The following days up to New YEar

OK hellooo.. I'll tell you about Ann's debut! When a girl has their 18th birthday in the Philippines its so different to the UK!
Well me, Kia, Kei, Paolo and Camille left early for the party so that we'd be there on time! For 6pm - not Filipino time! But all the other guests were running by Filipino time so they didn't arrive till nearer 7pm! The place was really beautiful.. On the 11th floor of a building in Makati.. The elevator had an amzing view over the Makati skyline.. And the venue where Ann's party was also had an amazing view  over all the skyscrapers at night...Soo first we ate lots of food.. really good food.. Then there was a band... Ahh i've forgotten what happened.. There were some games aswell.. And 18 roses.. Which is when the debutant (Ann) has a dance and a rose from 18 of her closest male friends and family.. And then there are 18 candles... When 18 of her female friends and family hold a candle and give her an inspirational message.. and then the 18 gifts! Which I was part of.. We had to go up to the front to Ann and explain why we bought the gift for her and give her the gift... We were all nervous about what to say but it was ok.. Then afterwards there was more music.. And then the Cruz (family) band played.. And then it was midnight and time to go home (I probably forgot something.) We wanted to buy cornflakes so we could make choclolate crispy cakes (yes after midnight) but they didnt have any cornflakes in the 7/11s.. So we got a taxi home.. the 5 of us crammed in again.. And Camille wanted to treat us to Mcdonalds.. But they didnt have anything available there.. So much for 24 hours  Mcdonalds! So we just went home and Kei and Paolo went ot buy tapsilog (fried egg, rice and beef) It was nice. especially at 2am...  We all slept over again at Camille's grandads house (he wasn't home,) We started to watch  a film but after 10 minutes i'd fallen asleep.. And we didn't wake up till 11am! Then we decided we wanted to make chocoalte crispy cakes... But I couldn't find any syrup.. So we went to one supermarket and they didn't have it.. then we went all the way to another one which was far away.. and they didn;t have it.. Then we got home and i looked again in the kitchen and i found the syrup! So we made a mess in Tatay Tony's kitchen making the cakes... And then we burnt the chocolate but fixed it again! And after 5 hours in the refrigerator it was ready! It was soo nice.. much better than my last failed attempt on my birthday! And everyone on the looban liked it.. Yay!
OK I think thats it for now.. Tonight I'm going to another party! I need to sleep!

Christmas in the Philippines!

