...

December 23, 2015

Applying for a Japanese Visa in Philippines

by , in

Since lots of people are asking how to get a Japanese Tourist Visa here in the Philippines, including me before I got mine (yey!) so I think it's nice to share my experience with you guys. I've been to Japan last Nov - Dec this year (2015) and it is ahhhhmazing! :D

 As you would know, Japan Embassy in Philippines doesn’t accept Tourist Visa applications via walk-in. You will need an accredited agency to process the visa for you. Also, visa application price differs from each agency and what kind of visa you are applying for. In my case, I went to Reli Tours to process my visa and the price range is about Php 950 - 2,500.
For more details about the accredited agencies and their locations, click here. 

 APPLYING AS A TOURIST WITHOUT GUARANTOR
  • Philippine passport - Must have at least 6 months remaining validity, a signature, and at least 2 blank pages.
  • Visa application form - you can get it in your chosen accredited agency or you can download it here HERE. Don’t leave anything blank. Just put N/A if not applicable. The travel agency advise me as well when they review my application form.
  • Visa Photo - 45mm by 45mm or 2x2 inches with white background and paste it neatly on your application form.
  • NSO Birth Certificate - issued within the last year. If you're Birth cert. is "late registration" just provide a copy of your baptismal or/and form137 or/and school year book.
  • NSO marriage certificate - Obviously, this only applies to married applicants. Single applicants like me can ignore this.
  • Schedule of Stay - they also call it the TAIZAI NITTEIHYO. Just put the dates, where you are going and the name and address of where you are staying.
  • Bank Certificate - this is to prove that you can support your expenses while in japan. Just request it on your bank and it will just take a few minutes to process and cost 100 pesos. btw, my bank is BDO.
  • Letter of Explanation - This is optional. I wrote one because I don't have a job yet when I apply and I explain that my trip is a gift from my parents. Also, if you have any supporting documents that is not listed above just say it here and provide it.
FYI: 

All the papers you provide must be original and the embassy will not give back the documents.

Just go your preferred agency, give the requirements (make sure everything is okay before leaving the house), they will check it if your documents are complete and after that you'll pay and get the receipt. After 4 days, I received a text message from the agency that my passport is available to pick up so I went there the next day feeling excited and nervous. I didn't ask first if my visa was approve. I just gave the my receipt, the guy there look for my passport and then he look inside it and make me sign a paper with list of names for passport releasing purposes and he just check a box. I didn't look what box he was checking because I'm so nervous and excited about the result.
So I got my passport, leave the agency and then I went to the nearest coffee shop and take a peak inside and voila! my most awaited visa. I was ecstatic that moment and I'm smiling like an idiot all by myself. hahaha!

Anyways, I hope that this helps you somehow and Best of luck!

Just leave a comment below if you have questions and I'll answer it if I can. Ciao!











0
Continue Reading
at No comments:
Labels: ,
October 31, 2015

Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor

by , in



Zoe has been best friends with Olivia since elementary school, spending long hours dancing ballet in an elite program and hanging out together. But when the ballet program cuts them because they’re not quite good enough, they suddenly find themselves wondering what they’ll do with the extra time. Olivia volunteers at a community center dance program until she’s diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia. Without her best friend at school, Zoe is suddenly adrift, questioning who she is without Olivia and wondering how God can let a young, vibrant teen get so sick.
I admired Zoe’s devotion to Olivia. She visited the hospital, she called, she even took over her dance class on the weekends and Skype her in when she could. But most of the time, she feels helpless. Her grades slipped because when she’s not spending time with Olivia, she’s thinking about her. Truth is, Zoe was kind of lost before this happened with Olivia. She missed dancing, soccer didn’t cut it, and maybe she just wasn’t ready to trust herself dancing again. She didn’t have something to fill her time like she used to. I can imagine how out of control everything felt for her.
What happens to Olivia is obvious by the halfway point, but Kantor brings in a romance for Zoe, to lukewarm results. I never felt that there was any real chemistry between Zoe and Calvin, and that the story had the potential to stand on its own without him. There are ways to grow up without a boy by your side, and the relationship between Zoe and Olivia has enough to drive that point home. It’s clear that they each provide something that the other needs - patience for Zoe and a blunt voice for Olivia and the moments that showcase that are the most powerful.










