.
[January 27, 2012]
It was my first time to ride AirPhil Express. And it was also our first time to visit Coron. At the onset of our journey, Airphil departed on time (unlike our Bohol flight via Cebu Pacific). We also got to land 15 minutes earlier than expected. Apart from that, it was also my first time to ride a prop plane (propeller), so it was a scary experience for me having to feel all the bumps up in the air. There was also another setback to that specific flight, and that was the plane's airconditioning. Believe it or not, we were sweating throughout the entire trip; and I felt claustrophobic just feeling the heat inside the airplane. It was definitely something that we had to charge to experience.
[January 25, 2012]
Bohol Bee Farm will always have a special place in my heart...
I love their staff. I love their organic food (although too much of their honey ranch dressing on most of their dishes are nakaka-umay na!). I love their ambiance. I love their rooms. I love the look of their restaurant. I love their organic gardens. I love their organic products. I love their sun deck. I love the view. I love everything about them!
[January 23, 2012]
Bohol Bee Farm never fails. Not only did they serve a mean buffet breakfast (there's ham, fish sticks, vegetable and fruit salad, squash/kamote bread, etc.). They also offered the best seats in the house. Other than that, I was also able to greet my boyfriend a 'happy birthday', while dining by the seaside. And not only were we seated with a really beautiful view in sight, the sun was also rising to greet my beloved a happy 30th. It was priceless!
{January 22, 2012} The fun part about being a freelance writer is that I get to be online all the time. Other than using the internet to supply the necessary resources for my 'work', the world wide web has also helped me find the best travel deals online, much like Cebu Pacific's PISO SALE.
Cebu Pacific typically hosts this particular promo a few times in a year (probably 2-3 times annually). And I was actually lucky to get two piso slots last year (April 2011 to be exact) considering the traffic that goes on after it is posted. I also availed of the promo for a trip to Bohol. Now, the piso sale that applied to my booking was only one-way (MNL-TAG only) since most of the schedules were already purchased. Nonetheless, it was still a big help to a budget conscious traveler like me.
I booked the trip for January 2012. And since I paid for the tickets on April, it gave me 9 more months to save up for the trip. I also bought the tickets as an advance birthday gift for my boyfriend, who was celebrating his 30th on January. I wanted to surprise him but failed at keeping it a secret. =P
Now, the 9 months gave me not just time to save up. It also gave me the chance to book our accommodations in advance. And as I was doing my usual research, I came across this very organic resort. True to its word, Bohol Bee Farm is a resort like no other. I loved it instantly!
Nothing beats relaxing by the beach. More so, experiencing the different wonders of the Philippines. #itsmorefuninthephilippines
I have been on and off board airplanes, hopping from one island to another in just a span of 7 days. I was just in Bohol (my 2nd time there), and was back again at the airport for another getaway. But this time, I spent the weekend in Coron with my love.
I have been on and off board airplanes, hopping from one island to another in just a span of 7 days. I was just in Bohol (my 2nd time there), and was back again at the airport for another getaway. But this time, I spent the weekend in Coron with my love.
Our family in Florida gifted us with some moolah over the holiday's. So given our Christmas blessings, Kuya EJ and I decided to spend the money on an out-of-town trip. I initially suggested that we take the family out of town for his birthday instead of just checking-in at a hotel. After our talks, we finally decided to celebrate his 41st birthday at Loreland Farm Resort, Antipolo. The resort looked very family-friendly. Plus, it was just an hour's drive from Quezon City.
[January 12, 2012]
Early last year, a couple of online group buying sites started popping out of nowhere. It started leaving me and a thousand others glued on to our monitors for another great buy to pop out. What's there to lose from these deals, right? Well, there have been a lot of great discounts... or so I kept telling myself. But then I realized that these money-saving tactics weren't much of a saving-approach for me. So I stopped purchasing late last year (well, that's just me).
Ok so last July, a hard-to-pass-up deal was posted online; and it was sold on Metrodeal.com. Since they were only selling each voucher for P250 per person, I immediately got my credit card for a quick purchase. I then paid for P1,000 worth of vouchers.
