Jennifer Lawrence Trips. Again.

            When Jennifer Lawrence, the infamous lead from the Hunger Games trilogy, tripped last 2013 Oscar Awards while walking on stairs toward the stage to get her award, tons of people commented on the 20-second incident. While other people understands that she's just being clumsy and herself at that time, numerous commenters bashed her for going to events unpolished and tipsy. During that time, there are two things to blame - her clumsiness and her clumsiness. After all, we couldn't really tell if she's tipsy at that time. We weren't at the awards night, right? Despite of that, we love her for that. She even joked for it, noting that she's touched by Hugh Jackman to help her up. Who among us gets touched by Wolverine?

             Fast forward, J Law trips again, this time at the Red Carpet Oscars 2014. Videos circulating online about her infamous fall show that she tried to grab balance to her friend who was walking ahead of her. Thankfully, we have a reason of her tripping this time - a cone. Well, had she not been clumsy, she would have probably watched out for that cone. You can watch the tripping incident here at eonline.com. Meanwhile, here are some photos from eonline showing the incident.

J Law's epic fail. She tried to gain balance by holding onto her friend who was walking ahead of her.

       

The best thing about J Law committing a hilarious and embarrassing moment - she laughs it off

But who really cares about her clumsiness when she can nail any film role she's given, and her evidences for such award-winning performances are in the following list:

Showing all 68 wins and 63 nominations

Academy Awards, USA

2014	Nominated Oscar	Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role American Hustle (2013)
2013	Won Oscar	Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
2011	Nominated Oscar	Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Winter's Bone (2010)

Golden Globes, USA

2014	Won Golden Globe	Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture American Hustle (2013)
2013	Won Golden Globe	Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
2011	Nominated Golden Globe	Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama Winter's Bone (2010)

BAFTA Awards

2014	Won BAFTA Film Award	Best Supporting Actress American Hustle (2013)
2013	Nominated BAFTA Film Award	Best Leading Actress Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA

2013

Won Saturn Award

Best Actress The Hunger Games (2012)

Austin Film Critics Association

2012

Won Austin Film Critics Award

Best Actress Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Australian Film Institute

2014	Won AACTA International Award	Best Supporting Actress American Hustle (2013)
2013	Won AACTA International Award	Best Actress Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards

2014	Won Critics Choice Award	Best Acting Ensemble American Hustle (2013) Shared with: Amy Adams Christian Bale Bradley Cooper Jeremy Renner
	Nominated Critics Choice Award	Best Supporting Actress American Hustle (2013)
		Best Actress in an Action Movie The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
2013	Won Critics Choice Award	Best Actress in an Action Movie The Hunger Games (2012)
		Best Actress in a Comedy Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
	Nominated Critics Choice Award	Best Actress Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
2011	Nominated Critics Choice Award	Best Actress Winter's Bone (2010)
		Best Young Actor/Actress Winter's Bone (2010)

Capri, Hollywood

2012

Won Capri Ensemble Cast Award

Silver Linings Playbook (2012) Shared with: Bradley Cooper Robert De Niro Jacki Weaver Chris Tucker Julia Stiles

Central Ohio Film Critics Association

2014	Won COFCA Award	Best Supporting Actress American Hustle (2013)
		Best Ensemble American Hustle (2013) Shared with: Amy Adams Christian Bale Louis C.K. Bradley Cooper Paul Herman Jack Huston Alessandro Nivola Michael Peña Jeremy Renner Elisabeth Röhm Shea Whigham
	2nd place COFCA Award	Actor of the Year American Hustle (2013) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
2013	Won COFCA Award	Best Actress Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
	Nominated COFCA Award	Actor of the Year House at the End of the Street (2012) The Hunger Games (2012) Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
		Best Ensemble Silver Linings Playbook (2012) Shared with: Bradley Cooper Anupam Kher Robert De Niro Chris Tucker Jacki Weaver
2011	2nd place COFCA Award	Best Actress Winter's Bone (2010)
		Breakthrough Film Artist Winter's Bone (2010) For acting