Release Date: February 18, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
ISBN13: 9780062279200
Source: Bought via National Bookstore

Get it on:
Amazon
Book Depository (Free shipping worldwide)


0
Continue Reading
at No comments:
Labels:
October 31, 2015

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

by , in

Since You've Been Gone is a fun and light read kind of story. Emily is just shy and born socially-awkward when actually she's a fun girl to hang out with once you know her well. Befriending Sloane seems to be the best fit since she's all everything Emily is not. With Sloane, Emily could easily join in the talk and even make up funny jokes which she strangely couldn't do when she is on her own. It's like Sloane is the sun that makes Emily's beautiful unlit world shining bright.

Emily and Sloane are the best of friends and are incredibly close, so Emily is left lonely and confused when Sloane disappears without a trace. She's not answering her phone, her house is empty, and no one knows where she is. Sloane has literally just disappeared. No words, not even goodbye.

It's not until  two weeks later that a letter comes to Emily with a very familiar handwriting on it. Unlike what Emily expects the letter is about, It is some tasks or rather check list that Sloane wanted her to do.

This book is a wonderful combination of friendship, family and romance. Even though the romance with Frank Porter - The boy who offers to help Emily find her best friend and complete the list - is slow and really lovely, it's not the main focus of the sorry. It's all about Emily discovering who is without the person she spent the most time with, and who knows her better than anyone. It's about doing things that are outside of your comfort zone, and making new friends in the process.

Emily's new found friends make the story what it is, a cosy and wonderful summer trip. And Emily's relationship with her little brother is a delight. although some of the things that Sloane has set Emily to do may not seem life changing but i can see that they would've made emily feel accomplished.

If you're looking for a light read that is not just enjoyable but adventurous and have good lessons implied too, then this book is for you. It delivers a pleasant story of a girl's discovery of her self-worth, hidden urge to take risk, and true meaning of friendship during a period of summer. Go get it girl!













Release Date: May 6, 2015
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 1442435003
Source: Bought via Fully Booked

Get it on:
Amazon
Book Depository (Free Shipping Worldwide)


0
Continue Reading
at No comments:
Labels:
October 23, 2015

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

by , in



This is a world divided by blood - red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.


But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance - Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart...


I finally read this one, you all! I was expecting it to be good because i'm seeing it most of the time on the bookish people i follow on Instagram and i was very pleased to discover that my assumptions aren't wrong. It is well written and I love how she wrote the surprising turns and political intrigue. The plot twist and betrayal is mind blowing.

It begins as all high fantasy dystopias do, with a young unassuming girl slumming her way through her rather unfortunate situation only to discover that she’s special. Yes, she is. Mare is discovered to be an impossibility, the secret that could topple an already precarious hierarchy. She have Red blood which supposed to not have powers like the Silvers do but as the story goes you'll get answer about why does she have that and you'll see that not everyone around you can be trusted.

The characters undergo some interesting changes, but I think I would’ve liked to have seen some more description of their backgrounds. I believe there is much to be discovered. We get glimpses of these things but I really would like to know more and have them more fleshed out.The glimpses that we got of this world make me want to hear more about it. Let’s hope that two more books in this series will be sufficient for some extra world-building.

Red Queen is a combination of a dystopia with a magical world setting. It's like an X-Men stuck in a high fantasy world on crack. If you haven't read it, well go get it! I'm sure you'll love this one too.

 The book 2 will be released on February 9, 2016 and i can't wait to buy it. I'm planning to Pre-order it and i'm hoping that Victoria Aveyard would come here to the Philippines because that would be super awesome! :D





Release date: February 15, 2015
ISBN: 1409151174
Source: Bought via National Bookstore

Get it on:

0
Continue Reading
at No comments:
Labels:
September 17, 2015

Magalawa Island Experience (Armada Resort)

by , in
Magalawa Island is one of the barangays of Palauig, a province of Zambales. It is one of the youngest tourist destinations of Zambales to add to the growing list including Potipot, Anawangin, Capones, Camara, Silanguin, etc.
Look at this map. See the red circle? That’s Magalawa Island.

You will only have two accommodation options when you get to the island – Armada Resort and Ruiz Resort. Since this trip was supposed to be my Aunt with her team but unfortunately the resort called a day before that if the rain will not stop, they should cancel the trip because it is dangerous to sail on boat, something like that. So a week after, their day off schedules doesn't seem to fit with each other, they have no choice but to totally cancel the whole trip. My Aunt already paid the reservations at Armada Resort so we use that instead. She got it at 1,500 per head for 2 days 1 night. It includes The Cottage, breakfast, lunch, dinner and the boat transfers to and from the island.