Wow! Whoops I haven't written here for so long.. I've got so much to say...
OK December 18th was my birthday! We had a party in the evening... We had soo much food and loads of people came.. We just chatted and ate and then later did karoake! at midnight we went to Ann's house, it was also her birthday and Paolo's aswell! They're 18th! We played a few drinking games and watched the weirdest movie ever - Teeth! Haha it was a good night.. But by 2am I was so tired and went to bed...
On Sunday night we were going to go swimming but a private party booked the place so we couldnt.. So insteaad we went to Ate Lorna's house and ate all the junk food left over from my party... And then went to Guia's house where I stayed overnight and didn't sleep until 5am... So I spent most of Monday sleeping! Ok I forgot what I did on the days after that.. But on Thursday night (23rd) (I think it was thursday) lots of us spent the night at Tatay Tony's house... Me, Kia, Kei, Camille, Paolo, Trixcia, Kathleen and Ann (They are all cousins around my age) It was fun! We played uno and some crazy card games with vodka hahaaa.. And then we watched some really weird scary movies... I'm not good with scary movies so I was hiding a lot of the time haha... We didn't sleep till past 5am! Everyone was like sardines... Camille, Kathleen, Kia and Ann slept in one bed and me and Trixcia had a single mattress and Kei slept on the floor... I was so sleep the next day but I still managed to go to the mall with Ate May..
On Friday (24th) we went to Greenwoods (a subdivision type thing) because Tatay Tony wanted some cassava.. SO they dug up the cassava and got some sugarcane and bananas too! IN the evening we celebrate nochebuena! It was soo much fun........ We had lots of chairs and tables outside on the looban with lots of food and also the karoake!  We played some party games and ate too much and sang lots! Then we exchanged gifts in monito monita (secret santa.) Lots of people went home after midnight but Me and Kei, Ann and Kathleen, Kuya Ricky, Dante and some people I don't know stayed up past 5am doing karoake and palying card games and drinking (a little!).. Haha it was soo funny.... It would never be allowed in England.. The karoake was sooo loud and they were still singing outside until 5am.. I don't know how the neighbours slept!
I had 4 hours sleep and then it was Christmas Day! Loads of people visited.. they come to see their godparents to ask for money every December 25... I just stayed at home on Christmas Day and chatted with everyone.. And exchanged gifts.. OH and I also tried to organise our trip on December 26...
On Boxing Day we went to Laguna to see some of the family as there was a wake... They live in the countryside.. it was a nice place.. and then we went to Daranak falls... And another waterfall whose name ive forgotten.. It was soo nice.. The pools at the bottom were turquoise and beautiful.. We went swimming.. The water was cool and soo refreshing...
When we got home Kei, Kia, Ann and me watched  Avatar at Ann's house...... We ate loads of chocolate from the duty free so it was like English chocolate and loads of crisps.. I stayed awake through 2 hours of the film but fell asleep and missed the last 20 minutes haha... I was soo tired..
Yesterday (27th) we planned to go to the mall at 10.. at 10.30 i went to Kei;s house and there lola (grandma) said they were still sleeping hahaa...  So we didnt leave till 12... We needed to buy gifts for Ann's 18th birthday celebration.. And also dresses and a shirt for Paolo! Haha Paolo was soo slow at choosing... he didn't buy a shirt untill 9pm! He's so picky... By that time we all wanted him to hurry up and choose so everytime we saw a shirt we acted like a salesperson and tried to persuade him to buy it.. It was soo funny...
Ooo and we ate so much food... They have awesome food in the mall... We had pork steak and rice and iced  tea for about £1.70.. And amazing icecream for P15 which is like 30p i think... In the evening we had like beef in a wrap with vegetables and asauce.. then we bought nachos.. and siomai.. and crepes.. and jolibee fries... We were sooo full! Then finally after that Paolo found a shirt and we went home at 10pm...
OK thats it! Thats my Christmas! Tonight is Ann's debut! SO i need to prepare for the party!

Back in Manila!

I've had a busy week so far since I arrived back in Manila. Maybe thats why I'm so tired.

On Monday I woke up so early again at 4.30am! Mum I hope your proud! (I hate early mornings!) So that I could go to Santolan high school with my friend Gian for his religious organization on a kind of medical mission thats free for the kids. He taught me how to test for people's blood type.. so during that morning I tested lots of kids blood types! It was fun.. The kids were so lovely... they were all scared and kept asking me Masaket? Is it painful? In the afternoon I got interviewed by the tv crew ahhhh it was scary! And the interviewer guy - whoah he was a bit scary.. He had this hugeeeeeeeeee smile and the whole time I was speaking he was putting on this hugeeeeeeeeee smile and kept nodding - it was quite off putting.. haha..

Yesterday I got up early again! Filipinos love early mornings - so that I could go to Erien's school to watch her perform in her Christmas show.. Afterwards me and Ate May went to the centre of Manila to get my visa extension - it only took half an hour! And then we got the ferry back to Pasig.. There were loads of kids swimming naked in the river and waving at the ferry - haha they were so funny........

Last night we went to a place whose name I can't remember to watch Erien perform with her choir and Coleen sing solo in a Christmas competition.. All the kids were sooo talented! I've never seen so many good young singers! Even on Britain's got talent!

Ok wow! I think thats it.. I've finished! I've told you everything I've done so far! I hope it wasn't too boring! Sorry if my grammar and spelling is bad hahaa!

