Seniors Day-out 2020 at Palanas By The Sea, Boljoon!

Yes! The day that we’ve been waiting for has finally arrived! At last, this is our day to relax a bit, unwind from the busy labworks, and strengthen our camaraderie as we had our overnight stay at Palanas By the Sea, Boljoon, Cebu.

Impossible it may seem but we managed to plot our schedules where everyone can join and be part of this much-awaited reward from our back-to-back victory of the last year’s Christmas party.

On February 22, 2020, Saturday, the beautiful weather paved way for our journey. I was so sorry I came late due to personal matters. Peace, guys! 

 It took us approximately 3 hours to reach Boljoon...

HIGHLIGHTS!

Venue

This is the perfect getaway destination for the group. When we reached the place, it was so breathtaking and relaxing! It met my expectations and I do agree that it was a great fit for us.

Our room 'Nautilus' was spacious enough and the sixteen of us got accommodated with their cozy beds! I was amazed with the amenities, there's a fridge to store our cakes and drinks and a microwave to heat the leftovers. The shower/changing rooms are plenty as well.

At nighttime, I was awe-struck with the brightly colored table and seats while we had our sumptuous dinner. It added to the beauty of our outdoor dining.

Picture-taking galore

We didn't miss the opportunity to take group pics to every picture-worthy corners of the resort. Thanks to the lovely cameras our colleagues have, we got to have wonderful shots taken at various angles!

The common dining area has these lovely white flowers hanging at the top. Perfect for pictures as well! They are simply amazing! 

Games

In the afternoon, everyone had a great time participating in the Charades game facilitated by Sir Bryan and Miss Love. It was full of laughter as each one of us tried to portray what is written on the rolled paper (may it be related in the lab or just current events). We were trying to act as best as we could for our teammates to figure it out.

In the easy round, Group 1 composed of me, Miss Shine, Miss Nikki, Miss Mia, Jolie, Abby, and Carine scored more but the tables have turned in the difficult round.

I thought we were losing as we were way behind the Group 2 spearheaded with energetic Miss Arbee and members, Sir Carl, Sir Louie, Ate Charlyn, Maimai, Kristel, and Jupit. We suddenly back to the game when miraculously, Carine guessed ‘Metamorphoses’ worth 10 points! We were declared winners as we got the tie-breaker question right 'EDSA People Power' reenacted by Sir Bryan himself. We shouted for joy as we got the prize: we were free to choose our favorite Krispy Kreme flavor! Yum! J

Pool                                       

Who wouldn't be enchanted to take a dip into their infinity pool? Honestly, I was happy it was not a chlorinated pool water but rather a sea water so I enjoyed plunging with my momshies as we played games to enjoy the spree! Hmm... it was refreshing really.

Food

I couldn’t be any happier as we decided that the majority of our winnings would be allocated for the food. Honestly, I was stuffed the whole time munching the junk foods!

During lunch, we enjoyed the juicy lechon baboy and manok with the bigger puso or hanging rice bought in Carcar. The delectable cakes courtesy by Miss Love were our dessert.

Dinnertime came and sumptuous foods were ordered in their restaurant to satisfy our cravings. All of us had happy bellies despite of the spicy foods we ate.

Tagay time

The time came when we decided to start our ‘drinking sessions’ so Smirnoffs and San Mig came out of the picture and each of us had sound conversations. I really enjoyed Sir Bryan’s game called the King’s Cup where almost everyone had their share of shots. Jupit was so unlucky to have drank the King’s cup filled with a quarter of Smirnoff, a little bit of San Mig and melted cheetos. Well, that’s just better than mixed with dirty stuffs, right? haha.

Missing-In-Action

It was too bad Sir Donnie couldn’t join us as he would be flying to the US. So, we set up a video chat for him and wished him to have a safe flight. Miss Stella and Miss Maye, on the other hand, had also other appointments.

Late night debates

The night grew darker and some went off to bed while others including me opted to stay and talk about debatable issues such as divorce and abortion. Smirnoff ain't a strong drink, so I still have my sanity intact. I remembered I was always on the opposing side while Sir Bryan, Sir Lou and Miss Mia expressed their side of the matter.

Back to reality

The next morning, I woke up without any hangover. We just prepared our things as we would head back to the city. Unlike our way to Boljoon where everyone was lively, the van was filled with dead air brought from exhaustion as my senti playlist were played all throughout the ride.

I wish it was longer...

Even though this is my last day-out with the seniors but this will have an etch in my heart. I still can't believe I was once part of this dynamic team and considered a member of the family. I may seem to be a little shy to some of them but I would like to give thanks for the proper guidance and nice treatment when I was a just a junior. Thank you for believing in my talent guys. This is one for the books, indeed!