We left I think around 5 in the morning and got in the port around 9 am. We had McDonald's for breakfast at Subic so that's more or less 4 hours of driving. May I remind you though that before you can reach the port, there's a bumpy ride ahead. Good thing is Armada have their own place so that guests can park and leave their cars in a safe place.

While on the boat, we did not let the sight leave our memories so I snapped these photos and manong the boat driver is my model. 😀



Upon arrival, we settled in the kubo fan rooms that are good for up to four heads each. There’s a socket that you can use for charging so I immediately use that. We roam around for awhile to see how beautiful the island is before getting on our lunch.

My Uncle being silly.
Behind him is the Kubo Fan that we use for 2 days.

It's better to use the Fan Kubo instead of the aircon one for the awesome island experience because at night you can feel the cold breeze entering the kubo.

Our 1st Lunch in the Island

These are more than enough for the four of us. A worthy lunch after that almost 4 hours of driving.
And you know what? We're the only guests in our first day in the island. I mean, the guests who arrived before us is leaving already when we got there and the next guests will be arriving the next day. Awesome right? It's like you have your private island. 🙌

Let me share some of our photos while on the island.


Starfish or Sea Stars and hey! there's Patrick :D


We found this rope and started to jump shot. Lol!




Sunset❤

Dinner
Heavy Breakfast?!
ohhhhh! Scary fish. Forgot the name though

My uncle, cousin, auntie and yours truly :)
It was an awesome trip! No wifi, no aircon, the island is ours for a day, the staffs and the wife of the owner is very accommodating, the food is great, the Chocomucho dessert every meal is kind of funny though, we even take a bath on the "poso", it's a thing that you need to pump for the water to come out. It's a nice island experience and I'm sure you and your family or/and your friends will enjoy too.

Go check out their website http://magalawaislandresort.com/ if you want to experience some island life even just for days.


0
Continue Reading
at No comments:
Labels: ,
Location: Magalawa Island, Philippines
September 13, 2015

Dinner at The Souq

by , in
Copyright to The Souq Facebook Page for this photo

I heard it first from my aunt who is celebrating her birthday at that time. She wanted me to check out the restaurant because she heard that the place and food are awesome. So I search it on facebook and instagram and they've got lots of positive feedbacks so I said yeah we should try to dine there.

 This is her post-birthday celebration because of work and other celebrations with her team. We got at the restaurant around 6 or 7 p.m. of July 22nd. The first thing I noticed after we enter is the beautiful interiors and they've got different types/designs of chairs. Me and my cousin was like "I'm gonna seat here, "this chair is mine" and they also got a lot of mirrors hanging on the walls. It's just a little warm inside the restaurant and to think that it's raining when we dine but there's always a room for improvements, right? :)

 The place is really amazing, If I could just share every corners of it I would but unfortunately I only use my mobile's camera to capture and some of the area is on a dim lightning. You can google, facebook, instagram search it anyway haha!

 Here's some of our photos along with our food.

The Vintage Era feels ❤

Tinapa Paté / Php140.00
Starting our dinner with this and wow! I super love the paté but the bread is inadequate. Hoping they'll add maybe 2 pieces more of the bread or maybe they can we just didn't ask. Lol!

Asian Springrolls / Php 100.00

Baby Back ribs / Php330.00
This, as usual can be served with rice or mashed potato of your choice. I love the sauce and the meat slides off the bone. Yummmeeeeehhhh!!!

Boiling Seafood in Aligue / Php450.00
This is my favorite which was awesome on so many levels. The sauce itself can be eaten with rice because I did that. :D

Mango Bravo by Conti's
...and for our dessert, we had a taste of the famous Mango Bravo. It's a frozen cake described to be layers of cashew meringue wafers, chocolate mousse, cream and mango cubes, drizzled with chocolate syrup.

Overall, the food is delicious and it's a great place for families and friends wanting to dine on a cozy place. Looking forward to visit Souq again and try more of their food.


The Souq is located at Lazatin Blvd San Fernando, Pampanga.

0
Continue Reading
at No comments:
Labels:
Location: San Fernando, Pampanga, Philippines
September 12, 2015

Cafe Noelle: A taste of home on a plate

by , in
Café Noelle is the newly opened restaurant in SM City Clark's east wing and they have their main branch located at San Fernando, Pampanga.


 The place feels homey and cozy. The interiors of the restaurant is... kawaii! :D
They've got floral designs hanged on the walls, a flower pots on the tables and they will lit a candle when the guests are seated. I just wished that they have this Christmas decors just like in their San Fernando branch. The servers are very attentive. Keep it up, you guys!

