DAUGHTRY SINGS POKER FACE!

OMG - galeng!



Check out 3:17!

LUCKY - DQ CAKE - DRIVING RANGE

Lucky

April 29, 2009

Lucky

June 21, 2009

She's getting huge!

**************************

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL YOU FATHER'S!

Here's the super sarap Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake that the fam surprised me with.
LOVE YOU SO MUCH GUYS!!

Thanks also for the music stand!




*****************************

Tiger Cui teaching a student at the Southpoint Driving Range, Filinvest.

Ahhhhh... Laiya - (More pics)

Laiya Coco Grove extension.

400 per head only.
You can bring on your own food, tent etc!

It's the resort right next to Playa Laiya (Landco).

Great for day trips :)

Starbucks - Manila Ocean Park

The view is superb :)

MANILA OCEAN PARK

We visited the MANILA OCEAN PARK last May 30.

It was much, much better than we expected!

Definitely worth your Php 400 per head!

We purchased the Php 500 summer promo that included the FISH SPA (an absolute must-try!) and the GLASS BOTTOM Boat.

GO VISIT!!!



Here's the TOP 20 Things
that we liked/loved/found interesting at the M.O.P.:


1) The place is huge!
There's still room for a future hotel and a lot more shops in the existing mall.



2) The Arapaimas



3) The weird fish with the teeth (sorry i forgot the name) and the huge Catfish.





4) The Cute Seahorses



5) The GIANT CRAB from THE DEADLIEST CATCH



6) The Yellow ALIEN? Fish



7) THE MANILA BAY TANK
aka I'm never eating TAHONG/Mussels again!!!!


"This tank contains unfiltered water pumped in directly from Manila Bay. Unlike the filtered seawater seen in the rest of the oceanarium tanks. Here you can observe how the bay water looks like in its untreated state.

It has been estimated that everyday, five million gallons of untreated sewage, one to two million kilos of fecal & solid wastes and eighteen million kilos of toxic & hazardous wastes find their way into Manila Bay.

However, despite its being extremely polluted, this water is still capable of supporting a variety of aquatic life such as MUSSELS, barnacles, anemones and marine worms."




8) THE ROCK FISH




9) THE LION FISH




10) (One of my personal faves) The oceanarium with the HUGE JACKS (Talakitoks - yum!) and ENORMOUS GROUPERS (Lapu-Lapu - double yum!)





11) The FANTASTIC Stingray House




12) The Fish Tunnel






13) The display facing the Fish Tunnel (after you've gone through it)



14) The Stingrays floating above on the ceiling.




15) The Shark Tank






16) The Dude cleaning the fish tunnel area - you won't see HIM in the Shark Tank though.



17) The HAPEE Mascot



18) OUR SUPER FAVE and a DEFINITE MUST DO AT MANILA OCEAN PARK:

THE
FISH SPA

Could this be true?













The Fish Spa was really cool!

Rose and I couldn't take it....
(Zachy and Cara wanted no part of it)

WE'RE TOO TICKLISH!!

We kept laughing and laughing when the Fish MD's started nibbling!

Well -- laughter IS the best medicine right?





19) Hmmmm... I'll add in the glass-bottom boat. Since we paid for it (hehehe!).
Its ok - not really that spectacular.


Hey!
It's that Fish Tank Cleaner Dude!

Ray on the prowl.



and

LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST!!



20) THE DUDE SWIMMING IN MANILA BAY-- takes the cake!!


Zooming in..


He was wearing home-made flippers made out of rubber too.



MANILA OCEAN PARK

TWENTY THUMBS

and

TWENTY FINS UP!!!




Photo Album:

SNOW WHITE

SNOW WHITE CARA!

THE CANADA/USA TRIP - Chapter Two: Las Vegas (Day 14)

14) Day 14 (April 11) - HOOVER DAM

Our last beautiful day together with Carls and Maks. :(

Carla was flying off to Toronto and Mako would be returning to Vancouver in the late afternoon.

While we were scheduled to drive to Los Angeles to meet up with the Castillos and Santamarias who left in the morning.

Huhuhuhuhuhu!
Sniff. Sniff.
:(


So we decided to make the most out of our last day and headed over on to the historic HOOVER DAM!



Right Daddy's Darling?

Right DAD!




The Hoover Dam is only 30 miles/ 48 kms from Las Vegas. It's around a 45 minute drive. Much closer than our 5 hour drive to the Grand Canyon the other day.

