From Manila to the Czech Republic: What a Journey!

The 16th of August is my hubby's birthday so I decided to take a leave from work and visit the Czech Republic. Getting a Schengen visa is fast and the staffs at the Czech Embassy Manila are nice. I really appreciate the kind assistance and friendly smiles that gave me good vibes about getting into my target destination.

The Long Journey

Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3

This is my first long haul flight to the other side of my location on Earth. I keep praying for a good and safe journey. It is raining hard and it took me an hour and a half waiting for my flight from Manila to Singapore as it was delayed due to air traffic congestion. When I finally arrived at Singapore Changi Airport, I tried to catch my flight to Frankfurt, Germany but the airplane left already so all I can do that time is to get information on what Singapore Airlines will do for that.

Singapore Changi Airport

Singapore Changi Airport

Good thing there is a flight to Zurich, Switzerland. Instead of feeling worried, I remain calm and strong. I remember thinking "five hours down, fourteen more hours to go to reach Switzerland." My flight is really boring and I get a little scared because the airplane was so shaky during the flight. I tried to sleep thinking when I wake up I am already in Switzerland but I really had a hard time trying to get a good sleep because of the shaking and aircraft noise. Whoa!

I reached Switzerland at 6AM and waited for my next flight for six hours. Inside Zurich Airport, I checked some souvenirs, walked a little and waited for the gate announcement. 

Zurich Airport 

Zurich Airport

Zurich Airport Free Wifi 

Thank God, there is free WiFi access at Zurich Airport for one hour. There, I get to chat with my husband who is already in Prague, feeling nervous, waiting for me. The gate number was finally announced an hour before my flight to Prague, Czech Republic. 

Zurich Airport

I really enjoyed taking aerial pictures during the flight. Below are some of the pictures that I have taken including Lake Constance, which borders Switzerland, Germany and Austria. 

After the two hours flight, thank God, I reached Prague...safe!   

Prague's Vaclav Havel Airport is so far the one I like the most. It is clean, quiet and not crowded. Finally, me and my husband are together again.

But my long journey didn't end there, I traveled four hours to reach my home for two months with my husband and mother in law. So, all I can really say is "What a Journey!"...from Asia to Europe...for love...

It's a Bright June Afternoon at Club Manila East in Taytay, Rizal

April and May 2015 have been busy work months. Good thing a team building has been set for the first day of June. Visiting a fine resort like Club Manila East is fit to beat the summer weather while at the same time a good place to mingle with coworkers.  Having an event like this helps boost employee morale.  A day away from the workplace can definitely improve productivity.

Here are some photos that I have taken last June 1, 2015. The date stamp is just incorrect. Bad that I was not able to check the date set in my camera.

Weekend Getaway at Dalitiwan Resort in Majayjay, Laguna

Weekend getaways can be more enjoyable when amidst nature. Lush greenery, mountains, rocks, hanging bridge and waterfalls are quintessential accompaniments to unwind. To be able to at least go far away from stressful and hectic work life, me and my office mates have organized an outing. 

Last May 23, 2015 Saturday, we went to Dalitawan Resort in Majayjay, Laguna. My colleagues left Manila at 3:30 AM and was able to pick me up at Southwoods Exit at 4:00AM. We reached the resort at 7:00 AM. We almost ran out of cottage to rent as the place is full of people already when we get there. 

Dalitiwan Resort attracts many tourists with its surrounding serenity and cascading appeal. The area is surrounded by lush greens and captivating views. My daughter enjoyed walking on the hanging bridge. She also cannot seem to wait to dip in the cold spring water the moment we get there. Below are some of the pics taken at Dalitiwan Resort.

Itinerary
3:00 - 3:30AM - Meetup 
3:30 AM - Departed Mandaluyong City
7:00 AM - Arrived at Dalitiwan Resort
11:00 AM - Lunch
3:00 PM - On our way to Isdaan Restaurant
4:00 PM - Isdaan

Entrance Fee: 
Adults - 80 pesos
Kids - 70 pesos

Cottage:
500 pesos to 1000 pesos

NBI Clearance Payment Confirmation No Match Found

So, this morning I applied for NBI Clearance for local employment. Below are the steps that I have taken:

1. Since I am a new applicant, I accomplished the sign up form that can be found at http://clearance.nbi.gov.ph/
2. After signing up, I was redirected to the NBI Clearance application page and provided required information. I selected the NBI - Mandaluyong City Hall - Maysilo Circle, Mandaluyong City.
3. I then opted to pay through BDO - over the counter bills payment. I paid 140.00 pesos. My friend opted to pay though BPI, which cost her 190.00 pesos.
4. After payment has been made, the next step is to confirm payment online.