Chicago Film Critics Association Awards

2013	Nominated CFCA Award	Best Supporting Actress American Hustle (2013)
2012	Nominated CFCA Award	Best Actress Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
2010	Won CFCA Award	Most Promising Performer Winter's Bone (2010)
	Nominated CFCA Award	Best Actress Winter's Bone (2010)

Chlotrudis Awards

2011

Nominated Chlotrudis Award

Best Actress Winter's Bone (2010)

Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards

2013	3rd place DFWFCA Award	Best Supporting Actress American Hustle (2013)
2012	2nd place DFWFCA Award	Best Actress Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
2010	2nd place DFWFCA Award	Best Actress Winter's Bone (2010)

Empire Awards, UK

2014	Nominated Empire Award	Best Supporting Actress American Hustle (2013)
		Best Actress The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
2013	Won Empire Award	Best Actress The Hunger Games (2012)
2011	Nominated Empire Award	Best Newcomer Winter's Bone (2010)

Florida Film Critics Circle Awards

2013	2nd place FFCC Award	Best Supporting Actress American Hustle (2013)
2010	Won Pauline Kael Breakout Award	Winter's Bone (2010)

Gotham Awards

2012	Nominated Best Ensemble Cast	Silver Linings Playbook (2012) Shared with: Bradley Cooper Robert De Niro Jacki Weaver Chris Tucker Anupam Kher Shea Whigham Julia Stiles John Ortiz Dash Mihok Paul Herman
2010	Won Best Ensemble Cast	Winter's Bone (2010) Shared with: John Hawkes Kevin Breznahan Dale Dickey Garret Dillahunt Shelley Waggener Casey MacLaren Sheryl Lee Tate Taylor
	Nominated Breakthrough Award	Winter's Bone (2010)

Independent Spirit Awards

2013	Won Independent Spirit Award	Best Female Lead Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
2011	Nominated Independent Spirit Award	Best Female Lead Winter's Bone (2010)

Irish Film and Television Awards

2013	Nominated IFTA Award	Best International Actress Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
2011	Nominated IFTA Award	Best International Actress Winter's Bone (2010)

Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards

2012

Won KCFCC Award

Best Actress Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Kids' Choice Awards, USA

2013	Nominated Blimp Award	Favorite Movie Actress The Hunger Games (2012)
		Favorite Female Butt Kicker The Hunger Games (2012)

Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards

2012	Won Sierra Award	Best Actress Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
2010	Nominated Sierra Award	Best Actress Winter's Bone (2010)
		Youth in Film Winter's Bone (2010)

London Critics Circle Film Awards

2014	Nominated ALFS Award	Supporting Actress of the Year American Hustle (2013)
2013	Nominated ALFS Award	Actress of the Year Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
2011	Nominated ALFS Award	Actress of the Year Winter's Bone (2010)

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards

2012	Won LAFCA Award	Best Actress Silver Linings Playbook (2012) Tied with Emmanuelle Riva for Amour (2012).
2010	2nd place LAFCA Award	Best Actress Winter's Bone (2010)

Los Angeles Film Festival

2008

Won Outstanding Performance

The Poker House (2008)

MTV Movie Awards

2013	Won MTV Movie Award	Best Female Performance Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
		Best Kiss Silver Linings Playbook (2012) Shared with: Bradley Cooper
	Nominated MTV Movie Award	Best Scared-As-S**t Performance House at the End of the Street (2012) When Lawrence's Elissa is held hostage by her psychotic boyfriend in a silent cellar mere steps ... More
		Best On-Screen Duo Silver Linings Playbook (2012) Shared with: Bradley Cooper
		Best Musical Moment Silver Linings Playbook (2012) Shared with: Bradley Cooper  Who knew emotional instability could result in killer dance moves? As Pat and Tiffany, Bradley ... More
2012	Won MTV Movie Award	Best Female Performance The Hunger Games (2012)
		Best Fight The Hunger Games (2012) Shared with: Josh Hutcherson Alexander Ludwig  Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mallark vs. Cato
	Nominated MTV Movie Award	Best Kiss The Hunger Games (2012) Shared with: Josh Hutcherson
		Best Hero The Hunger Games (2012)