You actually drive on top of the Hoover Dam going to the Grand Canyon and back.

It's the best way and primary link for travelling between Las Vegas and Phoenix.

However, traffic can get pretty slow when peeps travel across the dam due to the narrow two lane road and increased security concerns due to terrorism.



That's why they're constructing this:

THE HOOVER DAM BYPASS






The construction of this bridge is so immense, difficult and complex that they've already been featuring the building of the bypass on National Geographic and Discovery Channel even before its completion!

Here's how it's supposed to look when its finished.

(Source)

And here's how the new road will join up with the existing one along with other features.


As per the latest update on wiki, they'll be allowing people to park and walk across the bridge for viewing, picture-taking etc!

Cool!



We finally got to park and get our first gander at the Hoover Dam from the parking area.


Magnificent!

"Hoover Dam, originally known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada. When completed in 1936, it was both the world's largest electric-power generating station and the world's largest concrete structure."


It was surpassed in both these respects by the Grand Coulee Dam in 1945. It is currently the world's 35th-largest hydroelectric generating station."



We then headed down towards the inside of the dam for our guided Powerplant tour.




THE TRANSFORMERS WERE HERE!



After purchasing our USD 11 tickets (Cara was free) we checked out the Theater Level displays and watched a 10-minute film describing:

a) The contributions of Hoover Dam to the developing West (Flood control, irrigation, electricity, the BIRTH OF LAS VEGAS??)

b) The massive construction effort behind the engineering marvel.



Afterwards, we took a 70-second elevator ride that took us 530 feet down through the rock wall of Black Canyon to begin a 30-minute guided tour.


"You'll exit the elevator into a tunnel drilled in the 1930s for construction, and take a short walk to the Penstock Viewing Platform." - from the official site


Underground!
And on the way to the..


PENSTOCK!!


Penstock Viewing: This location is atop one (of four) of the huge 30-foot-diameter pipes that can transport nearly 90,000 gallons of water each second from Lake Mead to the dam's hydroelectric generators.
- from the official site




Afterwards we took another quick elevator ride up to the Nevada powerplant balcony.

Where we were treated to a panoramic view of the 650-foot-long Nevada wing of the powerplant and eight of the dam's 17 huge generators.



What are we checking out again?

Why the...
POWER GENERATORS!!





We exited the Power Plant balcony through the canyon tunnel and took another elevator up to the Visitor Center Exhibit Gallery.


The kids were starting to get tired na (the trip was starting to take its toll on them) so we ditched the Gallery and headed straight up to the Observation Viewing Deck to take some real nice DAM and Bypass photos.













WHAT AN EXQUISITE TOUR!!




WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH CARLS AND MAKS!!!!!

WE'RE GONNA MISS YOU TERRIBLY!!!
IT WAS SO AWESOME SPENDING TIME WITH YOU TWO.

Our epic adventures will be remembered forever!!





L.A.
HERE WE COME!



Photo Album:

Ahhhhh... Laiya

Laiya Coco Grove extension



400 per head only. You can bring on your own food!



It's the resort right next to Playa Laiya.



Great for day trips :)

THE CANADA/USA TRIP - Chapter Two: Las Vegas (Day 13)

13) Day 13 (April 10) - THE LAS VEGAS STRIP

Our day was spent going up and down the strip - checking out all the AWESOME hotels and engaging in some shopping fun.

Check out the Photo Albums below for the super pics!

Photo Album 1

Photo Album 2


THE ABSOLUTE HIGHLIGHT of the day
were the

BELLAGIO FOUNTAINS!!



Un- frickin - real.



The Mirage Volcano was pretty awesome too!



My Fave HOTEL though was definitely

CAESAR'S PALACE!


The Interiors!

The Sculptures!

Hmmmmm..






The Winding Escalator!


THE GIANT FAO SCHWARZ TROJAN HORSE!
Why go to Europe??

Just go to VEGAS!!
HAHAHAHAHA!!



And one of the ultimate best things I loved about the SIN CITY..


YOU CAN DRINK ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE!!!!


OOOH YEAAA!!







SLOSSSSSHED...
We got so blasted!

It's like being able to drink at SM or Alabang Town Center while shopping! Hahahahahahahaha!


WOOOHOOOOOO VEGAS BABYY!!!

