Back to spring, I also enjoy photos of friends spring cleaning. I wish I could have someone come here for roof cleaning, even if it’s not spring! Speaking of cleaning up, I should do some  anytime soon. It’s getting all dusty in the house and I am not loving the sneezing at all!

This is exactly the reason why I always find it convenient to pack breakable stuff with foam packaging. Packing could take a little more time, but at least it frees you from the hassle of worrying throughout the whole time you are supposed to be on a relaxing flight.

It’s quite shocking that some of them can sometimes ask you to buy specific items like a keyboard or even a guitar! Thankfully, you can now tell them that they can order these bigger items online (for instance, there is already fender mustang for sale online).

Preparing the budget for your trip then would have to include really some shopping money for yourself and for those people close to you.

We thought, it would be wiser if we spent more money on food than the transportation cost as the nearest beach is still 3 hours drive away.  Thanks to Agoda, we were able to book online, and for a much cheaper rate, too!  The room good for 3 people was 27 USD,including breakfast. We wondered why it’s so much cheaper to book via Agoda.  We checked the hotel website and it’s at least 4 USD more expensive for the same room we picked. Well, we soon found out why. They had to charge us 10 USD for each room  (for two nights), so we paid an extra 30 USD more for the three rooms.

So it’s the same story.  Agoda is not really cheap.  It just appears to be without the charges.  Anyhow, we are grateful for the convenience Agoda gave us.  Had it not been for their site, we would not have found out about this hotel that’s really close to our place.  It’s family friendly, and the rates are not that bad.

Wait for my post about it!

I came across quneo and wow, I was so impressed at how this instrument could be so handy. It’s a must-have for traveling musicians because you could just handcarry it without having problems.

Since Ria would love to learn how to play the keyboards/piano after her violin module, we thought this is something she should have also– after buying her the keyboards she has always dreamed of, of course!

According to experts,  seasickness or motion sickness  happens when the inner ear and the eyes all send different signals to the brain. The constantly changing movement stimulates receptors in to the brain, leading to confusion, queasiness, headaches, dizziness, nausea, dry-heaving and vomiting. The brain begins to malfunction as the normal, land-based environment it is accustomed to suddenly begins to act differently. Your visual system recognizes things like furniture and cabin walls as stable, while your inner ear is sending strong messages to the brain that they are not.

As for the tips on how to avoid seasickness, doctors would tell you avoid caffeinated drinks before a trip,  It is also helpful to avoid acidic foods and those that contain vinegar as they can trigger seasickness.  It would be a good idea to stay away from fumes and engine smoke.  Get lots of fresh air. Interestingly, ginger is found to be very effective in combating sea sickness.  If you can’t get a ginger capsule before a trip, ginger cookies and tea would be fine.

I always forget bringing a book so I just enjoy looking at the airline magazine provided on the seat pockets.  I enjoy looking at photos of travel destinations, hotel reviews and travel tips.  I really don’t know if it’s possible to get a copy of those magazines– I love the glossy paper and the quality print. I am not really knowledgeable about web to print storefront software, but they should be using that for their printing.

Here’s a confession: I really dream of submitting my own photos for those magazines, or even submit my own article of a travel experience. That’s just a dream… first of all I need to travel some more– and yes, get that dream camera of mine!

First of all, Cebu Pacific should do something about changing the questions for their domestic and international flights.  I won an organizer during the domestic flight– I was able to answer a question about “Famous couples.”  They asked question about couples since we traveled last February, or the “love month.”

Now when they asked the same question during the international flight (Manila to Bangkok), you guessed what happened.  I was already raising my hand as soon as the stewardess opened her mouth.

So that’s the story of my two winnings.  It was fun.  Oh, I should take a photo of those organizers I got.  But to be honest?  I have not even used it yet!

Anyhow, thanks, Cebu Pacific!  Those flight games really break the boredom in a long flight.  It’s something I always look forward to when on board!

One of the movies that we watched lately was “The Flight” starring Denzel Washington. It’s a story of an alcoholic pilot who faced charges for being drunk and high on drugs when the plane he was flying crashed. The story ended well since he subjected himself to rehab. He could have gotten away clean but he chose to tell the truth.

The film reminded me of an article I read about long beach rehab. I know I should have taken Psychology in college. Cases about alcoholics and drug addicts really catch my attention.

Going back to the movie, I wonder if pilots have that drug test every now and then? I sure hope they would be subject to those since they carry such a huge responsibility of taking care of their passengers’ safety while on a flight.

Odd as it may seem, the highlight of my Pagadian trip was the motorcycle ride.  You see, Pagadian motorcycles are tilted in order to endure its hilly terrains.  You get on a motorcycle (pedicab) and you would feel like you are about to be launched into the sky!

Riding on these motorcycles for the first time really feels weird, especially if you are in the back seat.  You could feel the ground behind you, not to mention that the engine gets really loud as you go up the city’s terrains!  Motorcycle drivers would gladly give you a quick tour around the city center on this thing.  The usual price would be for 100 PHP (2.50 USD) but of course, you can haggle!

Pagadian City is also awarded as the greenest and cleanest city in Western Mindanao.