National Board of Review, USA

2010

Won NBR Award

Best Breakthrough Performer Winter's Bone (2010)

National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA

2014	Won NSFC Award	Best Supporting Actress American Hustle (2013)
2013	2nd place NSFC Award	Best Actress Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

New York Film Critics Circle Awards

2013	Won NYFCC Award	Best Supporting Actress American Hustle (2013)
2012	2nd place NYFCC Award	Best Actress The Hunger Games (2012) Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Online Film Critics Society Awards

2014	Nominated OFCS Award	Best Supporting Actress American Hustle (2013)
2013	Nominated OFCS Award	Best Actress Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
2011	Nominated OFCS Award	Best Actress Winter's Bone (2010)

Palm Springs International Film Festival

2014	Won Ensemble Cast Award	American Hustle (2013) Shared with: Amy Adams Christian Bale Bradley Cooper Jeremy Renner  American Hustle grabs you from the start and is populated by a group of eminently believable ... More
2011	Won Rising Star Award	Winter's Bone (2010)

People's Choice Awards, USA

2013	Won People's Choice Award	Favorite Face of Heroism The Hunger Games (2012)
		Favorite On-Screen Chemistry The Hunger Games (2012) Shared with: Josh Hutcherson Liam Hemsworth
		Favorite Movie Actress The Hunger Games (2012) Silver Linings Playbook (2012) House at the End of the Street (2012)
2012	Nominated People's Choice Award	Favorite Movie Superhero For playing "Mystique"

Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards

2013	Won PFCS Award	Best Acting Ensemble American Hustle (2013) Shared with: Christian Bale Jeremy Renner Amy Adams Bradley Cooper
	Nominated PFCS Award	Best Actress in a Supporting Role American Hustle (2013)
2012	Nominated PFCS Award	Best Actress in a Leading Role Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
		Best Ensemble Acting Silver Linings Playbook (2012) Shared with: Bradley Cooper Robert De Niro Chris Tucker Jacki Weaver John Ortiz Anupam Kher Julia Stiles Paul Herman Dash Mihok Shea Whigham
2010	Nominated PFCS Award	Best Actress in a Leading Role Winter's Bone (2010)
		Breakout Performance - On Screen Winter's Bone (2010)

Prism Awards

2011

Nominated Prism Award

Performance in a Feature Film Winter's Bone (2010)

Rembrandt Awards

2013

Nominated Rembrandt Award

Best International Actress (Beste Buitenlandse Actrice) The Hunger Games (2012)

SFX Awards, UK

2013

Nominated SFX Award

Best Actress The Hunger Games (2012)

San Diego Film Critics Society Awards

2013	Nominated SDFCS Award	Best Supporting Actress American Hustle (2013)
2012	Nominated SDFCS Award	Best Actress Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
2010	Won SDFCS Award	Best Actress Winter's Bone (2010)
	Nominated SDFCS Award	Best Ensemble Performance Winter's Bone (2010) Shared with: Sheryl Lee Dale Dickey Casey MacLaren John Hawkes Garret Dillahunt Shelley Waggener Kevin Breznahan Tate Taylor

San Francisco Film Critics Circle

2013

Won SFFCC Award

Best Supporting Actress American Hustle (2013)

Santa Barbara International Film Festival

2013

Won Outstanding Performer of the Year Award

Satellite Awards

2013	Nominated Satellite Award	Best Actress in a Supporting Role American Hustle (2013)
2012	Won Satellite Award	Best Actress in a Motion Picture Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
2010	Nominated Satellite Award	Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama Winter's Bone (2010)