THE CANADA/USA TRIP - Chapter Two: Las Vegas (Day 12)

12) Day 12 (April 9) - THE GRAND CANYON

Bucket List:

Check out The Grand Canyon.

DUNZO!!

Yehey!
Dream fulfilled!

Finally saw the GRAND CANYON!
Woohoo!!


*********************

We woke up really early to start the long 5 hour drive to the Grand Canyon.

LAS VEGAS is just as beautiful in the morning.


The Sahara

The Stratosphere

The Standalone DVD Rentals Hehehehehehe!



You really get to see how big the USA is when you drive to the Grand Canyon.

Huge expanses of just land, land and land...

Chopped-up Land..

and endless road....
Thanks Sis for going on the drive with us.
Carla hates going on long drives.

But she took one for the fam. :)




And then ..

At around 11am.

WE MADE IT!!!

THE GRAAAAAAND
CANYONNNNNNNNN!!!

WOOOOHOOOO!!


Magnificent!!





LOVE IT!!!
Mission Accomplished!!





We then walked over to the nearby Yavapai Point and Observation Station to get some more inside info and facts about the GC.


The Mini Mini Grand C.



The Observation Deck




Lunchtime beckoned so we got something to eat at the WENDY's outside of the Park in Tusayan.


SWEEEEEEET!


We definitely had to take some pics by the famous Grand Canyon sign when we headed back inside.

Cute.

The plan was to see other sights and get other views of the Grand Canyon.

So we decided to take the Desert View Drive heading east towards the Desert View Area near the East Entrance.

What a redundant sentence?!?




Here's the view over at Moran Point.
There's a nice stone formation nearby
.
Rosabel likes the view here.

We finally reached the Desert View Area after a 20min drive.


There are a number of cool things to check out.


The Desert View Watchtower


The Desert View Trading Post
and

the AUTHENTIC Desert View American Indian
giving guided tours.


The Grand Canyon - Desert View - "Views" are different indeed.


You can see the Colorado River more.

There's even a natural Helicopter landing Pad far to the east!

We went inside the Watchtower and climbed to the top.
Was even able to catch an eagle? or a hawk? glidin around.



Inside the Desert View Watchtower.


The sun was slowly setting and the views of the Grand Canyon were getting better.

The shadows bring out the depth of the Canyon's cliffs and crevasses.
Unlike midday when we arrived where the Canyon looked flatter and less dramatic.

So we decided to head back to the South Rim to see how it looked now.



WOW!!

MUCH BETTER INDEED!!




YEZZ!!!

You hear of those stories of peeps falling off the Grand Canyon while touring the place?

Even when signs like these are posted all over?? Well - -we still saw a bunch of stupid tourists going soo near the edge (no fences/barricades) despite the warnings.

There's actually a book you can buy which chronicles all the deaths (around 500??) at the Grand Canyon:


Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon


So ya better be careful when vistin'!!

or the Crow's gonna getcha!
(he's chompin' on a dead squirrel)





THE GRAND CANYON RAWKS!!!!!!
We'll miss you.


Sniff Sniff
Hehehehehehe!



Photo Album1:



Photo Album 2:

THE CANADA/USA TRIP - Chapter Two: Las Vegas (Day 11)

11) Day 11 (April 8) - VEGAS BABY!!

I totally had no idea what to expect in LAS VEGAS.

But just the plane ride in gave us an idea.

There was already a party in the row in front of us.
A group of Canadians were already celebrating and drinking heavily

Needless to say - their banter was pretty loud!
Thank gawd for my IPOD !

The other peeps on the plane were pretty tolerant of all the noise.

Most probably coz' of our destination...

The ALL-TIME LET-LOOSE PARTY PLACE!!

VEGAS BABY!!




Vegas draws you in the moment you step off the plane

The airport is already a mini casino.
Filled with slot machines and other games of chance.





A Nevada lawman even approached Zachy and Cara while we were observing the slot machines and gave them "Honorary Sherrif Badges".
Cute. :)



We then proceeded to FOX Rent A Car outside the airport to pick up the car that we would be using for the next 10 days of our trip.


They're one of the new, up and coming car rental agencies.
And we got a real good deal!


The car we got was a very nice black 2008 Lincoln Town and Country
with UTAH Plates??
(Filipino Utahites??)



We loved that minivan.

It had so many cup holders and a very deep trunk to hold all our luggage.
It was very powerful and easy to drive too!