In this particular case, I didn't want to loose the opportunity to get into a cruise, that offered a sumptuous buffet dinner, while sailing through Manila Bay. Now, the description from the posting was promising, and the words of the writer really caught my attention. Other than that, the photos that were on the ad drew me closer to a purchase. So I got tempted. An inexpensive, special getaway, right? Well, see the posting for yourself:
My last day in SIN was dragging my feet. I wasn't ready to go back home yet. But then I was running out of money, and of course, I missed my family in MNL too. So I woke up real early to fix my stuff, then headed out to the bus station at Compassvale. Carlo, my cousin Kate's husband, gave me instructions on the commute that I was about to take. I no longer had to take the MTR, since I was told that it would eat more of my time. I was actually nervous about taking the bus alone, given the heavy luggage that I had in tow. But then I had no choice but to stay focused for the whole hour's drive. But God was good, as he directed me safely to the right terminal! =D Yahoo for that!
Basically, Day 5 was spent lounging around my in-laws residence. I helped around the house, packed some last minute stuff, and played with the little boys as promised.
I spent most of the day with the family (had one last dinner with them at Causeway Point Shopping Centre) before transferring to my cousin's place at Compassvale. Compassvale was a bit far from Woodlands, and it required a few MRT train transfers. So the whole trip probably took a good hour before I reached my final destination.
My fourth day in Singapore was also the bf's last (since he had to go back to work the next day). So for his last day, his family and I went our for lunch at the Sembawang Mall where Aston's was. They served us steaks, sausages, and other appetizers that were really sumptuous. They weren't that cheap though. But you can definitely say that their food is well worth the costs.
Aston's food and ambiance were definitely impressive. But how about an outdoor mini-waterpark in the mall? How cool is that! I felt like a kid again, as I played with the little Campos' boys. I was actually told that most of the malls in Singapore had their own water playground. His sister-in-law and I were talking about it, and she told me how the playground benefits her as a mother of two. How? Well, while she's doing the groceries, her husband will simply looks after the boys. She goes off and does her errands without any distractions. And when she's finally done doing her chores, which goes for at least 2 hours, her kids would already be tired from playing. They would all be ready to pack up and go home. Everyone would be so tried, but happy and fulfilled.
Anyway, I had my fair share of the waterpark. But I didn't bathe all out (just my feet and hands) since I didn't bring any change of clothes. Moving along, we left with some Gong Cha Tea drinks on hand before heading back to the house. He actually did some last minute packing before all of us left for the airport.
There was also an ongoing sale at the time, so we decided to leave the house early. The sale was held at the Convention Center (by the airport), so we still had some time to spare before dropping Rubel off at the terminal. Fortunately, he got to avail this really great deal on an LG LED TV.
My Day 4 in SIN ended with some Carl's Jr. dinner, a tight hug and a smooch from the boyfriend. The rest of the night was spent commuting back home. We also took the bus from the airport, before alighting to a second bus that would take us back to the Woodlands area. Now, one more thing that's great about Singapore is that the country provides a very convenient and accessible transportation system (much like HKG's). Here's to hoping that our own country gets to experience the same facilities in the near future! Slowly but surely, we will get there!
Explore & Be Free!
Mai
Our third day in SIN was spent just going around SIM LIM Square (I also got myself a mocha ice cream sandwich, which I ate on the way there). And since Rubel wanted to build his own CPU, we went around the entire Sim Lim building looking for potential monitors and computer parts. He didn't get to see any of the stuff that he wanted/needed throughout our 'walk', but I did! I was actually able to buy an extra memory card for my point-and-shoot, a cool 4GB purple Sandisk cruzer USB, a black laptop sleeve, and a purple laptop keyboard protector.
I went back to Singapore last year (first week of November to be exact). I wanted to treat myself on my birthday, so my boyfriend and I started planning the trip. He was already booked months early for his travel to SIN via PAL, so I decided to join him. But since PAL rates were a bit expensive, I booked via Cebu Pacific. And the fun part about it was that he paid for my ticket as an early birthday gift. Yeah!