Ang original na plan eh magpunta sa Eden Nature Park pero dahil nagpadala ako sa mga bad reviews na nabasa ko, di na lang. Next eh naisip naming gumora sa Maxima. Mag scuba sana kame and more snorkeling!

Pero dahil game 7 sa NBA, nag iba ang plano. Tapos talo ang GSW.

So ayun, ang naging ganap eh bumili ng pasalubong tapos kumain sa peymus na Lachi's then spa sa gabi. Syempre before hand eh puro basa na ko ng reviews.

For pasalubong, ang daming nag recommend ng Apo ni Lola. Nag cab na lang kame papunta dun at ayun puro gawa sa durian (obviously), mangosteen, at langka na mga food. Meron ding mga damit on the side. Pero dahil hindi naman ako fan ng durian at yema, di ko masyadong bet to. Sorry sa mga pinasalubungan namin na di din bet. It's the thought that counts naman!

Unforgettable Ribs and Elsie's Melt-In-Your-Pork Roast

After bumili ng ilang balot ng yema, candies, at tarts, we decided na mag lunch sa Lachi's. Mixed ang reviews about this place. Yung iba all praises, yung iba naman sa Trip Advisor overrated daw. Ang gusto ko talaga matikman eh yung pinagmamalaki nilang sansrival. Sobrang nainlove kasi ako sa sansrival ng Felicia's so iniisip ko na baka mas masarap to! Madalas pag bago samin ang restaurant, yung best sellers ang ino-order namin: Unforgettable Pork Ribs, Elsie's melt in your mouth pork roast, five chocolate torte, and classic sansrival. Siguro iba lang ang nakasanayan naming lasa ng ribs kasi yung ribs dito eh close to tocino ang lasa tapos dry sya. Sanay kame na smoky bbq ang lasa at medyo sticky dahil sa sauce. Ang pork roast naman ni Elsie ay oily, as in pwede mo na scoop out yung mantika sa dami. Masarap naman pero hindi "wow" moment.

At ang sansrival. It was alright pero mas nasasarapan talaga ako sa version ni Felicia's.

Lachi's classic sansrival

Five chocolate torte

Hindi naman sa panget yung experience, hindi nga lang din mind-blowing or yung wow. I guess we were expecting more kasi nga ang bobongga ng reviews about it. Try nyo pa din pag nasa Davao kayo. Puno yung place at sandali lang nababakante ang tables so madami talagang bet na bet ang lugar na to. Affordable din kasi ang meals and cakes.

After Lachi's, balik sa condo para humilata pa more habang nag da-download ng episode 9 ng GoT! So ayun, nap tapos nood ng masyadong nakaka-excite ever na palabas na to. Hindi ako mapakali as in! Grabehan lang sa suspense.

Around 7PM, gora na kame sa Firm Massage Spa (main) na isang tumbling lang from the condo. Nung hinahanap na namin, saka lang namin nakita yung mga seafood restos near Victoria Plaza at madaming ihaw-ihaw along the street. Eh busog na busog pa kame so hindi na kame nag-try.

Back to the spa. Kinuha namin yung Loving Touch package. Massage plus facial at 1,350. Pwede na di ba? Sabi pa sa article na to, top 2 daw sa best massage spa in Davao. Must be true no? Wag na lang ang facilities o ichura nung place, di naman kame maselan sa aesthetics ng lugar basta malinis naman and nasa tamang lugar mga bagay-bagay. For me, ang masarap na massage eh yung feeling jelly ka and refreshed. Nakatulog ako at some point pero hinihintay ko na ma-stretch mga muscles ko pero waley. "Yun na yun?" ang naisip ko after. Pagdating sa facial naku pasalamat na lang ako at hindi sila nag prick. Syempre ang dalas ko magpa-facial so hindi naman ako neophyte sa ganitong labanan. Parang wala pang 5 minutes yung steam, yung scrub eh halos pumasok sa ilong ko, at nung nagtatanggal ng blackheads sa ilong ko eh halos ipasok ni ate yung bulak na may toner ata sa butas ng ilong ko (baka sa sobrang gigil?). Naimagine mo ba yung kalbaryo ko? Singhot na singhot ko yung toner tapos kailangan sa bibig na ko huminga. Buti na lang at ilong lang ang pinakealaman nila. Mababaw siguro to for some pero medyo nakakairita pala pag maiingay ang mga tao sa spa. Kasi gusto mo mag relax kaya ka pumunta dun hindi para makasagap ng chismis na si ganito eh nag AWOL pagkakuha ng unang sweldo o kaya hagikhikan ng hagikhikan over something na sana eh nakakakilig naman talaga. Nakakaloka lang. Ang maganda lang eh 24/7 sya so hindi mo kailangan mag worry about oras. Pero kasi, ang daming spa around the area, pili ka na lang.

