One Big Juan!

And it's finally here!… Er well, in Manila! ;) 

Cebu Pacific has received its first Airbus A330 and boy it's looking good! The delivery of this first huge aircraft marks a milestone for Cebu Pacific, which is launching its first long haul flight to Dubai on October. 

The A330 is a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus, a popular aircraft manufacturer based in Toulouse, France that produces approximately half of the world's jet airliners. The A330 is one of the most widely-used aircraft in the airline industry today showing just how efficient and safe it is. For Cebu Pacific, this new addition to their fleet is their biggest plane yet earning it the nickname, The Big Juan. 

Here are fun facts from Cebu Pacific's Twitter account about their new baby… 

Take a journey with the Big Juan right now! Yes, right now with this video showing The Big Juan's shipping and assembly in Toulouse, France to its maiden flight to the Philippines! 

Wooow! It truly is a feat of design and engineering and if it is up to us, The Pink Tarha will be excited to go on a journey with The Big Juan! 

Good thing for our readers in the United Arab Emirates because you have a chance to be the lucky Juans inside The Big Juan on its first flight from Dubai to Manila. Get a chance to fly in the A330 for free by joining Cebu Pacific's 100 Lucky Juans contest. Just share with us how you will make your homecoming fun in the 100 Lucky Juans Facebook app. Join now!

Home Sweet Home

Isn’t Home Sweet Home all we long for? 

The first week’s winners of Cebu Pacific’s 100 Lucky Juans Contest has just been proclaimed and I noticed that all of five of them focused on talking about going home to their provinces and families. Indeed, home is where our heart is!

Read on to see who won and what their entries encapsulated: 

Jive Gonzales, who is a native of Aklan talked about the different places that she misses back home like Tanay, Antipolo and of course, Aklan. One of the highlights of her photo was the famous Ati-Atihan Festival of her hometown. 

John-John Cabrillos had this vision of his homecoming in mind and particularly mentioned his fond memories of Cebu, where he is from. His photo really expressed his longing to be back home. 

Ernesto Payumo was unique in his submission by writing a Tagalog poem in honor of his hometown, San Miguel, Bulacan and how this photo shows a view that he would always want to come home to. 

In Jheddalyn Aquino’s winning entry, she talks about how coming home to the Philippines brings everyone together, including her soon-to-be husband’s family. 

Lastly, Joan Ramos plans to surprise her family by coming home should she win this contest. And yay for her because she can definitely do that now! 

Congratulations to all the winners and may you all have a sweet homecoming ahead of you courtesy of Cebu Pacific! 

There are still a lot of chances to win a seat in Cebu Pacific's first Dubai-Manila flight in October! Submit your entries to the 100 Lucky Juans contest now! ;)

*This is a sponsored post. However, all opinions in this entry are The Pink Tarha's.

It's More Fun Being a Filipino

One thing that we like about us Filipinos abroad... we always know how to have fun. Despite the distance that separates us from our families and friends back in the Philippines, we still find ways on how to entertain ourselves. We in the Pink Tarha pride ourselves in knowing that we share the same mind set that most Filipinos have all over the world, it's not only more fun in the Philippines... it's also more fun being a Filipino. 

We can't help but smile and grin at some of the photos entered in the Cebu Pacific 100 Lucky Juans contest. We can so relate in these photos of Filipinos who find ways to enjoy themselves in the United Arab Emirates. We're pretty sure Filipinos in Saudi Arabia also have these moments of fun taken in between working hours and duties. 

Take for example this video entry by Tristan Bangero, an employee of LBC, who found a solution to his homesickness. 

A video entry

He made a video of photos collected over the years so that he have something fun to watch whenever he misses his child. This "slideshow" is one cool way to reminisce happy moments to ease homesickness. I bet this would be followed with a "Gentleman" video pretty soon. ;) 

Talk about having fun in the kitchen... 

Cute puto

This photo of puto, a Philippine delicacy, is so cute! It's reminiscent of special occasions in the Philippines... or better yet, fiestas and birthdays! Juliet Constantino's home made puto looks delicious... and even more eye-catching is the use of those smiley faces that we can't help but, well, smile! 

The easiest way to have fun when we're traveling abroad? Take a photo and pose like no one's looking!  

Be your own subject.

Just look at Jojo Galve's entry where he flexes those muscles with a brightly-lit background of Doha's skyline. We're pretty sure there are more poses and photos where this came from. We can't blame him... with a gorgeous backdrop like that, we'll have fun posing too! 