Thanks for the luggage help Maks!




After filling up the paperwork, we drove out of the rental area and drove northbound on THE LAS VEGAS STRIP towards our hotel the MGM Grand!!



It was so cool to FINALLY see Vegas with my own eyes.

I practically grew up watching Vegas on TV and the silver screen.

For TV -- it was all those live boxing matches that they show every Sunday lunch - Sugar Ray Leonard, Hearns, Hagler, Holmes, Tyson and THE PACQUIAO FIGHTS of course. CSI LAS VEGAS and Las Vegas (The TV Series) ..

Movies... Casino, OCEAN'S 11,12 and 13!




Oooohh!

Mandalay Bay!
Pacquiao fought here!!


The LUXOR Pyramid!



NEW YORK NEW YORK!!
In Las Vegas?? Crazeee.




The HOOTERS Hotel?


And finally..
OUR HOME FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

The Famous and green
MGM GRAND!



Pacquiao fought here too!

MAN..
PACQUIAO IS SO HUGE IN THE STATES.

They were promoting his fight vs Hatton when we were there.

And I swear..
All you saw was Pacquiao's face on ALL the electronic billboards up and down the STRIP

His face was also plastered all over via posters and other merchandising.

HE REALLY Makes the Filipino Proud!!



Check out Pacquiao's Face underneath the MGM sign.



Anyways, we finally found parking, unloaded our luggage via the very friendly and courteous MGM Grand staff and trudged on towards the lobby reception area where we met..

THE BELOVED
and
STUPENDOUS

TITA/SIS CARLA!!


We were all so HAPPY to see her!
She flew all the way in from TORONTO.

LOVE YOU SIS!!


The Check-in counter was pretty funky.
It was like checkin in at the airport.


Each receptionist had their own litle cubicle and console.
I guess this was way necessary due to the volume and number of rooms!

This hotel is huge!!



Da Bros and Sis.
TOGETHER AGAIN!!



Carla and Maks walked over to Planet Hollywood where they would be staying for the duration of their stay.

While we met up with the Castillos and Santamarias who we haven't seen since they left Vancouver.



COUSIN RYAN IN THE HAUS! (He's the dude - far right in the pic)
He flew in from San Fran and joined the Castillos/Santas in Seattle when they drove down.


TOGETHER AGAIN Part 2!


Hear that LION Roar!


The plan was to walk over to a nearby food court on THE STRIP for dinner.

To do that you had to pass through the smoky and crowded casino...


Through the MGM GRAND Lion Habitat..
Yeesh..
Lions in a hotel.


The Lions relax on a see-through fiberglass panel.
This is what it looks like from underneath.



You also pass through the SPORTS Betting section...
Dig all those LCDs and live scores and games being shown!



And then voila!
FOOD COURT heheheheeh!



After a scrumptious and cheap dinner, we headed downstairs to walk up and down the Strip.

Of course-- we had to have the customary ELVIS picture.


The M&M Store


and
the Huge COKE Bottle

Not to mention.
The breath-taking lights and action of LAS VEGAS




The wind was pretty chilly and it was getting late so we decided to head back to our respective hotel to rest up for our HUGE ADVENTURE the next day.

Stay tuned.




Did you ever wonder how the MGM GRAND glows green at night?

VIA THE GREEN SPOTLIGHTS!!



Day 11 Photo Album:

D'Famous - BISAYA WAITING SHADE

Located on the highway between Tagaytay and Lemery, Batangas

NEW PUNCH OUT

WOOHOO! NEW PUNCH OUT!

Review: Punch-Out!! Is an Absolute Old-School Knockout

'Mike Tyson's Punch Out' the Movie

YouTube - experiencewii's Channel

Sashimized Tuna

Pacquiao's home in Gensan 2 - closer

Pacquiao's House In Gensan!! Idol!! (Stalker me)

WOW PACQUIAO!

THE FINAL KNOCKOUT PUNCH

BOOOM!

PACQUIAO RULEZ!

YOU MAKE THE FILIPINO PROUD!!!

The Tower of Beer

Oh yeah......

LUCKY

The newest member of Da Cui's:

OUR NEW DOG

LUCKY






Thank you so much Miggy and Tanya for letting her into our home.

She's half-labrador/half-askal and cute as hell!

Zachy and Cara love her!

We put in a new doggie door for her and screened one of the outside gates.

Check out her nice bed!