Do we recommend it? Nope, probably not. Lalo na ang dami mo pang pwedeng i-try. Eto pa naman ang ni-look forward namin talaga sa araw na to kaya medyo mataas ang expectations. Pagbalik sa condo, ligpit na ng stuff para sa flight back to Manila kinabukasan. Buti na lang nag-email si AirAsia na delayed ng one hour ang flight, may extra one hour ng tulog pa kame.

See you tomorrow Manila!

First time namin mag book through Airbnb and after much kaartehan, ang napili namin ay ang RPlace! We stayed here sa unang trip namin ever to Davao.

What we loved about it:

• Malinis. The place was spotless pag dating namin. Mukhang bago!
• Maayos. Ang mga bagay bagay nasa tama nilang lugar. Maliban sa AC.
• Kumpleto sa mga basic necessities like heater sa shower, fridge, LED TV, AC, mga stuff pang luto at pagkain, may cabinet din, at towels.
• Location. 15 mins from the airport ata tapos ilang minutes lang din papuntang port, isang tricycle ride to convenience stores na pwede din lakarin, mga kainan, at spa!
• Ang comfy ng bed. Sarap lang humilata buong araw!
• Super patient sumagot ng host (Ms. Riza Flor) na lahat ng mga katanungan ko. Ultimo question ko about basura eh sinasagot nya.

Ang super comfy ng bed!

Yes may petals ng rose at heart na made of candies and chocolates. Sweet!

Tuwang tuwa naman kame sa fish crackers!

May mga utensils and gamit pang luto.

Ang linis ng banyo.

I haven’t checked my other email account for a long time and when I finally did, I saw an email from a complete stranger telling me about her struggle as a single mom because her husband decided to leave her and their kid. Or something to that effect. She didn’t really go into the details. At first, I didn’t think it was for me, because why would anybody send me one?! The sender found my blog somehow and said that she can relate to me.

Towards the end, she asked how I was able to go through all of it and how I eventually became okay. I had to go through all my previous posts and check what I have written because I was pretty sure it didn’t look like I had it together during those days.

So for you, my first ever letter sender, the answer is I don’t really know. It took me a while to get my footing, that’s for sure. I don’t think there’s an easy way out. This would sound really sick, but you have to deal with the bullshit and pain head on just so you know exactly why you have to get out. You have to hit rock bottom so you know why you don’t want to be there again.

I’m sure you’ve read this somewhere and people have already told you that you should just value yourself more and believe that you deserve better. That you and your kid don’t need this kind of man. There’s a reason why everybody’s telling you that, because it’s true.

I promise you sister, the moment you start ignoring him and making yourself better, he will suddenly become insignificant in your life. Distract yourself. Put your attention elsewhere. Go out with friends, find a hobby, get a pet, work out, spend more time with your child, bond with your family, go to the salon, travel, enroll in crash courses. Be better at your job or learn a new skill. Your options are limitless!

I’m very sure you feel like you can’t do a thing but cry and sob and feel sorry. That’s fine, but you have to tell yourself repeatedly that you can’t be like this forever because it's so damn unfair to yourself, to the people who truly care about you, and most importantly to your kid.

Be proud of the love you gave this son of a bitch, but let it be just that. Give him all the love you can give but never give away your self-respect and dignity.

Pain is like fabric. The stronger it is, the more it is worth it."

The Fault in our Stars (Antonietta Meo)

A love story so sweet and true but equally devastating, Hazel and Augustus'. I never thought I'd cry so much over this book, The Fault in our Stars. It definitely made cancer patients look so bad ass.

When she asks about me, and she would, lie. Don't tell her about the endless conversations we had. Don't tell her about the stupid things that we laughed about. Don't tell her about our hopes and the dreams we built together. When she asks, don't tell her about that time you traveled far just to give me that stupid toy I didn't really like so much. Don't tell her about the games we played during long drives. Don't tell her about how you'd let me fall asleep in your arms and wake up exactly how we fell asleep. Don't tell her about those times you whispered sweet nothings when you thought i was fast asleep. Don't tell her about those times you let me win over silly and petty arguments. Don't tell her about how you'd just hug me and tell me how much you love me when I'm a monster. Don't tell her about that one time you showed up at 3am just to hug me. Don't tell her about those times we cried endlessly because of a pointless discussion, how we didn't let go of each other afterwards. Don't tell her about the surprises we did for each other, about the cheesy messages we wrote. Don't tell her about the dance number we planned to do on our wedding day. Don't tell her about the vows we made, how forever was not enough. Don't tell her about that day you waited for me for hours, really hated me, but continued waiting for me anyway.

When she asks, give her answers but don't let her know how intertwined we were. Give her answers because she won't believe it if you tell her we were nothing, after years of being together.

Most importantly, don't let her go through what i did. Give her the happy ending you weren't able to give me.