Screen Actors Guild Awards

2014	Won Actor	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture American Hustle (2013) Shared with: Amy Adams Christian Bale Louis C.K. Bradley Cooper Paul Herman Jack Huston Alessandro Nivola Michael Peña Jeremy Renner Elisabeth Röhm Shea Whigham
	Nominated Actor	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role American Hustle (2013)
2013	Won Actor	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
	Nominated Actor	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Silver Linings Playbook (2012) Shared with: Bradley Cooper Robert De Niro Anupam Kher Chris Tucker Jacki Weaver
2011	Nominated Actor	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Winter's Bone (2010)

Seattle International Film Festival

2010

Won Golden Space Needle Award

Best Actress Winter's Bone (2010)

Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards

2013	2nd place SEFCA Award	Best Supporting Actress American Hustle (2013)
2012	Won SEFCA Award	Best Actress Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
2010	2nd place SEFCA Award	Best Actress Winter's Bone (2010)

Stockholm Film Festival

2010

Won Best Actress

Winter's Bone (2010)

Teen Choice Awards

2012	Won Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie Actress: Sci-Fi/Fantasy The Hunger Games (2012)
		Choice Movie Liplock The Hunger Games (2012) Shared with: Josh Hutcherson
		Film - Choice Chemistry The Hunger Games (2012) Shared with: Amandla Stenberg
	Nominated Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie: Fight The Hunger Games (2012) Shared with: Josh Hutcherson Alexander Ludwig  Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mallark vs. Cato
2011	Nominated Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie Chemistry X-Men: First Class (2011) Shared with: Lucas Till Nicholas Hoult Zoë Kravitz Caleb Landry Jones Edi Gathegi
		Choice Movie Breakout: Female X-Men: First Class (2011)

Toronto Film Critics Association Awards

2014	Won TFCA Award	Best Supporting Actress American Hustle (2013)
2011	Won TFCA Award	Best Actress Winter's Bone (2010)

Vancouver Film Critics Circle

2014	Won VFCC Award	Best Supporting Actress American Hustle (2013)
2013	Nominated VFCC Award	Best Actress Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
2011	Won VFCC Award	Best Actress Winter's Bone (2010)

Venice Film Festival

2008

Won Marcello Mastroianni Award

The Burning Plain (2008)

Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards

2013	Nominated WAFCA Award	Best Supporting Actress American Hustle (2013)
2012	Nominated WAFCA Award	Best Actress Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
2010	Won WAFCA Award	Best Actress Winter's Bone (2010)

Young Artist Awards

2011	Nominated Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actress Winter's Bone (2010)
2009	Won Young Artist Award	Outstanding Young Performers in a TV Series The Bill Engvall Show (2007) Shared with: Skyler Gisondo Graham Patrick Martin
	Nominated Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) - Supporting Young Actress The Bill Engvall Show (2007)

* the list is acquired from imdb.com

            Now, I'm not really a fan of Jennifer Lawrence's clumsiness, but I am a 100% genuine fan of her acting prowess, cheerful persona, and amicable charisma. What's your take on J Law's tripping incidents and awards?

My Non-Uniformed Personnel (NUP) Job Hiring Experience

       A friend of mine encouraged me to apply for the latest hub in national mass hiring, the search for hundreds of NUP or Non-Uniformed Personnel nationwide. As per recent national law, all police officers are mandated to move out of the office and stay on their designated posts outside the station. This is to ensure that enough men in uniforms are seen in public spots to prevent the occurrence of crimes. Although I have always been eager to work for a government position, I hesitated at first because I am already in tune and very satisfied with my current online jobs. Nevertheless, I tried.

