I've recently moved out of my parents' house to live a life of full independence and I now live with two of my friends in a place that is closer to work. Two months into the somewhat grown-upish life, the roomies and I got to scratch off the first of the many places we plan to visit, the Art In Island Museum in Cubao, QC.

Php500 for adults. Php400 for students

It was a very long commute from Cavite  to Cubao. The traffic was heavy in Guadalupe and it didn't help that we left home an hour before lunchtime. We arrived around 4:30 at the museum. I did not expect the place to be packed with people.


We deposited our shoes and readied our cameras to begin the fun. Our baby girl began to run all over the place out of excitement. She even tried swimming on the floors.

The 3D art is far too convincing

There are markers on the floor so that you'd get the perfect angle but we didn't figure that out until later.

This small sticker right here is a lifesaver. Perfect photos, all the way!

There's also a guide of how to take a picture of the art in each area.

For when you couldn't really figure things out

It was a challenge to get the right angle especially when you're trying to compete with what feels like a bajillion other people. I always ran for it when a group left the space.

Out of the way, people. Awesome jump shot, coming through

The place was surprisingly huge! The last 3D art museum I've been to was Seriland in Ocean Park and that place is really tiny compared to Art In Island.

Did I mention the place was huge?

They have this cute cafe inside the museum. Thank goodness because we were exhausted and dehydrated.




We were able to roam the whole place in about three hours. We noticed that there was only a handful of people left by 7 pm. If you want the place all to yourself and you have your own vehicle, I think some time around 6 pm onward would be the best time.

On our way to the exit

We left the museum with a camera fat with photos of us, us, and more us. The next day, our Facebook profile and cover photos were updated. :)

Update (5/26/2017) : No problems so far. I no longer remember what's it like to depend on a pair of glasses everyday. Still enjoying the benefits of my Lasik procedure two years ago :)

Update (4/7/2016) : It's been a year since my Lasik surgery! Happy anniversary, perfect eyesight! I am happy to report that my vision is still crystal clear with no complications whatsoever. I've been hiking, swimming, running, reading, and writing and have not experienced anything noteworthy. Getting this surgery is definitely one of the best decisions I've made.  

Update (8/1/2015) : It has been 3 months after the surgery and my eyes are doing great! I've been to El Nido, Palawan recently and I was able to swim in it's beautiful coral reefs.  I am one happy customer. :)

I have been wearing glasses since I was seven. When I was in grade school, the kids teased me. When I was in high school/ college, it was a hassle because I was in the swim team. Now, I found it to be even more unbearable because I got into running and I travel a lot. I hate wearing contacts. So when I found out about BDO's 50% off promo on Shinagawa's Lasik services, not even a hint of hesitation passed my mind. I was determined to get my eyes fixed.



I called the clinic and asked what were the things to do if I were interested in the procedure. After asking my age, they told me that I should go through a screening first. I scheduled my screening on a Saturday.

Man, that is one fancy clinic

The screening took around 4-5 hours. I would strongly suggest that you do not set any other appointments on the day of your screening. I'm glad I didn't. There was a quite a lot of people, which is normal on the weekends according to them. They gave me a questionnaire that asked  about personal information and a survey of how you've heard of them. They also gave me a copy of the list of tests during the screening and how it would be done. When I submitted the questionnaire, I waited for a bit then I was called. Time to put those eyes to the test!

There are so many machines. These are just the half of them

After numerous tests and a lot of waiting, the results were in. I am a qualified candidate for Shinagawa's Lasik procedure. Huzzah! Apparently, not everyone passes this screening. Some due to age, some due to very high eye grade, and there are some who, because of wearing contact lens a lot, scarred their eye too deep, the procedure was not possible.

After discussing with the doctor and the consultant, I was surprised to learn that I had to let them know right away if I wanted to avail the Lasik procedure. My plan was to find out if I pass the screening then figure out some things financially then decide. I had little choice but to decide that day. After much deliberation... lol jk, I didn't do much deliberation. I just panicked a bit then told them I'll go for the most expensive Lasik procedure because they were scaring the daylights out of me with all the less expensive ones. I gave the down payment (because I couldn't afford to pay everything right away) and left the building with a smile on my face, not sure if excited or nervous. It was finally happening.

I scheduled the procedure on the first week of April. I asked my parents to take me. I prepared my payment. I waited.

On the day of the procedure, I waited a few more hours. When they finally called me, I found myself grouped with four other people who were scheduled for the procedure as well. They gave us a pack containing eye medicine and a pair of glasses.
After a quick orientation, we waited again. The reason we had to wait this time is because the machine had to be warmed up. This is also the reason why the procedure is done in batches. 

Do you remember the scenes on TV dramas where doctors are working on their patients and the patient on the table sees the lights and the surgeons? It sort of felt like that. Only, there were no surgeons. Just a big machine over your face. I could feel my heart pounding but I did my best to obey what the doctor told me to do, like look up or look down. The procedure itself was really quick. It took 8 minutes per eye.

When it was done, we all went back to the room where we were oriented and waited for everyone to finish. Our eyes were beginning to hurt. The personnel took some anesthesia drops and applied it to our eyes for some quick relief. The doctor came in and checked our eyes. There were no problems with mine. I was good to go.