And this photo's subject is a cutie: 

I'll have this baby save me! ;)

Looks like someone made fun of this baby! Haha! Isn't Lalaine Rosales' son in his Superman costume adorable? 

For more fun in the Philippines for you and your family, we encourage you OFWs in the United Arab Emirates to send in your entries in the 100 Lucky Juans contest. It's your chance to see your loved ones this October for free! Join now! Remember, even if it's more fun to become a Filipino abroad, it's best to be a Filipino in the Philippines where we are surrounded with the people who love and care for us. 

By the way... I have a secret to tell and yes, let's just keep this between us: a SALE on Cebu Pacific's MNL-DXB and vice-versa will happen soon so watch out for it. LIKE the Cebu Pacific Facebook page now to get the latest updates and promos! ;) Too juicy of a secret to keep? Okay, go ahead and share this sale alert to your loved ones and friends! ~ Sundrenched

Family First

What is the essence of being an OFW if not for family? 

It's hard enough that we have to fly thousand of miles away from home to provide for them but for most Filipinos abroad, saving up for a vacation back to the Philippines can pose some financial difficulties. Lucky for us, Cebu Pacific is starting to offer direct AND very affordable flights from Dubai to Manila and vice versa. 

I was looking through the entries of the 100 Lucky Juans on the Cebu Pacific's Facebook Page and found myself drawn to these three photos in particular:

I really liked this photo from Karen Cabangon because it reminded me so much of how most ordinary days in the Philippines feel like with our families. Lounging around the "sala" with the electric fan on, watching TV and enjoying a glass of cold softdrinks in the afternoon. They looked really happy in this photo and that kid is just sooo cute! I also liked that she took the time to tell us her story in the caption section. Truly vacation would be grander if the whole family could come along. 

This photo from Michael Grace reminds me of my own experience of flying with Cebu Pacific with my friends just last year and it's always a scenic shot to show that you and your loved ones are doing some traveling (I have the same photo, standing outside the aircraft). What I really enjoy about the idea of Cebu Pacific is that they've made air travel accessible and affordable to every Filipino. Whether its because you want to see your friends and family or because you just want to visit a new province/city in the Philippines that you've never seen before. I do believe that everyone should travel, if given the chance. :) 

And of course, the picturesque capture of the Burj Khalifa by Roland Sapnay is simply perfect especially since Cebu Pacific is currently promoting its upcoming direct flights from Manila to Dubai. Dubai is a very cosmopolitan with a cityscape that any person can be at awe of. There are thousands of OFWs based in Dubai and the UAE and they will surely benefit from this offer by Cebu Pacific. I am sure that this can bring them closer to their loved ones here in the Middle East and back at home. 

As OFWs, we do travel in and out of the country more often than we would want to. However, no matter where we go, it's always about our families. We wouldn't have chosen to become OFWs if not for them. So whether we bask under the desert sun of the Middle East or as we gaze into the bright lights of the big city, in our hearts, home and family is where we all want to be. 

Join the 100 Lucky Juans for a chance to win a free flight from Dubai to Manila! Details can be found here. 

The Pink Tarha Quiz

We haven't forgotten that we promised limited edition mugs in celebration of our fourth anniversary.  And because we're taking 'limited edition' literally, we can only give away 20 mugs to our readers. (Sorry about that because our funds are not exactly 'sky is the limit.' Hahaha!)

All we're asking is for you to answer this quiz bee and the first 20 persons who answer all 10 questions correctly will get the mug (one mug for each person only). Simple? YES! Hahah! The mugs, being limited edition, are not for sale. (Well, come to think of it, we haven't sold mugs like ever. :P)

This quiz bee is also like a 'walk down memory lane' for us. If you've been reading The Pink Tarha since our beginning then it's joining us in this trip. If you're new to our blog, then you're invited as well. Good luck and happy searching for answers! ;)

THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING! We super appreciate it!

*** Original no. 7 question is "What is the first and only restaurant that Shoegarfreeruby reviewed/wrote about?" You can answer the original question OR the question posted in the questionnaire now: "What is the name of Shoegarfreeruby's dog?" Answer to either of the two is accepted. :)

This 'contest' is open to all but if you're outside Riyadh, getting the mug is your responsibility. Hehe. Sorry!

Update: Winners are already contacted on how they can claim their prize. If you think you should own a Pink Tarha mug, email us at thepinktarha@gmail.com and tell us why and who knows? We might give you one! We're feeling pretty generous. ;)