Regina Writes Again

Our Three-Week American Adventure

April 6, 2018May 21, 2018by Regina OngkikoLeave a Comment

Ever since I was a kid, I have always wanted to go to the United States of America–mostly due to the number of relatives we have over there, but also because of what I saw in movies. In high school, I even had an “American dream” which was to study fashion abroad and live in an upscale apartment in Manhattan. Fast forward to the present, and traveling to the US has finally become a reality!

So here’s what happened–our cousin Jonathan was going to get married to his fabulous girlfriend, Tina–in Denver! Lolo said that he wanted Chiara and I represent him at the wedding. So we applied for a US Visa, got approved, and on June 24 of last year, we were on our way to the US! If you want some tips on how to get a US Visa, I wrote about our experience here.

Chiara, my younger sister, basically did the whole itinerary and coordination to make sure that our three week adventure would be nothing short of exciting. The objective? Aside from attending the wedding, we wanted to be able to visit most of our relatives.

So here goes! I’ll just be sharing the highlights for each state we visited but will also write a separate post for each one (please give me time).

NEW YORK, NEW YORK!

South side view of Manhattan.

Times Square on our first night!

Grand Central Station is a movie scene favorite!

The Oculus looks like a dove.

Madison Town Square.

New York was a blast–and a beauty in every angle. Even just walking along the city gave me goosebumps. We were able to do the MUSTs– see a Broadway Show, go to Times Square, see the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, and Flat Iron, stroll in Central Park, do a Big Bus tour, go to the Museum of Modern Art, see the 9/11 Memorial and World Trade Center, and even ride the subway! Auntie Anne even bought us each a bag of treats from Dylan’s Candy Bar.

We were also in the city for the Gay Pride parade, and though we didn’t witness the parade itself, we saw a lot of people who looked like they were on their way there. It was just a really fun and festive day wherever we went. Continue reading “Our Three-Week American Adventure” →

Food

Ode to Joe

March 5, 2018March 6, 2018by Regina OngkikoLeave a Comment

03 March 2018, Los Baños, Laguna–When I saw this handwritten note outside the all too familiar door of Joe’s, my heart sank. It was a goodbye that meant a lot–maybe too much. Because for me, and for a lot of elbi people, Joe’s was a restaurant that held too many memories.

28468681_10215061843721500_1376046504091053812_n

For most, it was the restaurant you brought someone you were serious with. At that time, Joe’s was perhaps the most expensive restaurant in Los Baños, but no one complained because the food was exemplary. Back when there weren’t too many food stops and restaurants in elbi, Joe’s was always the top choice for dates, special occasions, or a major catching up session with a good friend you haven’t seen in a while.

Continue reading “Ode to Joe” →

Snoopy Tales

Quality products for pets: Hyperflite Jawz disc and PupCup [Review]

January 13, 2018February 4, 2018by Regina OngkikoLeave a Comment

It’s been so long since I wrote a pet-related post. We’ve been planning on this article for quite some time but I have just been so busy to compose it. So before I start, here’s a photo of the two furballs.

Anyway, I’ll just be discussing two major products–a disc and a water jug. To be more specific, it’s the Hyperflite Jawz Disc and the PupCup. As a bonus, I’ll also give some feedback on the Kong Classic Flyer.

Continue reading “Quality products for pets: Hyperflite Jawz disc and PupCup [Review]” →

Travel

Hong Kong: Ocean Park and Mongkok again

October 8, 2017June 30, 2019by Regina Ongkiko1 Comment

It’s every kid’s dream to go to Disneyland/Disneyworld. So it wasn’t a surprise when the first sure thing in our HK Itinerary was Disneyland. But then we also wanted to go to Ocean Park. And the tickets are expensive–and there are 6 of us, which makes it very expensive. So we had to choose only one.

So, why Ocean Park? We decided this by asking people we know who have been to both Disneyland and Hong Kong. The older people said that HK Disneyland is more for kids compared to the other Disneylands, but we couldn’t care less–because Disney is Disney and we are Disney kids for life! Then friends told us that if we want action-packed rides, we should definitely choose Ocean Park. So, Ocean Park it was.

One tip for less cost: get your tickets from your hotel concierge or from the different shops on the first floor of Chungking Mansions–way cheaper!

Second tip for an even less expensive ticket: Buy your tickets in advance from Klook. You don’t even have to fall in line!

How to go to Ocean Park from Tsim Sha Tsui

From TST, take the MTR to Admiralty (that’s just one station) and then interchange to the lime green line (South Island Line) at Platform 5/6 and get off at Ocean Park. The ride from Admiralty to Ocean Park is around 14 minutes. This is a pretty long ride and your ears might pop as you will be traveling to another island. Use your Octopus card for $11.9 fare, $5.9 for children, and $2.0 for the elderly.

When you get off at the Ocean Park Station, you’ll be greeted by sea creatures decorating the pillars of the station. It also looks so bright and so clean. And then you’ll walk on a short bridge to the park’s main entrance.

Continue reading “Hong Kong: Ocean Park and Mongkok again” →

Travel

Hong Kong: Ngong Ping Village and Mongkok

August 14, 2017June 30, 2019by Regina Ongkiko1 Comment

Our original plan for Day 2 was supposed to be Ngong Ping Village and the much talked about Nan Lian Gardens. Google Nan Lian Gardens and you will understand why it is popular. However, due to time constraints and aching feet, we decided to just go to Ngong Ping Village to have at least a cultural experience. Afterwards, we went to Mongkok to meet with Lolo’s business partners.

Oh, if you want to check out our itinerary for four days and four nights, here is our DIY itinerary.

Ngong Ping Village, Big Buddha (Tian Tan Buddha), and Ngong Ping Piazza
So Ngong Ping Village is this open-air village that is designed in the old and traditional way. I really thought it was a legit old village, but I later learned that it was created specifically for tourism. A lot of tourists go to visit the Big Buddha, so the Ngong Ping Village was designed to accommodate a large number of people. Because it was made for tourists, it has a lot of souvenir shops and restaurants.
Continue reading “Hong Kong: Ngong Ping Village and Mongkok” →