Ms. Philippines Maria Venus Raj: Ms. Universe 4th Runner Up

     The last time our country almost had the Ms. Universe title was way back 1999 when Ms. Philippines Miriam Quiambao landed as 1st runner up. I'm not really fond of watching beauty pageants but the reason why I decided to watch Ms. Universe 2010 is to show my support to our candidate Maria Venus Raj. This lady almost didn't make it to the pageant due to some issues that were resolved just in time she flew to compete in Las Vegas.

    Honestly, I felt proud when I heard the host announced that the 15th spot goes to Ms. Philippines. Then make it to top 10 eventually made it to top 5, being the only Asian who landed a spot. She handled herself perfectly well and confident enough that she could bring home the crown.

cont... A Weekend Vacation Worth to Remember

   On our third and last day. We were planning to go to Laguna for an Enchanted Kingdom 'gala', but unfortunately Nanay had an attacked of her abdominal pains. We were about to cancel it but Nanay insisted on going and not to spoil our short vacation. So we ended up somewhere near and that was Star City so that they could also come along.

A Weekend Vacation Worth to Remember

My brother and his girlfriend had a weekend blast last August 14-16, 2010 in Manila so I asked them to share their wonderful experience.

    Dy and I went to Manila for a short vacation. It was Dy's first time to fly with an airplane (as what he told me). We were both excited.

     As we arrived in Manila, we went straight to Delpan, Tondo where my nanay (mom) stays.

     For our first night, Tatay (dad) and Dy had a bonding-drinking session together. Well, the beautiful me was with Nanay taking care of her because 'fyi', she just came out of the hospital on that same day. =(

Where to Stay in Bacolod

When in Bacolod, there are plenty of accommodations that you can choose from that would suit your budget.

If you are planning on going to Bacolod for the 31st Masskara Festival, it is advised to book your accommodation at an early date for it would be very hard to find one during the celebration.

Here is an updated list of hotels, pension houses and inns gathered from different Bacolod sites. Hope you find this could help.

Bacolod Masskara Festival 2010 Schedule

The 'ber' month is just around the corner and in Bacolod when you say October only one thing comes into our mind, the Masskara Festival. One of the most colorful and longest celebration in the country which showcases the Negrenses creativity and ingenuity in times of economic crisis.

Now on it's 31st year, the City of Smiles will once again come to life with vibrant color, street dancing and merry making.

Here is the month long schedule for the 31st Masskara Festival:

October 1	Opening of the Festival Site * Public Plaza * SM MassKara Village
October 9	MassKara Queen * University of St. La Salle Coliseum
October 15	Electric MassKara * Tourism Strip, Lacson St.
October 16	MassKara Street Dance Competition – School Category * Araneta St. to Public Plaza Electric MassKara * Tourism Strip, Lacson St.
October 17	MassKara Street Dance Competition – Barangay Category * Araneta St. to Public Plaza
October 18	Countdown to the Charter Day Giant Street Party Celebration * New Government Center
October 19	73rd Charter Day Anniversary

Ani-anihan Festival of Brgy. Dos Hermanas, Talisay

     Philippines, being a religious country celebrates feasts to honor their patron saints for protecting or giving them a a bountiful harvest. I happened to witness a small town's celebration called the Ani-anihan Festival.

     Hacienda Sta. Teresita celebrates their Ani-anihan Festival every 28th and 29th of May. It is one of the haciendas in Brgy. Dos Hermanas  Talisay City, located 15 kilometers east of the city proper.

     "Ani" means harvest therefore "ani-anihan" is all about the village's abundant harvest of their primary crop which is rice and sugarcane.

     This year is the festival's second year and the organizer is hoping that their small town's celebration will be given recognition not only from their local government but from the other countries as well. A street dance competition depicting their bountiful harvest is the highlight of the said celebration.

Malatan-og Falls: A Hideout in Don Salvador Benedicto

     While on our way home from San Carlos City, our driver gave us a chance to have a stop over in Malatan-og Falls view deck in Brgy. Kumaliskis, Don Salvador Benedicto. I've been passing this road before but hadn't got to linger cause of  little time.
     It's summertime but the temperature is cooler because the place is already high up in the mountain. The falls is about 100 meters high and you can trek all the way down to the falls in 30 to 45 minutes but the water is so inviting that surely repays the tiresome trek.. 
     I will surely come back here and will certainly try trekking all the way to the falls and dip on its refreshing water.

Malatan-og Falls in the middle of summer

Taking a closer look of the falls using a binocular.

The View Deck