         The application was a bit of a challenge because most requirements are to be submitted in their original form like NSO birth certificate and NSO marriage certificate as well as the NBI clearance. Basically, the main requirements are the following:

1. Duly accomplished PDS CSC Form Revised 2005

2. Transcript of Records and Diploma; all authenticated along with the original copies of the receipts

3. Authenticated Certificate of Eligibility along with the original copy of the receipt of authentication

4. Certificate of Employment; everything should be authenticated

5. Certificate of Training; everything should be authenticated

6. NBI Clearance; original copy along with the original copy of the receipt and an authenticated copy of the clearance

7. NSO Birth Certificate; original copy along with the original copy of the receipt and an authenticated copy of the certificate

8. NSO Marriage Certificate; original copy along with the original copy of the receipt and an authenticated copy of the certificate

          All of these documents are to be placed in two separate, long, white envelopes in which one envelope is for the original copies while the other one is for authenticated photocopies of the documents. All of these should be fastened using white paper fastener and arranged according to the following:

1. Letter of Application - A

2. Duly accomplished PDS in CSC Form Revised 2005 - B

3. Transcript of Records and Diploma - C

4. Certificate of Eligibility - D

5. Certificate of Training - E

6. Certificate of Employment  - F 

7. NBI Clearance - G

8. NSO Birth Certificate - H

9. NSO Marriage Certificate - I

            The above sequence is to be encoded as a table of contents and placed at the very first page of the folder. It is very important that you file your documents accordingly and as implemented or you will be asked to tab and then arrange it again, which can be very time consuming and demanding, especially if you travel somewhere else just to submit the application.

            Speaking of travel, I just got back from Camp Romeo Abendan in Zamboanga. Me, my father, and a friend who also happens to be an applicant, endured 8 hours of land trip from Dipolog City to Zamboanga just to go to Camp Abendan in Mercedes and submit our application there. By the way, the available travel schedules from Dipolog City to Zamboanga via Rural Transit departs at 10:30 pm (air conditioned bus with wifi), 12 midnight, and 1 am. The arrival schedules are 6:30 am, 8am, and 9am respectively.

             During the submission of application, we were asked to line up, write our name in a paper, and fill in an evaluation sheet. Our names were then called for evaluation of documents. NUPs for respective regions then evaluated our application documents, scrutinizing each page, making sure that all required and applicable documents both in its original and authenticated forms were available. After which, we were then briefed and told that our written and actual exams are scheduled on March 17. We were asked of our preferred assignments, and I readily gave them three municipalities. Thankfully, all 3 were open, so I was able to choose one that's nearest to my residence.

             It took me and Marc an hour to finish the entire hiring process on that day. It was a full day ahead, but we had so little time to take a good stroll in Zamboanga. We went back home to Dipolog at 2 pm and arrived home at 10 pm.

            Praise to God for a breezy and safe ride as well as a successful event in Zamboanga.

          

How to Process NBI Application in Dipolog City

        I have never experienced having trouble with my NBI application before. The application and the clearance only took about 30 minutes when I had my NBI clearance processed sometime in 2010. Sadly, it's different this time around. You see, they already have this online application system, but wait, all the processes aren't done online as contrary to what most people speculated. You have to go to http://www.nbi.gov.ph/, click clearance online registration, and then fill up the online application form. You will then have to print out the duly filled form and take it to the NBI office. Upon arrival at the NBI, you proceed to the collections window and pay the corresponding amount of your application there. On the one hand, the fee is 115 php for local employment and travel abroad clearances. 165 php for an NBI clearance needed for business, firearms, adoption, POEA, and other agency related purposes and 415  php for neutralization and cancellation ACR, and repatriation. If your records has no hit, you'll immediately get the clearance, but you might need to come back in a few days if you have hit.

            Needless to say, the process sounds easy and breezy. Unfortunately, in times when national hiring is done like these days when hiring for NUP's and Dep-Ed personnel are the trend, you will have to go to the said agency at least an hour prior to its time of operation to make sure that you'll get the clearance on the same day.