And now to quote that famous Vilma Santos phrase:

WE LOVE YOU LUCKY!



Btw,
the Makopa Tree is rocking Makopas!!

THE CANADA/USA TRIP - Chapter One: Vancouver, BC

We were very blessed to have the opportunity to take an incredible 3-week vacation to CANADA and the USA.

The last time we visited was 4 years ago.

Here’s my best effort to chronicle the many goingz-on and activities that took place during the trip.


1) Day One (March 29) – DA CUI’S ARRIVE AT VANCOUVER, BC. - HALLOO MAKOOO!!

March 29 holds a special place in my heart.

It was exactly 18 years (sigh…) ago to that exact day when my brother, Mako and I landed on Canadian soil as immigrants.

That was a very sad day for me since I left behind Rosabel (we just started going out at that time!), the only home I knew and all of my friends and family in Manila.

Who knew what Canada had in store for a wide-eyed 18 year old Filipino uprooted from his home – starting a new life in a foreign land?

If only some Canadian Nostradamus had told him this:

“Don’t worry dude. Exactly 18 years from now – you’ll be returning to Canada with Rosabel - your wife and your 2 beautiful kids named Zachy and Cara.”

It might have made things a lot easier!!
Heheheehehehe!!

Note: 81 is my special MOM number (She was born on Nov 8 and she’s number 1!).
Double Note: Isn't it an the awesome coincidence that we're coming back 18 yrs later??!


Rosabel's Notes: "We rented a whole house in Richmond to accommodate our group of 14.

It was the best bonding experience ever!"





2) Day Two (March 30) – GRANVILLE ISLAND

Granville Island never ceases to amaze.

Rosabel's Notes: "This is one of my favorite places in the world!"


We didn’t know if the Castillos and Santamarias would appreciate it since the day was so cold.

But they absolutely did!

The ambiance, color and the variety of sights, smells and sounds made you forget about the chills.

We finished off the day with some heavy duty shopping over at Metrotown – the largest mall in British Columbia.





3 -4) Day Three and Four (March 31 – April 1) – WHISTLER, BC

We were supposed to go to Whistler for the day only.

But Lolo Johnny and Lola Luz fell in love with the place and decided for us to stay overnight!!

And it was an awesome decision because it snowed the next day!

They (and most of the family) have never experienced falling snow.

So it was such a treat for everyone!



Whistler was one of the absolute highlights of our trip:

1) It was Zachy and Cara's first time to see, feel and experience snow.




2) We stayed at the absolutely FAB and TRENDY Adara Hotel for the ridiculously low price of around CAD 108 for one night! What a deal! Thanks Meg!

3) We tried out the super high and fast Whistler/Blackcomb Snow Tube Park.
Zachy even went down by himself!


Zachy and Dada



Gab on the SUPER FAST RUN
(I was going too fast! I had to put down my shoes for brakes! Otherwise I would have hit the wall pretty good.)




4) We experienced 2 sides of Whistler/Blackcomb during the 2 days we stayed.

Sunny/Warm Spring Weather
and
Winter/Falling Snow conditions!!


SNOW ANGEL-MAKING



SNOWBALL FIGHT



SNOW TASTING




ALBUM 1


ALBUM 2


ALBUM 3




5) Day Five (April 2) – THE HATCHERY, STANLEY PARK AND STEVESTON


We took a chance to see if there were any salmon coming up the river to spawn at one of our fave Vancouver places:

The Capilano Salmon Hatchery.

According to the website, March -April was a good time to check out the Steelhead adults.

But apparently, they may be spawning somewhere else as all we saw were small baby salmon/fry.

It was nothing like the mass salmon spawning/up the river frenzy that we witnessed last September 2004.

Anyways, the scenery was still beautiful.

We even saw a couple of eagles nesting on the pine trees across the river.


We bought some Canadian flags from the hatchery souvenir office for the kiddies.
All of a sudden - Zachy became so "Canada Nationalistic"

Lola Luz told Zachy to stay in one place over at the Cleveland Dam Reservoir.

And he replied like this:

"I'M A CANADIAN!
I CAN DO ANYTHING I WANT!"

Hahahahaahahahaha!

There were some Canadians passing by when Zachy spoke up and they actually started giggling his remark.



What was even more surprising was Stanley Park.

It turns out that a major wind storm hit the beloved park on Dec 2006 causing tremendous destruction.