IT STINGED. During the ride home, my eyes were killing me. The anesthesia wore off and I couldn't do a thing. My eyes wanted to give up. I kept it close until we got home and I went straight to bed hoping it would wear off the next day. And it did. 

The next day, I found that my vision wasn't a 100% perfect. Everything was clear, yes, but I was seeing double. It was mild and only obvious with edges but it frustrated me anyway because I wasn't used to it and I paid good money for good vision right away. Since I couldn't do anything about it, I patiently waited for it to go away. I applied all my eye medicine on time like I was told to. I wore the tinted glasses during the day. I wore the eye shields at night.

Eye shields are given for free. Cat not included

After more or less a week, the double vision was gone. EVERYTHING WAS CRYSTAL CLEAR.

On my first post Lasik check-up, they checked my eye grade and I was informed that I had 20/10 vision. How great is that?! After almost 20 years of hiding behind a pair of glasses, my eyes are finally free!  Sure, it cost me what my kidney would be worth if I sold it but I have no regrets. Once my financial woes eases down a bit, I'd be able to go swimming, running, hiking and travelling again without the trouble of having to wear spectacles. 

Check it! Check it! Now people can see my cute baggy eyes!

I thought of sharing some details (costs, etc.) like I always do with my posts but it would be better if you call the clinic instead.  I wouldn't want to be the cause of misinformation. They respond right away to calls and are very accommodating. Don't hesitate to call them if you have inquiries.

Hi there! I'd like to share with you a list of things I have to absolutely have with me during a casual day hike. This does not include the important things that you're really supposed to bring. These are more like things that you can or cannot bring depending on your preference.

Arm & Leg warmers

I'm not really sure if this is a supposed-to-bring thing but I know people who don't use these so I'm adding this to the list. Since the Philippines is a tropical country, I don't really need extra clothing to keep me warm during a day hike. The purpose of these is to protect your extremities from getting cut from sharp weeds and from being a blood-sucking critter's next meal.

The horror

Gloves
I am the only person I know who always have a pair of gloves when going for a day hike. I have a tendency to grab on rocks and weeds because my knees are not as strong as I would like them to be. There was a time that I didn't wear my gloves and I got cut from some grass I grabbed on while getting down to lower ground. I took that as a sign and swore never to expose my bare hands to the wilderness ever again. 

They always do

Extra footwear

I don't use these during a hike. I wear them after. The sandals I wear for day hikes are terrible. There are parts that rub against the skin until it bleeds. I know I should buy a new pair and I will, but for now, I'll always bring a pair of extra footwear for the sake of my feet's comfort.

so that's why

Camera



I used to always bring my mirrorless camera, but now I only bring may camera phone with me. Besides the fact that it is less bulky, the photosphere feature on my Nexus is great. I can fool people into thinking that I have a camera capable of wide-angles. Ha ha!

No matter what your camera is or no matter how many times you've been to the same mountain, I think you should bring one just in case. You never know what you'd find.

photosphere users would understand

Walking pole

I don't actually have my own walking poles because I hear those things are pricey. The walking poles I use are from the mountain itself. Sometimes, a tour guide would cut a branch and turn it into a pole for me (I kind of feel bad for the plants though). Sometimes, I just stumble upon poles used by other hikers. I actually like it better than the kind that you can buy. It makes me feel more explore-y and more like a mage or wizard.

I wish I had the guts to really do this

And that's it, my list of essentials. I hope you learned something new from me today. Have a good day!

A friend of mine invited us to have lunch on a Saturday afternoon at the Bag of Beans, Tagaytay. We ended up having a quick Day Tour over the place.

Bag of Beans

The lunch buffet cost php595 and is open from 11am to 3pm.

The girls and I ready for a buffet

Look at all that filipino food!

Pastries

Salads and some fruits

Don't forget the desserts!

Ready, fight!

The food is so-so. Save for the fruit jelly, none has excited my taste buds. The place is beautiful though.

Puzzle Mansion

So after filling our bellies to the nth power and taking pictures in the vicinity, we decided to visit the Puzzle Mansion, which was a 10-minute drive away from Bag of Beans.

A ticket costs php100

Failed attempt at trying to capture the whole first floor

These are my favourite

Some of the jigsaw puzzle pieces are not the usual kind

There is quite a number of people.

3D puzzles

The biggest jigsaw puzzle in the world

There are tons of jigsaw puzzle sets you can purchase from their souvenir shop

And t-shirts too

The Puzzle Mansion is an interesting place to go to. There is a guide who describes most of the pieces in the museum but I didn't care much for his explanations. My friends and I were satisfied taking a bajillion photos in the area.

Mushroom Burger

After the mansion, while driving back, Mushroom burger caught our attention and we entered the premises for a delicious burger of mushroom goodness. Their mushroom fries are good too. Too oily, though.

To-go because none of us have recovered from the buffet

Mushrooms. Mushrooms, everywhere.

The last time I was here was when I was in grade school and everything looks exactly the same. How is that possible?

Amira's Tart House

Finally, our last stop was Amira's Tart House. Man, I love their tarts!

Too bad, only the cheesecake tarts were left.

Its good but I want their regular tarts too. I bought three boxes of cheesecake tarts

Bought some cream puffs too because it's so cute

They have other products too.

And that concludes our day trip to Tagaytay. Having a friend who has a car is sooo convenient. Haha! Maybe it's time I get myself one too for more road trips like this. ;)