The First Happenings on Navarro-Cornejo Case

         The mauling incident that commenced between Vhong Navarro and Cedric Lee, along with the latter's Popeye fan friends, last January 22 inside Cornejo's condo unit at Forbeswood Heights had led to heightened tension on both netizens and followers of both camps. The said incident led to Navarro's numerous bruises, wounds, and even broken bones. The cause? A 22-year old girl in the name of Deniece Millet Cornejo whom Cedric said was shouting for help when he and his sister were on the same floor where the shouting happened. As per Lee's camp, Vhong, with his pants down, was caught on top of the girl, who screamed for help as Vhong tried to rape her. Consequently, the mauling scenario happened. Several activities then followed which included Navarro's penning on the blotter in Taguig police station as well as the agreement between him and Cedric on paying 2 million pesos for the damages he incurred inside the condo unit. The day after, Navarro's photos were plastered on the net, enraging followers as it exploded online like a bomb. 

       I am sorry for the long intro. For those who have missed a single update on the case, here are the next events:

Navarro had an interview with Boy Abunda, spitting everything that happened during the mauling incident as well as the very first time when he and Cornejo met. At this day, Lee and Cornejo declined any interview opportunity with ABS CBN, but had their interview with GMA. News then came out about the rape incident, which was supposedly the main reason that Cedric and his friends had to stop Navarro by beating him up and tying him on a chair with a cloth placed in his mouth. On the one hand, the the policemen who dealt with Navarro and Lee with the blotter were relieved due to lack of proper procedures when dealing in cases like this.

Succeeding interviews came which included the story that Cornejo and Navarro had an oral sex during their first meeting, several days prior to the mauling incident. Navarro's camp then sought the aid of de Lima to look into his case and the NBI to provide security to his family's house as well as hasten the investigation of the case. At this point, the 3 of Lee's friends were sought for the issuance of subpoena. Both camps have also formally filed a case against each other; Cornejo filed rape against Navarro while Navarro filed six cases including grave threats, grave coercion, serious physical injuries, blackmail, unlawful arrest, and serious illegal detention.

The CCTV footage in the lobby as well as the elevator in the condo was released online, which heated the case. The footage showed Vhong's arrival in the unit at about 10:30 pm. A minute later, Cedric and a guy came in the lobby. Deniece then went in the elevator two minutes after Vhong entered the unit. Three men were seen entering the lobby while Grace, Cedric's sister also entered the said place. Several minutes later, Cedric and his friends as well as Vhong whose hands are tied at his back were seen in the elevator altogether.

In a span of one week, Cornejo made an appearance in several GMA shows such as Star Talk where she peculiarly asked Vhong to come out and tell the truth. The Navarro submitted his mobile phone to the NBI as the said agency was trying to retrieve all messages sent by both parties to Navarro before and after the incident. Lawyers of both camps have started to talk on behalf of their clients as well. 

As of reading, Manalo quits as Vhong's laywer and Raymond Fortun to represent Cedric Lee.

I have spent some days reading on these happenings as it is undeniably popular and I couldn't help but read an update whenever I browse on Rappler, ABS CBN, GMA, etc. I couldn't also help but read the tons of comments left for each article. While some comments are neutral, some obviously show support to Navarro as they show disgust to Cornejoy as others blame Navarro for his behavior and tap on Cornejo and Lee's camps. These lead to my questions to ponder for the case.

My Plantation Bay Day Tour Experience

          I am sorry for this post is kind of late because the travel happened last June 2013. Nevertheless, I felt the desire to share my experience with you, guys. Actually, the initial plan was to go to Cebu on board Cebu Pacific airline since my parents haven't experienced traveling on a plane yet. Apart from that, I was on the lookout for the much talked about low fare happenings on this airline. Anyways, I was able to book ourselves on June 5, 2013, Wednesday. Here's our itinerary and the details of our expenditure.

June 5, Wednesday

12:30 noon - departure from Dipolog City Airport to Mactan International Airport in Cebu

1:15 pm - arrival at Mactan International Airport

Here is a photo of my boys who never seemed to run out of energy while waiting for our flight.