Anyways, the food are affordable and delicious. I'll definitely come back soon for more yummy intakes. They serve steaks, pasta, salads, sandwiches and cakes.


 Let me share some of the yummy foods that we order.
Spice Rub Grilled Pork chop
with Raspberry Iced Tea
I loved their spice rub, it's very savoury and you can choose if you wanted it served with rice or with mashed potato. The raspberry is good but it's very sweet for me considering that I have a sweet tooth, maybe they should lessen the sweetness and it's perf!

Tinapa Pasta
It was my boyfriend's meal and he said that it's tasty and good but nothing special aside from tinapa being the main ingredient. I also tried to eat some and it tasted a little like palabok.

Blueberry Cheesecake
Who wouldn't love cheesecake, right? Their cheesecake didn't have the lemon flavor and they are very generous with the amount of blueberry on top so thank you guys behind the kitchen for that. lol!
I will definitely come back and try other items on their menu. I'll update you guys! 

If you're living in pampanga or wanting to visit, go check out Café Noelle located at SM City Clark East Wing and in GreenFields Square, Sindalan, San Fernando. The foods are definitely worth your money.

For more info. you could visit their website: www.cafenoelle.com






0
Continue Reading
at No comments:
Labels:
September 07, 2015

Ginisang monggo recipe (Sauteed Mung Beans)

by , in
Mung bean (Munggo) was used as an ingredient in different desserts and main dishes as well. The most famous Mung bean dish here in the Philippines is called “Ginisang Munggo” (Sauteed Mung Bean). This dish makes use of Mung beans as the main ingredient complimented by different flavors from meat or/and seafood, and vegetables. A very healthy and satisfying dish that is friendly on the budget. We Filipinos also like to parter it with fried fish specially galunggong or they call it in english the hard-tail mackerel or round scad.


Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 cups pork, cut into strips or cubed
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 3 medium tomatoes, sliced    
  • 1 cup Chili leaves (dahon ng ampalaya) or Malunggay leaves
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce or/and salt to taste
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 cup mung beans


Procedure:

1. Rinse the mung beans in running water.

2. In a pan, boil mung beans in 3 cups water. Cook until tender. 

3. In another pan or use the same pan where you boil the mung beans, heat a small amount of cooking oil and sauté the garlic, onion and tomatoes. Remove from pan and set aside.

4. Using the same pan, fry the pork and cook until tender.

5. Add the sautéed  garlic, onion and tomatoes and fish sauce. Cook for few minutes.

6. Add the cooked mung beans together with the water.

7. Add chili leaves and cook for 5-8 minutes.

8. Transfer to a serving bowl and Enjoy!










0
Continue Reading
at No comments:
Labels: ,
September 04, 2015

The Space Between Heartbeats by Melissa Pearl

by , in


It's about Nicky or Nicole who's now in between alive and dead. Her soul is being in and out of her body and i thought that part was a little weird. But anyway, She think she have a perfect boyfriend, a whole lot of friends but when she is missing? her friends doesn't even care. I'm pissed about that and i hate the Sheriff too. I'm pissed about her parents also but as the story goes i was like hey! i understand you guys. *sigh* Okay i'm giving too much spoilers now. I'm stopping right here.

Yes, there is some or maybe a lot similar stories like this but this book is a must read. It's amazing how it can make you realised how big the impact some things can cause/d to someone. I was completely shocked when the reveal came around. I didn't expect that coming. Of all people, why you? i thought you're a nice guy and could be friends again with her. (Another spoiler i guess?!)

This book is soft and comforting. I finished reading it in one seating and It make me cry for some reasons but i wouldn't tell you because i want you to read and experience the pain Nicky had shared with me. I must say that you really need to add this on your "to be read list".

(Thanking NetGalley and Alloy Entertainment for providing this copy in exchange for an honest review)


P.S.
The cover reminds me of Dale seeing Nicky again in one of their moments in the book.


P.P.S.
"I once lost, but now am found
  Was blind, but now I see"
- Amazing Grace, John Newton, 1779



Release date: September 08, 2015
Publisher: Alloy Entertainment
ISBN: 9781939106568
Source: E-book ARC via NetGalley

Get it on:







0
Continue Reading
at No comments:
Labels:

~ South Korea Vlogs ~

~ Singapore Vlog ~

~ Taiwan Vlogs ~