We're leaving on a jet plane...

Monday, December 18th
- finally leave Bangkok after a whirlwind weekend; our friends give us a departing gift of yellow golf shirts with the King's 60th anniversary crest; somehow we feel like honourary Thai citizens.lol
- arriving in Manila we have dinner with Tito Nestor and family and take a rest after a long day of travelling

Tuesday, December 19th
- take our first 'tabo' bath!! lol! boy is the water cold and do you stand or squat when doing this? lol!
- head to Greenbelt this afternoon so the girls can get manicures and pedicures but the result is not the greatest since they are kinda sore after the 2hr ordeal. Kuya Henry and I just walk around the mall and check out local sights..
- at night, we head to Pasay to have dinner with my family there
- Kuya Henry and I walk to the corner store, have a couple of SMG Lite and blend with the locals..
- see the PVC-pipe gun; a long PVC tube that is used with denatured alcohol to produce a very loud bang when it is ignited..nothing comes out just a huge ass noise...actually illegal here but oh well..haha..
- old relatives come over, Tito Glenn and tito Manny and their sons, Paul (the dude who dislocated his knee playing basketball when i was here 15 yrs ago!!! and Louis....these guys are such jokers, Tito Manny is called the Godfather of the area but he's hilarious....lol!

Thursday, December 21st
- go to Tito Nestors place for the first time in Arenas - amazing house!!
- have a late-night drinking session with the titos and Kuya henry there - tons of SML flowing there

Friday, December 22nd
- wake up with a small hangover again...lol
- view of Mount Arayat from Titos front porch is amazing
- Jorie and JR's wedding day in Clark, Pampanga
- we will NOT get married in the Phils..lol...too many people walking aroun during mass and there's even paparazzi snapping pics during the ceremony and trying to sell them after
- nice wedding and bakla wedding planner...reception is at Palazzo, nice place but no alak or even soft drinks..party ends at 10pm and mvoes to a small reception at Tita Cel's house

Saturday, December 23rd
- go to Nepo mall and its packed again as well
- wicked deals here and end up buying Lacoste shoes for $14CDN and Michelle buys a Gucci purse for $5CDN
- BOOM TARAT TARAT is the biggest song of the xmas season!!! lol!!


Sunday, December 24th
- spend Xmas eve at Tita Cel's place in Angeles..
- played a lot of games there, blindfold and find the candle to blow it out, videoke is super-popular here!!
- carollers come into the house at the backyard and sing a few songs
- get to fire the PVC cannon finally!! we had a lot of fireworks as well....big rockets, etc...


Monday, December 25th
- visit SM Clark and man the mall is packed on Xmas Day!!
- leave Angeles for the last time and say good bye to Kasseys cousins and her rich gracious Tita Cel
- have a late-night drinking session with Kuya Henry, Dee (his gf), Chris, Eugene and Michelle - tons of San Mig Lite flowing and we finished a bottle of Jose Cuervo tequila..lol
- took a late-night visit to the cemetary to visit Michelle lolo and lola
jokes
- Chris saying that he thinks Kassey is a true Filipina because 'she's darker than me!'..lol


Tusday, December 26th
- wake up with a small hangover from last nights drinking session..lol
- finally have internet again in a small internet cafe in Magalang, small town here, hot as hell in here
- bought some firecrackers - Judas Belt, Fountain, Trapsillio or something - judas belt was the best
- had one more night of drinknig and got PJ to give us a dance before we left! lol!
- "one for the road......where's the road!?"

Wednesday, December 27th
- leave Arenas for Manila at 3am - fly Manila to Kalibo, take a 1.5 hr bus ride to Caticlan and then a 20 min ferry ride to Boracay
- check into Boracay Regency (station 2) and snuck in Kuya Henry, Joy, Kassey and Natalie into our room
- at night, checked out the nightlife - Hey jUde, Summer Place and Wave
- Boracay is amazing even though there were many signs of the typhoon that devastated the island in the beginning of December

Thursday, December 28th
- surprised Michelle with a Mandala Signature Spa at Mandala spa - involved a private villa and personal masseuses, 1.5 hrs of wicked massage, foot wash and herbal tea, rose petal bath, at the end
- afternoon we went to the beach (nice and warm and you can go out almost 50 m out and it will only be chest deep)
- went to visit Tito Jimmy Flor, Steven and Jaime in Ma...
- their house is about 10 mins past station 1 on a hill and has an awesome view of the island and the water, had dinner and drinks there before proceeding to Club Paraw in station 1 and drinking our asses off that night!
- had milkshakes at Jonahs
- best moment - Kassey barfing twice in the club...lol

Friday, December 29th
- new call signs come out - Longanisa 1 to Longanisa 2 - used by Kuya Henry and me to communicate on his walkie talkies.
- go Banana Boating this afternoon - when hitting the water, it feels like hitting a brick wall, fun as hell..lol
- day was a bit windy and cloudy today but very nice enough for us to hit the water for a bit again
- at night hit Club Paraw again and meet Steven there, not as crazy as the night before but a good time to end the trip to Boracay
- Joy was a hit with the local "borritos"
- see a couple stars in Boracay - Alex (white PBA player), Andrew (male model), Diana (FHM model), some Ginebra PBA player

Saturday, December 30th
- leave Boracay for Manila again, have dinner with family in Pasay and check into our hotel - Rennaissance Marriott Makati City Manila (another amazing hotel!!)

Sunday, December 31st
- Michelle goes to GreenHills with Tita Helen, Ching, Chris and Jing to go shopping
- I go to Santa Ana Arena to watch a cock fight; bets are made using hand signals so it is very advisable not to put your hands in the air as you may place a bet and not even know it..lol
- also watch Real Spicy (#1 Phil racehorse) through a fence win the big horse race
- New Years is spent in Pasay with my cousins
- firecrackers and fireworks are nothing like we've ever seen; firecrackers (Piccolo - like matches are thrown at each other and make a loud bang, Trompillio - spinning firecrackers nailed to a post, sawa 'Judas Belt' are like rapid bursts of explosions, look like a long snake and sounds like a warzone)

Monday, January 1st
- meet with Rey and Vida and Mek Mek for lunch at Fridays in Glorietta
- have dinner with Tita Nene and family and Tito Sonny and family at Haiku (Japanese restaurant in Greenbelt)

Tuesday, January 2nd
- spend day packing and saying goodbyes to everyone in Pasay

Wednesday, January 3rd
- spend 29 hrs of travelling back home - 3hrs in Manila, 2 hr planeride, 8 hrs in HK airport, 15 hrs planride home
- spent time in HK airport in Thai airways lounge! so nice!!