3 pm - arrival at Your Second Home, an apartment in Cebu that's conveniently located near Robinson's, Chung Hua, NBI, as well as National Bookstore. Upon arrival, we were greeted with the guard and the lady whom I made the reservation with. I am so sorry, I already forgot her name. But here's the details of Your Second Home in case you're still looking for a good, yet inexpensive place to stay for you and your family in Cebu. 

Your Second Home 

Address: 163 Mariano Cui, St., Capitol Site

contact number : (63 32) 256 0273

nightly rate: 995 php

In our case, we paid 1125 php per day because I requested for one big bed. One of the advantages of staying here is the availability of TV, refrigerator, air condition, private toilet and bath with hot and cold options, cabinet, couch, couple of drawers and hangers, two towels, and a mini kitchen. The room is quite spacious and it can definitely accommodate a family of four. The staff were also accommodating and friendly. While these facilities are great, we encountered few problems during our stay. One, the sink on the kitchen faucet kept clogging, so we had to contact a maintenance man to fix it. Two, there's very limited space for hanging wet laundry, so if you stay here for a couple of days or a week, you need to go to a laundry site, which I happened to find nearby Your Second Home. Nevertheless, if you want to transfer to a hotel, Hotel Asia is conveniently located a block from Your Second Home. Indeed, it's a good and affordable accommodation for a day or two of excursion with kids, but not for a long term stay.

Here's a photo of my eldest and my dad inside the room. There's also a mini island that you can use to dine on. 

5 pm - Me, my husband, and father walked to Robinson's to buy foods for our dinner. We had our fill since we had a long day ahead of us.

June 6, Thursday (SM and High Precision Diagnostics)

5 am - We woke up a bit early because my parents had to go to High Precision Diagnostics for a general medical check-up. They then went back around 7 am for our first stop.

8 am - SM Cebu

The kids had lots of fun in this place. We let them rode almost everything they can ride at the children's playground. They were so keen on playing arcade games. Unfortunately, their system wasn't very cooperative as we couldn't buy a loadable card for gaming worth 200. So, we had to move and stroll the vastness of SM. We spend our lunch inside SM and we ended the afternoon with a quick stop at National Bookstore. Everyone in the family knows I am dying to go to National Bookstore.

Here is my husband and our youngest.

June 7, Friday (Simala, Carcar)

5 am - We had to wake up early because a friend taxi driver of mine would pick us up from Your Second Home to take us to the infamous Simala. Simala is derived from the term 'himala' or miracle in English. Simala is renowned for its magnificent church, which started as a humble edifice decades ago when Mother Mary's statue began showing miraculous activities in the site. It is also in this site where a lot of people, especially those who pray for the success of their exams, health operations, and the likes, flock. Letters, wheelchairs, crunches, and even photos are stamped and neatly placed in cabinets with mirror covers for visitors to see. They're letters that either contain words of help or gratitude. 

My family with the Simala Church behind.

11 am - We left Simala and headed to Carcar. We had our lunch there and we then headed back home around 2pm.

June 8, Saturday (Plantation Bay)

7 am - We left as early as possible to fully enjoy the entire day tour schedule. The weather was cloudy accompanied by drizzle, but that didn't stop us from going to Plantation Bay, which was an hour and few minute ride from Your Second Home.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by the staffs at the lobby and we were also given a map and a rubberized bracelet to show that we're day tourists. The day tour rate was 2,000 php for adults and 1,000 for my 6 year old son, and free for my 2 year old son. My parents could have enjoyed the 20% discount for senior citizens. Unfortunately, they didn't bring their senior citizen IDs. Meanwhile, the day tour rate is already inclusive of lunch and the use of all the amenities and facilities of the resort from 9 am - 6 pm.

Here is an in-house cabby that takes tourists to and fro any point in Plantation Bay.

Here is a photo of the first lagoon that we stayed at for a few minutes as we huddled over to decide what to do first. 