Over 1000 trees were lost to the gale force winds and even Prospect Point was damaged.

:(


Two years later, Prospect Point is now newly renovated.
Gone is the little snack counter -- replaced with a total new restaurant with a nice , relaxing look and feel.

However, you can still drive by and see the "barren"/"windstormed" section of the park where it seems like a logging crew came by and chopped off all the magnificent and enormous trees.

So sad.

That's Mother Nature for ya though.


After Stanley Park, we proceeded to Steveston Village to have a hearty, tasty and "fishy" lunch at the Sockeye City Grill.

Yummmers!!




6) Day Six (April 3) – ANDREWS RD., STEVESTON PLAYGROUND AND THE RIVERA'S

We said goodbye to the Castillos and the Santamarias who drove down south to the USA to begin their West Coast USA road trip.

We would join them a few days later in Las Vegas via plane after spending some more time in Vancouver.

So we also waved ta-ta to our Kilby Dr rented house and moved in to our super cozy home (where Mako lives) over at Andrews Rd, Steveston.



After moving all our things and relaxing a bit, we headed over to the Steveston Playground (Zachy played here the last time we came over to YVR) to meet up with Tita Tayin, Ana and Amori for some kid-active fun in the sun.


It was so, so nice to see Tita Tayin and Anna! :)

Tito Manoling was not around though as he was driving his truck somewhere in the USA.
Sayang.....


We then moseyed on over to Tita Tayin's house for a sumptuous Rivera Dinner along with Aldo, Pia, Amori and Anna.


Amori and Cara really enjoyed each other's company and played a lot together.


So did Mako, Aldo and I.
Hehehehehehe!


Best that you check out the photo album below for more info. :)




7) Day Seven (April 4) – CYPRESS MOUNTAIN AND RICHMOND SUSHI

We wanted sana to drive down to Seattle and Portland to visit Celso, Dexter and Welo during our trip.

However, Rosabel's Canada Visa was only single-entry.

And we still had to take a the plane down to Las Vegas on April 8.


So this time, Celso, Dex and their beautiful families drove up to Vancouver to spend the weekend with us.

Even better...
The weather super cooperated!!

Forecast:
Beautiful Sunshine and Warm Weather for the next 4 days!!


Perfect.



Our plan was to go up to Mako's awesome snowboarding home - Cypress Mountain for some fun and frolicking in the snow with the Rivera Fam and the Hermogenes Brood.

We totally lucked out coz' it turns out that it snowed heavily for like the last 2 days before.

Leaving fresh snow in the warm sunshine.


The kids and the kids-at-heart loved CYPRESS MOUNTAIN!

We went snow tubing,
(The Tube Park in Whistler was gnarlier and higher though but Cypress was just as fun)




sledding,




threw snowballs
and made a humongous SNOW MAN/SNOW BIRD!?!







Aldo, Pi and Amori are absolute pros in making Snowmans.
They got that snowman/bird up so fast!



On the way down - we took in the breathtaking Vancouver views from the vantage point on Cypress Mountain.

This place is where I would usually end my Vancouver One-Day-Espesyal-Extravaganza Tour for visiting friends and families back when I was still living in YVR.




Our wondrous day ended with dinner at the famed Richmond Sushi where an epic battle would wage once more.


Many eons ago, a man named Sir Aldo and Lady Gaga--- este -- Lady Carla travailed upon ye olde Richmond Sushi to conquer its famed eat-all-you-can-but-no-leftovers-or-you'll-pay-double -sushi -buffet.

Unfortunately, despite their black-hole stomachs - the two brave knights were unable to conquer the smoldering beast.

The beast left them spent and exhausted - and they left behind a plateful of succulent sushi on the hard oak table.


After 2 solid hours of pushing themselves past imminent death and displaying extreme acts of courage, Sir Aldo and Lady Carla could take no more.....

So Sir Aldo grabbed the Sushi
and
Lady Carla dumped it in her handbag.


And the lived happily ever after not paying double.


Bwahahahahaahaha!



Many eons later, Sir Aldo and new sidekick - Sir Gabbers - got into the same mess at ye olde Richmond Sushi!!

The 12-headed SUSHI hydra spit, attacked, clawed and breathed fire.

But no handbag was needed though.

THIS TIME.

WE CONQUERED THE BEAST!!!!!!!!