When trying to confirm payment of 140.00 pesos online, I always get the error "No match found. Make sure you entered ACTUAL amount deposited. We will process this manually at end of day."

My schedule is this afternoon so even I was not able to confirm payment, I still proceed to my preferred NBI Branch for finger print and image/photo capturing. Since I went there at 1PM, it is too hot and crowded that I feel like I am in hell. After a few minutes falling in line, I showed my receipt/machine validated deposit slip to the assigned NBI office staff. Of course, when validating my reference ID, it will appear as UNPAID as I was not able to confirm payment online because of the error that I keep encountering. 

The NBI staff told me to check with BDO and just come back again when the status is PAID. I get upset that even if you have proof of payment, you still need to wait until the status changed from UNPAID to PAID on their system. I do not want my day to be wasted. I want my NBI Clearance application to be processed so I called Dragonpay hotline (02) 3586012 and not BDO.  The two guy staffs in that branch seems unfriendly so I didn't just go for their recommendation to check with BDO. I called Dragonpay hotline instead. As expected, it took me around 30 minutes before my call was attended to. 

I stated my case to the CSR. She asked for a copy of my payment slip. Good thing I emailed support@dragonpay.ph already with a copy of my payment slip and so she have my case forwarded to finance department as she said. The status was changed to PAID in just a few minutes and so my NBI clearance application was processed. While my friend got her NBI Clearance easily, mine is scheduled for release on the first week of June. I felt sad as I will be back in that place again. Oh well, lessons learned include: 

1. I will not opt for BDO - OTC again when paying bills like this. I might encounter the same hassles as what I have experienced today. BPI may cost more but offers smoother transaction. 

2. My other friends said they encountered no problems by paying through Bayad Centers. So, this could be another option for me than BDO - OTC payment. 

Spending My Birthday at Classic Savory SM Muntinlupa

I have a good dining experience at Classic Savory SM Muntinlupa last February 2015, so I decided to celebrate my birthday there with my mom, dad and daughter. The place is not that spacious but since it is a weekday, it is not filled with diners.

I am not happy with Classic Savory's Lechon Macau last time, so I did not ordered it again. My daughter wants Buttered Chicken but she suddenly realized that we've been eating fried chicken much the past days so, we thought of trying out something new.

We ended up ordering Fish Fillet with Tofu Tausi Sauce (225 php). The food is nicely prepared so I expected that I would be delighted by it. At first, I thought it was only me who thinks that the food is too salty until my dad joked that it seems Classic Savory has a lot of salt in its kitchen. Yes, indeed, it is too salty!

Like the Fish Fillet with Tofu Tausi Sauce, Classic Savory's Long Life Pancit Canton (215 php) is also too salty. I craved for this Pancit Canton but it only disappointed me that it is not as good as the last time I ordered it.

It is only the Yang Chow Fried Rice (195 php) that is not salty. It is good in taste but we still have leftovers as the Fish Fillet with Tofu Tausi Sauce made us lose our appetite.

It is good we ordered something sweet. Classic Savory's Turon is not bad to have a price tag of 65php. It is fine in taste and neatly prepared. I would want to order Turon again if I will be dining again at Classic Savory SM Muntinlupa. With our dissatisfaction with the salty Long Life Pancit Canton and Fish Fillet with Tofu Tausi Sauce, I am not sure anymore if we will go back there again.

My Not So Good Lunch at Classic Savory Robinsons Forum

Today, the 5th of March, my daughter has no classes so, she decided to come with me at work. We had our lunch at Classic Savory Robinsons Forum. Because we loved the taste of Savory Classic SM Muntinlupa's buttered chicken, we both thought to have it as our lunch. But this time, we tried the Affordable E-Meals 119php promo.

My daughter go for E-meal No. 2 (Buttered Chicken, Pancit Canton, Rice and Iced Tea) while I have chosen E-meal No. 4 (Buttered Chicken, Sweet and Sour, Rice and Iced Tea), upgrading my rice to Yang Chow Fried Rice for an additional 20 pesos.

We were both excited to eat but got disappointed with the taste of Buttered Chicken and Pancit Canton. Savory Classic SM Robinsons Forum's buttered chicken is not as good as that of the SM Muntinlupa branch. It is neck part also sliced in tiny pieces so, my daughter is not really happy with her lunch. The Pancit Canton is too salty and the Iced Tea is tasteless.

The Sweet and Sour Pork that comes with my E-meal is a little hard that it is difficult to chew. The Yang Chow Fried Rice is fine. Customer service is not that good too. I asked for water for me and my daughter but was given only a glass of water, which took about 10 minutes to be served. Our foods were also served after 20 minutes, it is why we were really unhappy with our lunch. My daughter even told me that we should have just had our lunch at KFC.