Above is the complimentary lunch; lechon kawali and below is lemon fried chicken.

The following are selected photos of our activities in Plantation Bay. We hopped from one swimming pool to another; went to the beach; did kayak; Arnel wall climbed; Arnel and our eldest riding on a duo bicycle; and a lot more. Oh, Papa even jumped in a 12 ft swimming pool.

Here is a photo of my kids and their father inside the air conditioned children's learning center.

One of the bay's islets'.

Here is a photo of my parents kayaking for the first time.

6 pm - We started getting ready homeward. We were able to get a ride on the resort's tourist bus to the airport. We then rode from the airport to Your Second Home, which only took about half an hour. Because of the activities, my youngest son got really tired and fell asleep from 5 pm until 6 am the next day.

June 9, Sunday (home bound)

2 pm - We left Cebu to Dipolog City on board Cebu Pacific airline again. It was a smooth journey to and from Cebu. Praise God!

Here are the costs of our travel:

8,200 -  ( 4,100 php for 5 adults, 1 child, and 1 infant x 2 trips ) * note that we were able to avail of the 

                1 peso base fare. 

    600 -  fare from Mactan International Airport to Your Second Home

1,000 -  groceries for food for dinner and breakfast on the first day. The amount includes snacks, bottled                     water, ketchup, vinegar and soy sauce packs, and some spices for cooking

    800 - general check up for two at High Precision Diagnostics

    200 - fare to SM

    500 - lunch at SM

    200 - fare to Your Second Home

    800 - fish, noodles, drinks, and snacks budget for the next day

9,000 - entrance to Plantation Bay     

    200 - fare to Plantation Bay

    150 - fare to YSH

    800 - bread, cakes, barbecues for dinner and snacks the next day

1, 000 - fare to and from Simala 

    400 - lunch at Carcar 

 1,000 - pasalubong (chicharon, Red Ribbon, etc)

 4,500 - accommodation (4 nights and 5 days)

28, 750 - This is the total expenses for a group of 4 adults, 1 6 yr old child, and a 1 yr old toddler in a travel to Cebu via Cebu Pacific's 1 peso base fare. In this amount, we're able to go to Simala, Plantation Bay, Carcar, and buy pasalubong. I didn't include the books I bought at National Bookstore, small bottles of oil at Simala, as well as Papa's and Marc's shoes. If I include those items, I think the amount would total up to 30k plus. All of the amounts above are rounded off. 

 Blood Donation at Jose Rizal Memorial Hospital in Dapitan City

       I had a very busy weekend. My cousin asked me to find credible blood donors for her upcoming uterine operation on Monday. It was a Saturday, and temporarily halted all my writing assignments, so I can start looking for b+ blood donors. I was thankful when my ex-colleague in Kia told me that she has two boys of the same blood type who might be able to donate. Unfortunately, they weren't available until Sunday. Anxious that I might run out of time, I contacted other people, mostly my neighbors, and I got one. Unfortunately, he did not pass since he had high blood pressure. Luckily, one of my cousins is a b+ and another neighbor of mine also has the same blood type. Although my cousin needed to undergo blood pressure testing thrice, it was successful on his third attempt, which completed the needed 2 bags of blood.

Here are the main requirements when donating blood:

1. Donors should have normal blood pressure and weight. A blood pressure of 120/90 is a good one while the weight should never be lower than 55 kilograms. 

2. Donors should have never experienced tattooing any part of their body as well as body piercings.

3. Donors should have not been drinking, have not experienced getting drunk for the past few days, and should not have been taking any form of medication for maintenance.

4. Donors should have not eaten for the past three hours prior to blood collection.

5. Donors should have not experienced contagious diseases like hepatitis, measles, and chicken pox.

6. Donors should have not undergone major surgeries.

7. Donors should have not undergone tooth extraction for the past few months. 

8. Donors should have a valid ID card and ID photos as this is dubbed as PROTOCOL at the said hospital.