ALBUM 1


ALBUM 2


8) Day Eight (April 5) – LUNCH WITH THE DAUZ's AND HERMOGENES' + DINNER WITH THE A-P RIVERA FAM.

Dexter Dauz and I first met when we were car-pooling to my other alma mater: Simon Fraser University sometime in 1993.

It was during our carpool days where we discovered our love for all things music.

That glorious love would manifest itself in the formation of the unbelievable and stupendous
D'JHUN MASHTE BAND

Famous for its lovely songs such as:

Manny The Kalabaw
Batibot
Look Down On Me Now

and its superbly amateur Beatles and Eraserheads covers.


The band broke up in 1996 after as its members pursued other interests (collecting porn, skunk hunting etc) and went their separate ways.

But their legend will forever live..

in

INFAMY.


Long Live D'JHUN MASHTE BAND!!






9) Day Nine (April 6) – SCIENCE WORLD AND THE RICHMOND OLYMPIC OVAL


I kinda forgot about Science World when I was living in YVR.

It was never part of my Vancouver-Espesyal-Extravaganza tours.

Mainly because it was generally for kiddies.


But it was totally different this time because now I had MY OWN kiddies.

And they had such a blast!!



In case you didn't know, Vancouver BC is the site for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

There has been tons of construction in preparation for that huge event.


For example, they expanded the two lane Sea to Sky/Vancouver to Whistler Highway to an ultra-fast four-lane one and constructed expansion links for the Skytrain to reach the airport and downtown Richmond.


Another significant Richmond addition is the Richmond Olympic Oval.

The Oval will be the site for the speed skating events during the 2010 Winter Olympics.


The wood roof inside the Oval is very striking and gorgeous.
What's more -- all the wood came from BC Wood!

Talk about taking care of your own!





10) Day Ten (April 7) – WHO ARE THE PEOPLE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?


Day Ten was our last full day in Vancouver before we left for Las Vegas.

We started off the day by exploring the immediate area around our amazing home in Andrews Rd. , Steveston BC. by foot.

There's a super relaxing duck pond and mini park/garden just outside.

And further on, you can walk to a nice "boat" playground close by.


Today was colder than the past few days even though the sun was out.

So I retreated back in to the garage to fetch the car so we could drive around the area instead.

It turns out that there are several new developments to the southeast of our home.

Several new houses have been erected and there are a few new cafe's to hang out in and have a nice cup of coffee and sweet dessert.


We then drove up and down the nearby River Rd to take a gander at the mighty Fraser River and take some pics.


An hour later, we visited Tita Marie and Stef Kalaw over at North Richmond.
Very near to the rented house where we were staying in Kilby Dr.

One of the hardest things to bear when we migrated to Canada was leaving our numerous close cousins on both the Cui and the Rivera side in the Philippines.

At that time, we were the only Cuis/Riveras living in the NorthWest.


I don't know how I could have lasted in Canada without the Kalaws.

They had a big family similar to the Cuis and the Riveras and they enveloped us with their warmth, friendship , hospitality and --of course -- Tita Marie's excellent food!

Thanks so much Tita Marie and Tito Bert for "adopting" us!
Hehehehehehehe!


Afterward, we ate at the super sarap Dave's Fish and Chips.

Dave's is an absolute must-try when you're in the Steveston area.

The fish was so fresh and juicy - cooked to perfection!
And the breaded oysters were DIVINE!!


We then drove to downtown Vancouver to go shopping at one of the hottest clothing stores in Vancouver nowadays - H&M and meet up with our good friend Carrie Jose who migrated to Canada two years ago.

Carrie has absolutely fallen head over heels with Canada and the good quality of life it provides her and her son.


Since it was our last night in Vancouver, we made sure to have a special despedida dinner with Tita Tayin, Anna, Aldo, and Pia.

Mako didn't join us as he was on a special"mission".
Hehehehehehe!


It was so funny though when Cara and Amori saw each other at the door.

They hugged each other for like 10 seconds straight!!

Parang long lost friends. :))



Thanks so much Aldo and Pi for all the good times and all the winter gear that you lent us!

Thanks also Tita Tayin and Anna!


AU REVOIR!!

We hope to see you soon in Manila!!


LAS VEGAS HERE WE COME!!!

(Stay tuned..)

Alona Beach - Bohol

Wow......

Cebu Lechon

The pounds of cebu lechon which I demand of him is deerely bought, 'tis mine, and I will have it.

- Merchant of Mandaue