Hello, 2013!

I borrowed my title from my daughter's most recent FB album. Sorry for stealing your words, Iss. I just couldn't find a title more appropriate to welcome 2013. After all the unfounded fear of the superstitious on the Mayan calendar end of the world phenom, I'm just happy to have spent New Year's Eve with my family.

When I was younger, I learned one superstitious belief that one has to be at their house once New Year's midnight strikes; else, you would be restless or unsettled all throughout the year. Our family has not been observing this tradition for as long as I remember. We have always spent New Year in hotel rooms. It started with the Millenium scare, where doomsayers warned that all the computers would malfunction. So we checked in at the Marco Polo Hotel, Davao, and welcomed the year 2000 in silence. I think it was also the year when the mayor of Davao banned fireworks in the city. Since then, we have been used to not celebrating without the usual big bang to scare away the evil spirits. What do you know, nothing unlucky has ever befallen on us. (Knock on wood!! Hahaha!)

This year, we said hello to 2013 at the Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa in Mactan, Cebu. This is the second time we've been to the place, because we have fallen in love with it.

We checked in at 10:00 a.m., but we still couldn't go to the Cebu Suite Room, which we have reserved and paid for, because the official check-in time was still at 2:00 p.m. However, we were allowed to avail of the facilities--which means we could already dip in the pool!

You need to have a band to be able to swim and go around the facilities. 

While waiting for our room to be available, we decided to rent out one of their cabanas beside the pool. We were afraid that Nanay (my mother-in-law) might suffer from heat stroke if we just let her sit on one of the pool benches.

The cabana was nice and cozy, with a flat screen TV, and all that, but what I didn't like about it was they only allowed 2 people to stay inside it--and that's for Php2,700 for three hours of use. ONLY 3 friggin' hours! Any excess person to use the cabana meant an additional Php1,000 per head. (Sorry, but I thought it was highway robbery!)

Off to swim!

The wave.

Manang Issa is the princess and the boss of the boys.

We exhausted ourselves until the kiddos were too tired to even wade.

Time to eat lunch. We ordered some pizza and fried sumthin's from the poolside bar. Remembering that only two people were allowed to go inside the cabana, we thought of closing its doors so we wouldn't be seen from the outside. Shh! 

Finally, we could already check in at 1:00 p.m.

Off to the 8th Floor!

We swam again in the afternoon. This time, we attempted to act like mermaids and shokoys.

There were some magic tricks and treat for the kids at the poolside.

And it's Media Noche for us. We brought a small lechon with us, because nothing beats a roasted piggy to toast the incoming New Year with. (Of course, we were charged with a corkage fee of Php2,500--hayy!!!)

Nanay's sister, Tita Julie, and Tata's cousin Grant, came to celebrate with us.

I think the two sisters had a really nice time together.

There was a party at the poolside, and the kids decided to take a peek. I wanted to go with them, but they refused to be seen with an oldie. Hahaha!

Isn't it much better to watch the fireworks from above? Just a thought from a pyrophobic mom.

The next day, we had our complimentary breakfast at the Familia Restaurant, where buffet abounded like there was no tomorrow. I was too busy eating to take a picture of the frenzy inside the resto. Baka maubusan? Heehehe!

Time to leave the place.

Welcome-converted-to-Goodbye drinks before we turned our backs to paradise.

I wish for more blessings this coming 2013!