Palawan!

Ok the next day was the day I left for Palawan! I was a bit apprehensive because everyone was worried about me going alone and thought it might be dangerous.. But it was fine.. I felt really safe when I got there! There were lots of other travellers.. I travelled to Port Barton on my first day.. And after reaching the nearest town - Roxas (more than an hour away) I had to wait for the jeepney to Port Barton. Whoah it was a bumpy ride on an un paved road through rice paddys and there were loads of Nipa huts and caribou (water buffalo) in the fields.
When I arrived in Port Barton it was so amazing.. The people are unbelievably friendly, if you walk down the street everybody says hello even the kids. My resort was about 100m from the beach,, wow the beach is amazing.. so beautiful and quiet.. There weren't too many tourists, it was mainly locals. On the jeep to Port Barton I made friends with a local girl called Queenie, she showed me around everywhere.. She was really nice although her English was limited like my Tagalog haha but we got by..
The next day I met a Filipina called Mae on vacation there, and we decided to walk to the waterfalls nearby. Well we thought it was nearby but after 2 hours walking we nearly died of exhaustion.. It was so hot and tiring... But finally we arrived after 4 km and it was amazing.. A really tall waterfall with a huge cool pool at the bottom.. And we had it all to ourselves! It was only me, Mae and our tour guide Jhun there! The pool was soooooooo nice to swim in coz we were so hot and sweaty haha..
The next day me and Mae and an Australian couple went island hopping and snorkelling.... It was really beautiful I saw some clown fish! Like Nemo! And I also bashed my feet on the coral and rocks ouchhhh! The islands were really beautiful... Jhun our tour guide again cooked us fresh yellow fin tuna and rice for lunch - it was soooooooooo nice!
Ooo in Port Barton they only have electricity from 6pm to midnight.. so that was interesting...
I got the jeep the next day to Roxas then caught the bus to El Nido.. The most uncomfortable bus in the world.. I was sat for 4 hours squeezed into a hard seat next to a nice woman who kept giving me food (the seat was barely big enough for two) with my feet in the aisle on a bag of rice because my legs were to long to fit behind the seat in front.. My bum was so unbelievable numb haha...
OK so finally we arrived in El Nido after lunch and me and a Dutch Man walked to our resort which was just outside the town.. A different Australian couple recommended it.. But we didnt realise how far out it was.. So we walked for about 20 minutes along the beach with our heavy rucksacks (it was really beautiful) and we finally arrived at Kalinga resort.. I got a room for 500 pesos per night (about 7 pound i think)  about 5 metres from the sea.. It was soo nice... 
So after i sorted out my stuff me and the Dutch Man walked back to town to have a look around ( I didn't like it as much  as Port Barton, the people weren't so nice and the atmosphere was different.) We got dinner and then decided to walk back, and didn't realise there was a black out and pouring it down with rain. So we had to walk for 20 minutes in the pitch black (the only light was my cellphone - i forgot my torch) through a flooded path getting soaking wet (I didnt have an umbrella.) It was horrible.. Not a good impression for my first time in El Nido. I bought a candle and found my way back to my room, and maybe an hour later the electricity came back on! I've never been so happy in my life to have electricity! It was amazing!
Ok I'm not sure if it was that night or the next night, but I looked at the ceiling and saw a lizard. I thought oh that's an interesting decoration. And then I thought "Crap, what if it's real?!" It was about a foot long, then the more I looked at it the more I realised it was real! Ahhh I didn't know what to do, so I went to find the owner (in my pyjamas) and she got a wooden paddle and chased it around my room.. Haha ! But it didnt go outside, it just moved so it was above my sink.. So that night I was too scared to brush my teeth! Yuck!
The next morning I decided to go island hopping, but it was raining soooo hard! But it was my only day in El Nido so i thought I had to! I went on the trip for the day for 500 pesos... and I didnt see much of El Nido coz it was raining sooo hard! We visited a secret beach, we jumped off the boat and then swam through a hole in the rock and behind there was a beautiful little beach that was inaccessible except for the hole. So we went through the day visiting islands like that. Each time we got back on the boat we were soooo frozen! I've never been so cold in the philippines! It was raining so hard, and it was really windy coz the boat was moving fast. The driver of the boat wore a bin liner so he wouldnt be so cold!
The next day I left El Nido (still in the pouring rain - my rucksack got so wet) at 5am! I had to get up at 3.15 am! I slept literally all day, I arrived in Manila at 8pm.. It was good to be home..
Ok so thats that about Palawan!

