In a short while. .

hello all!, Ascertain Bliss is out on a trip. will be back in a very short while and sure to bring home lots of goodies to post when she comes home. anyway, in the archive ( see on your left)  are 236 posts for you. more than enough to fill-in the gap, right-hey? 
see you latah' ;)

Just Passing By : San Fernando, Pampanga

From HABs (see here) Fiesta in Clark, we wanted to roam around the area to see other places we haven't seen yet. But the on going hot air balloon festival with traffic jam that was quite hard to beat, pushed us to take the road less traveled which was more drive-able _ the going back to Manila route. I asked husband if San Fernando was a possibility. I was hitting on a lunch at Everybody's Cafe and besides, I've never been to this town in Pampanga. So we took San Fernando enroute back to Manila.




beautiful rotunda

I was pleasantly surprised  how  clean and wide the roads were.  I love how scenic and green these Acasia ( are they?) trees made the roads look and feel.

I really thought it was a museum, haha. a Pagcor casino, still under construction.

Christmas lantern. Sure, what's San Fernando without them!












Late for Christmas? Well, it's Christmas again in 9 months.




Cuz' was excited to buy some. She thought it was a good chance to score lanterns on sale. You know, like buying swimsuits on sale during winter or  jackets during summer. Christmas lanterns just after its season was over. On sale?




No way! They were on regular price. haha! No matter how Cuzin' tried to bargain, she couldn't settle for the price she preferred.



So we left the shop without buying, haha. enaf of Christmas for the meantime..




Finally, we reached our target. Our tummies were ready for crickets and stuffed frogs. Jump off to my food blog here  to see Everybody's Cafe's not so exotic dishes. See yah.

She Likes My Blogs. I Like Her A Lot

I had a blissful moment of meeting a friend in person the other day. Her name is Joyce Pierce from the U.S. More than a year ago she found me in the blogosphere, curious about  kare-kare (a filipino dish). Initially she delectably visited my food blog (My 3rd & 7th Sense) and once in a while my personal blog  ( as it is being updated only once in awhile,haha ) (Monik Moments). She also made her way into following me here at Ascertain Bliss and realized that I was not in the same continent as she was. She thought all the while that I was also in U.S.
Over my almost two years (still going. . ) blogging engagement, Joyce was always there to brighten my day with sunny comments and sweet thoughts. She would make her presence through my Facebook account and would always share a word or two about my recent blog post.  I, on the other hand follows her dailies on her F.B. I'd say, I see her more frequent than most of my friends ( who don't facebook) here in P.I. who live just an hour drive from my house_ haha..

Joyce would always mention her plan of visiting P.I. and would like to meet me in person.

Finally, we made things happen. She's in the country! awesomeness!!! Yesterday, we met at the hotel she was staying and it was so surreal in a very good way. It felt like we've known each other for decades. Joyce is as real as she is as I've known her from the internet. She's charming and warm with  life is beautiful smile. Her voice is so sweet too. I love her a lot.

As a bonus, Joyce was with her husband Glen and I was able to meet another sweet soul. Glen is interestingly a very kindhearted man and very amusing in so many ways.




It was such a very ( can I borrow you fave word Glen;) nourishing experience. It humbles me to know that my  blog is traversing beyond the four corners of my home. Meeting these beautiful souls ascertained bliss in my heart.

Mabuhay to you  Joyce and Glen !!!!

16th Hot Air Balloon Fiesta : Still Hot About Habs

I dream of having my own hab (hot air balloon), actually 3 habs, with each of my 3 blogs' names on each balloon, and let them fly on the next HAB Festival !!! awesomeness!! Ofcourse, never to forget_ me riding on one of them. wake-up!!!!!

So we woke- up a bit later than planned ( see here ) but punished with massive traffic and long queue of  late comers like us those availing entrance tickets.












At one point, I was panicking cos we were still outside and some of the balloons were already starting to lift up. I badly wanted to get inside and smash a closer shots of those balloons.

I looked around and saw patrons ignored the ticket line and for a while enjoyed the flight of the balloons, unmindful of the barricade blocking the view.

Well, why not, looking up to the balloons there in the sky, it didn't matter where your gaze was coming from.

But up close, I was astonished how massively huge these balloons were. .  and really humbled me in so many ways. and yes they were amazingly amusing. .  more than the airplanes :))

For a moment, I traveled back to my childhood where party balloons flew away (accidentally)  from kids' hands. .




and I would follow them with thoughtful gazes. . .




. . and always blamed myself for not being able to grab the end tail of the balloon, fast enough so I could fly with it. haha.




So just now I realize_ it must be where my love of flying rooted. That's why flying on cheap/budget airlines doesn't bother me, unlike my wealthy friends who always fly first class, cos in my humble book_ it's still flying.

The 16th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta was H - O - T !!!!!

Hot Air V- Day

I swear_ we arrived today at Clark still so dark. . .

. . . caught up in a bumper to bumper traffic with thousands of others who wished to see the early dawn flight of the hot air balloons ( scheduled to flame and fly at 5:30 am). . .




. . . but had to watch the first set of balloon flights coincided with the sun's first peek of Clark, me _ still in the middle of the traffic jam.




Nevertheless, we hit the end of the tunnel of the jam and able to catch up with other colorful hot air balloons, about to lift up from the ground.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone !!!!

* will share  more ballons later. see yah ;)

Mr. & Ms. Jackfruit

Don't you envy this couple? Mr.& Ms.Jack fruit so much together. So much ready for the V- Day coming in 4 days. That reminds me to send you all my love this Valentine's Day 2011.

Back to the lovely couple, cuz' Che found them entwined with each other in the heart of the golf course in Shangrila/Mactan.

Well, I found out the fruits were not the only couple there. I saw another couple playing .This makes me think of my own date with (who else with?hihi) husband this coming heart day. For some reason, I'm always looking forward for an intimate date with this only guy I'm seeing for decades now. Not that we rarely find time to be together, on the contrary 7pm onwards daily is me and him time. Yet, for mystical reason _ we seem to haven't gotten enough of each other. I don't know why. Cupid must have had hit our hearts so deep, haha.

Anyway, I don't think I would be able to share you that date. Guess, you'd agree with me to think that it's awkward if we're going to bring a camera and take each other photos. haha.

So, what I'll do now ( while the day hasn't come yet and I'm still around. .) is share with you more bits of the paradise-y Shangri-la, Mactan. If you missed my post of the resort's beach, click here . To visit my post on the resort's spa (Chi) click here .

This is also to suggest that if you are planning to get out of town with your partner this V-day, this is one heaven of a place. The resort was so huge, you would definitely find an all yours- secluded corner, not to mention your hotel room ofcourse. Cebu is just an hour away from Manila and airlines fly almost every two hours daily to/from Mactan. Why not?

So for now, hop in this golf cart with me and let's have a mini tour of one of the best resorts in the country.

hotel

atrium

premier room

massive lobby

one of the pools

the weather was crazy, one minute it was raining , next minute rain stopped and the sun showed -up only to be followed again by a sudden return of the rain %%, haaay. . like a confused mind of a girl.

nice garden chapel

Did I mention that the resort is a bird sanctuary? It is. You would have fun seeing how close they can get, even share your breakfast table. see here.

Also a marine sanctuary. How awesome can it get?

With the lush sprawling garden foreground, pools, private beach, luxurious rooms, sophisticated bars and restos, aviary and marine sanctuary_ Shangri-la, Mactan is a slice of heaven for couples especially this weekend of l-o-v-e.

So bye for now. Let me find a way to share my next destination without ruining taking over my V- date, . haha. see ya ;}

May all the hearts smile this Valentine ;)