Pupay Got the Bronze

August 22 was Pupay's next Storytelling Competition and it's now on the Division Level. Representatives of the first and second district schools of Mandaluyong competed and Dominique bagged the third place for her category. She was awarded with a bronze medal today and will be showing off her talent to her fellow students in their school on Monday.

Congratulations again, Pupay!

Tarsier

Picture Taken at Bohol, Philippines

Kamayan sa Palaisdaan (Part Two)

We visited Kamayan sa Palaisdaan again last Monday. As I mentioned in my first post on this place, table reservations and advanced food orders are highly recommended. Here are some of my not-so-good comments on this resto, still, the place is still worth visiting...

Does being a "famous" and "talked about" restaurant mean it's okay to sacrifice the quality of service??? Yeah, right, you have lots of customers... so, that does justify the poor and very slow service that you give your clients. Or does the word "SERVICE" even ring a bell to the management of this restaurant.

I just don't know how many times we have eaten in this restaurant, 10? 20? I guess more. It has been a traditional spot for families in Quezon to frequent the place because of its good food, reasonable price and relaxing ambiance. But during our visits, more than 60% of the time have we seen ranting customers complaining of the very slow service that they give, counting also the times that I was actually the one complaining. Personally, the slow service does not affect me anymore because we already got used to the system of calling in advance for table reservations and food order (as I have mentioned for the nth time in my posts). If you're a local of the place then maybe the poor service will not affect you that much anymore as you're already "so used to it".

It's just so sad to see people coming from faraway places just to visit the restaurant and end up very disappointed. How can we promote a very beautiful place that is almost a landmark to Tayabas, Quezon if the quality of service is just so poor???

Maybe I am just exaggerating but here are a few (very few of all that we experienced so far) examples of poor service in this restaurant and I'll let you be the judge:

• 30-minute wait to get a table
• 10-15 minutes to have a waiter visit your dining area and take your order
• almost an hour (if not an hour) wait for food to be served
• try to ask for spoon and fork (well, sorry but yes, customers sometimes still need spoon and fork even if it's supposed to be "kamayan" specially the ones with young children) and see if it will ever arrive. Yes, your request will be accommodated after asking for it 10 times and waiting for another 30 minutes. huh!
• ask for water and the same thing happens, wait another 15-30 minutes for it to be served!!! Yes, management of kamayan, your customers need "water" so that they will not choke to death.
  
• always check your bill before your pay for it... sometimes there are orders that gets placed under your bill even if it was from another table

Sad but true... these are my first-hand encounters in this restaurant. During our last visit, a lady I bumped unto in the washroom was so disappointed and furious that she was asking how can people even promote this place and be proud of it, SERVICE IS SO POOR, and that they will never ever return to this place nor will she ever recommend it to anybody! They traveled from Manila and ended up experiencing the stuff that sounded so familiar to me (the ones I mentioned above, hehe).

To the locals and frequent visitors of the place, please don't get upset with my post. I feel just the same as you do... I love the place, I really do, and it also hurts me when I see disappointed travelers and visitors ranting against the restaurant. I hope the management of Kamayan sa Palaisdaan will try to do something with the service that they offer their clients.

Well, as for me, I just don't complain. I have tried to talk to somebody from the management which I think was one of the managers or head of the waiters and expressed this concern.

As for the management of Kamayan sa Palaisdaan... I just hope you'll do something to improve the quality of service you give. Remember, you always boast of your Department of Tourism accreditation meaning you want tourists or travelers, may they be local or foreign, to frequent your place. How can they recommend your restaurant if your service is so slow and poor.

And to be fair with the Kamayan sa Palaisdaan management, the restaurant still has good food, reasonable price and worth visiting... just make sure you CALL IN FOR A TABLE RESERVATION AND ADVANCED FOOD ORDER!

Walang Ganyan sa States! - Photo Contest 2008

View my entries for the "Walang Ganyan sa States! - Photo Contest 2008" at www.photo.net.ph

• The Baptism of Jesus

http://www.photo.net.ph/displayimage-55627.html

• Kamayan sa Palaisdaan

http://www.photo.net.ph/displayimage-55626.html

• Luneta

http://www.photo.net.ph/displayimage-55615.html

• Tarsier

http://www.photo.net.ph/displayimage-55614.html

• Sunset at Malapascua

http://www.photo.net.ph/displayimage-55613.html

Sunset at Malapascua

I took this photo during our trip to Malapascua in Cebu. It seems nothing can go wrong with a picture taken with nature as your object. I am no professional photographer nor have I any training on this field. All I know about photography is to always carry a digital camera with me, point and shoot :-)

Malapascua Island is about 3 hours away from Cebu City. It is famous as a snorkeling or dive site.

PUPAY!!!

The little actress of our family, Pupay. Her real name is Dominique but we call her Pupay at home. She is my sister's youngest daughter who will become a star someday, but I think she already is, NOW!

Pupay won 3rd place for her story telling performance in the Pagkukwento (Story Telling) category of the Pampurok na Paligsahan sa Filipino of the government schools in Mandaluyong. It was held this morning at P. Cruz Elementary School. Since she placed third, she has qualified to compete in the district level. Her story was about a little Japanese girl named Yukido. After weeks of extending time in school to practice, all her hard work paid off.

Congratulations and good luck, Pupay!

Click Here to Watch Pupay's "Award-Winning" Performance

Destination Quezon: Kamay ni Hesus

Our family is Catholic by religion so every time we eat in Kamayan sa Palaisdaan our next stop would be to pass by Kamay ni Hesus in Lucban, Quezon. It was founded by the famous healing priest of Quezon, Father Joey Faller. Many Catholic devotees travel a long way to visit this healing center. Healing Masses are held usually every Mondays and Saturdays but it would be best to contact their office if you want to make sure that there would be a healing mass when you get there.

The first few times we've visited the place, there was only the grotto where you have to climb 292 steps to reach the top. At the top of the grotto you'll find the biggest statue of Jesus. My children were so amazed with the life-size statues of the Stations of the Cross. Good for my kids, they were able to climb the grotto. But as for me, I'd prefer to view them from afar. Imagine climbing those 292 steps!!!???

Recently, another section of the healing center was completed which was called "Luklukan ni Maria". This area of the center is dedicated to Mary, the Mother of Jesus, where you will find life-size statues representing the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. Photos here were taken in Luklukan ni Maria. There were also several buildings in the area which I think are meant to be retreat centers.

This is a very ideal place for prayers and reflection.

Kamay ni Hesus Healing Center (Hands of Jesus)
Lucban, Quezon, Philippines
http://www.kamaynihesus.com/
Tel. No. +63 42 5403085