My first week continued....

OK.. I shall continue my blog.. actually I don't remember where I left off........... Ok now I know.. Ahh I'm so tired..  And its only 10.30am.. I'm always tired now. I think its coz of the heat........
Ok my first week in Manila...
On the Sunday we went to Ate Arlene's house because it was her birthday.. And we ate lots as usual.. Haha on the way home we go a tricycle but there were lots of us.. and only one tricycle so 9 of us squeezed in.. We were very squashed... And for you British people a tricycle is not made for 9 - normally 3 or 4 share a tricycle..
On Tuesday evening I went to Ate Lorna's house in Greenwoods.. It was so nice to see her again.. She's so funny.. She cooked caldereta and then she insisted her maid give me a massage.. It was really good hahaaa..
Ooo the next night me and Ate May went to the Palengke (market) where they had qa clotes sale and i got soo many cheap clothes... shorts for a pound, a blouse for about 50p, tshirts for less than a pound  it was crazy! And they actually had my size! Coz normally I'm too big hahaaaaa.....
Ooo and in the morning Ate Love taught me how to wash my clothes by hand! It was soo tiring.. but I need to learn in case i dont have laundry facilities when I'm travelling in other countries..
Okkk the next day I went to a party with Ate Dina, it was really fun.. First we gatecrashed another party next door so we could eat spaghetti (it's ok i think it was a relative of one of Ate Dina's friends)  and then we were still early to the other party so we just did videoke, well I didn't because I can't sing haha but the others did. It was a really fun night.
Ok what else.. I'm trying to remember everything I've done over the last few weeks, it was so long ago!
My memory is so bad...
Ok wow how many times have i said ok? Right on the Saturday night before I went to Palawan we went to Tiendesitas! It's like a big open seating area with lots of food and drink outlets surrounding it and there's a stage at the front with a live band... So yeah a big group of us went there.. It was fun....

First few days in Manila!

Helloo! Wow my first blog! Thanks to Alex who recommended it!
OK so my trip started on November 25th at Heathrow airport! I promised myself I would not cry! And I didn't! I dont know how that was possible! I always cry! I told my Mum she couldn't cry and believe it or not (If you know my Mum) she didnt although she had tears in her eyes when i walked into departures.. I arrived in Hong Kong on the 26th.. I was so tireed coz I couldnt sleep much on the plane.. It was nice but too busy for me.. I went up to the Peak which is like a little mountain and there was an amazing view over Hong Kong. Anyway i went back to the airport and waited for ages for the delayed plane to Manila.. I arrived at around 10pm and the first thing I noticed was the smell - It smelt like the Philippines! Haha! OK and then i got my luggage, redid my make up and went through to arrivals and saw Ate May and the kids and they jumped on me! It was so nice to see them! And Nanay and Tatay too! We drove home through the crazy late night Manila traffic and outside the compound some of my "extended family" were outside.. It was so nice too see them again.. I spent the weekend relaxing and chatting to everyone on the looban (compound).. Oh and on the Saturday night I went to Ate May's school reunion.. At this big open bar place called Metro Walk.. It was nice there was live music and I got to know some of her friends.. Ahhh I've forgotten what else I did... Ok I'll write some more later when I remember! Sorry if my English is bad! I've forgotten how to speak English English.. Haha. I have to speak differently here otherwise no one understands me!