Valentine's Date @ Manila Ocean Park

Since boyfriend and I wanted to try something new this Valentine's day, we decided to go to Manila Ocean Park for some under the sea experience (not literally of course, I can't swim). We arrived there at around 10:30 AM and we're lucky that the queue to Oceanarium was still short. I only saw a few tourists, kids who were on a field trip and some lovey dovey couples like us.

The Oceanarium is actually divided into 7 stations. The first station is called Agos (Flow) where you can see a simulated waterfall that flows into water tanks containing various kinds of fish. Its jungle-inspired atmosphere made us feel like we were trekking in a real forest. We even saw two medium-sized crocodiles below the wooden bridge. The highlight of this station is the collection of starfish of different hues and sizes. The Oceanarium guide allowed us to touch the starfish but we were not allowed to remove them from the water (too bad I can't take home one of them as a souvenir).

Is that you, Patrick the starfish?

Next is the Bahura (Coral Reef) station where you can see several smaller tanks decorated with colorful coral reefs and sea creatures. Among the creatures that caught my attention are the garden eel (they look like worms), the King Crab (it's the largest crab I've ever seen) and the clownfish a.k.a Nemo.

Worm-like sea creatures called garden eel

I am the largest crab of them all (King Crab)

The third station is the Laot (Fishing Ground). There are four large aquariums in this station that displays bigger fishes. I saw some treasure chest on each aquarium, probably to depict a sunken ship theme. I was not amazed with this station because there are only few fishes which made the large tanks seem empty.

Buhay na Karagatan (The Living Ocean) is my most favorite station. My boyfriend and I simply loved the mini underwater tunnel with lots of marine animals that's why we took some time to record a video of this relaxing scene. It really made us feel like we were under the sea.

Cutest fish I've ever seen (look at those antenna and pouty lips)

I didn't like the station called Ang Kalaliman (The Deep) because it is just a single tank with a single type of fish swimming in unison. The next two stations, Pagi (Stingrays) and Pating (Sharks), are worth mentioning because they are the main attraction of the entire Oceanarium. The large stingrays are so beautiful to look at when they glide gracefully in the water. On the other hand, most of the sharks were sleeping by the time we arrived at the sharks station yet they were still very scary (I can't remove the image of a shark attacking a human from my mind).

Sleeping sharks (yes, they sleep with their eyes open)

That was the end of our Oceanarium journey and for the price of P400 per adult I don't think it worths our money because the tour was just very short. Also, if you want to try their other attractions like the Dancing Jellies, Fish Spa and the Glass Bottom Boat Ride, you still need to pay P150 each (I thought they're already included in the P400 entrance fee). Overall, my boyfriend and I gave Manila Ocean Park a rating of 7 out of 10 because we believe that they still have a lot of things to improve (e.g. more diverse and bigger fishes). We are also looking forward for the opening of MOP (Manila Ocean Park) Mall, probably by the end of this year.

Belle de Jour Power Planner 2010

My lovely Belle de Jour Power Planner 2010

Aside from the brand new Sony Cybershot digicam, my beloved boyfriend also gave me a planner as a Christmas present. No, it's not just an ordinary planner that I usually get as giveaways from stores. It's also not a Starbucks planner that is rather popular among the young professionals nowadays. It is the Belle de Jour Power Planner 2010 - the most stylish planner in town for women. It's an all-in-one planner especially designed for women that's why it also has a supplementary page where you can track your menstrual cycle. There are also pages where you can list down your goals for this year and your monthly expenses. Plus, you can read beauty and self-help articles every month to bring out the best in every woman like me. Belle de Jour Power Planner costs around P600, a bit pricey for a planner but it really worths the price. I think what made it expensive is because there are lots of discount coupons inside it that you can use in different clothing stores, food establishments, spas and salons. Honestly, I'm not the type of person who uses a planner daily but now that I have a Belle de Jour Power Planner I'll definitely be more motivated to organize my schedules. I'm even using it as a mini diary ^_^

First Anniversary Celebration

Last Friday (July 27), CC (my honey) and I celebrated our first anniversary as a couple at the nearest Tokyo Tokyo restaurant in my place. Supposed to be our dinner date should take place at Tasty Dumpling Restaurant which is our favorite Chinese restaurant in Binondo because they serve the largest and the most tender pork chop we’ve ever tasted! Unfortunately, I had a terrible stomach pain that morning (diarrhea included) so I preferred eating at the nearest restaurant in my house just in case I have the need to go to the loo right after eating Regardless of my terrible gastro condition, CC and I were still able to enjoy our anniversary dinner date and it was one of our happiest moments ever. The dinner date itself was simple but it was really unforgettable Do you still remember the first time you and your boyfriend/girlfriend celebrated your anniversary together?

My First Blog Post

I love reading the blogs of people from all walks of life and from various nationalities. I find it very amusing on how people manage to share their daily life experiences through their blogs and made them available to millions of readers worldwide. I started reading my friends’ blogs last year through Friendster. I become so addicted to it that I began searching the Net for various blog sites and started reading other people’s blogs even though I don’t even know who they are. But one thing is for sure, I really learn a lot of things by simply taking a glimpse to a person’s inner thoughts and emotions through his blog. There are also some blogs that will make you smile even to your saddest days because of their humorous contents.

Inspired by the blogs that I’ve read, I decided to create my own blog to share to the whole world. I’ll call my blog Pink Chinita Doll because I’m half Filipino-half Chinese and I love everything that is in pink. This blog will serve as a medium for me to share my current thoughts and experiences to blog readers. I hope you will enjoy my blog as much as I enjoy reading your blogs. Blog readers, welcome to my humble blog! Oops, don’t forget to leave your comments