Sunday, April 22, 2012

Pink Beach, Sta Cruz Island, Zamboanga








Not even the existing terrorist threats can stop us from enjoying the Pink Beach of Sta Cruz Island in Zamboanga. 


The pink sand is supposed to caused by the red coral sediments mixed with the white sand. 


Definitely breathtaking, it was a good decision to kick off summer in this island.



My bestfriend's sister acted as a chaperone and our military escort ensure everyone was safe while having fun.





Adding a little spice to our visit were the Balikatan officers who spent a day from their camp to relax in the Pink Beach. They played football, tug of war, wrestled and  were totally nice to everyone. 


And of course, thank you Donald for taking us around Zamboanga. My visits have always been memorable... Will definitely come back within the year. 

Friday, March 23, 2012

Sweet Life!

When in Zamboanga, satisfy your sweet cravings at Myrna's Bake House.

This is my second time here and so far I am loving everything I have tried.

Today I ordered four kinds of desserts. I had Chocolate Premium Moist, Strawberry Yogurt Cream Pie, Brazo de Mercedes and their Blackforest Cake.


The runaway winner??? The Brazo de Mercedes.

Im not sure how this entry will come out as i am blogging from my Iphone using Instagram pictures.

Better Late than Never

I'm sorry I haven't been posting lately. Business has been good and we've had more bookings than we expected for the last two months. I have also been travelling, in fact for the last two months, I flew in and out Cebu around 5 times and flew out of the country for my birthday last month.

Previously:
In my entire travelling history, I have only missed one flight, this was last month, when I decided to sleep on my domestic flight to Dumaguete and ended up taking the bus so I can catch the birthday dinner my friends put together for me home.

Just yesterday:
To officially start summer, my friend Kent and I booked tickets to Zamboanga to visit the famous Sta Cruz Island (been hearing a lot about the pink sand). I gave the hard copy of the airline ticket to Kent two days before the actual departure date. I never looked at that ticket after I printed it for more than 30 seconds. I just handed it to Kent for safekeeping.

Fast forward, 3PM we started heading to the airport still not looking at the ticket with the assumption that we were scheduled to fly out 4:55PM.

We went through usual airport scanning stuff and we didn't see any check in counter for Zamboanga when we arrived.

I still didn't feel alarmed. I told Kent, check in counter may open an hour before the flight.

We sat on the nearest bench and Kent took out the ticket and that was when we realized the ETD was 0455.
Kent looked at me and folded the ticket again, as if he didn't see it. We looked at each other and screamed, "It's in the morning!!!!!".

We hurriedly left the check in area to the nearest airline ticketing office to book the next flight to Zamboanga which is a day after (airline flies to Zamboanga once a day).

Today:
I'm leaving in two hours and yes, I got it right this time. See you in a few Zamboanga...

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Back at last...

The current month has been the busiest for me. It is my big 3-0 month and came with that are a couple of get together with friends, some of town trips and an out of the country trip to watch WICKED. 


Sharing with you memories of my big 30 celebration... 

Dinner with friends in Dumaguete on my birthday!

Dinner with Cebu friends. Sorry for not being able to invite everyone. This was a surprise from a friend from work. 


I decided to visit Singapore. It has been a decade since my last visit and the overnight trip I scheduled was barely enough time to check out everything new in SG. 

PLANKING at the Universal Studios


Thanks AJ for coming along and for the gift. *wink


Sci-fi City's new Transformer ride is a must try.

And finally I watched WICKED. The experience is beyond words. I simply loved it. And yes, I sang along with the cast. You don't get fined in Singapore for singing out of tune.




Thank you everyone for being a part of my life. It has been one turbulent ride, but who cares? Let us all keep rocking...





Monday, January 16, 2012

#RESIST Globe Tattoo 4G Launch... Sinulog's Biggest Party

There couldn’t be a more appropriate time for Globe to launch its latest and fastest broadband stick in Cebu, the Globe Tattoo 4g, than during the Grand Sinulog 2012. It was also an opportunity for the Cebuanos and tourists to meet and party with Globe Broadband’s newest endorser, Georgina Wilson.
Simultaneously held in two key cities, Manila and Cebu partied the same time under the theme of Globe Tattoo 4G’s slogan, “RESIST”.

#RESIST at The Penthouse 12.14.2012



Crowd goes wild as dancers and Georgina enter the stage. 


With other Cebu bloggers at the event.

#RESIST at The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu, Sinulog 12.15.2012

Georgina Up Close...
Georgina candidly answers questions from bloggers and local media. She says lechon is her  favorite Cebu delicacy.
A pocket press conference was held during the launch at The Terraces in Ayala where bloggers and local media got the chance to have a brief chat with Georgina Wilson. Having  considered Georgina to be one of the prettier celebs around, this was one chance for me to see the brains behind looks... and yes, she was impressive. The whole Globe Tattoo Campaign speaks about resistance. The need to stand and speak up for what one believes in. I asked Georgina if there was anything in particular that she is passionate about or any part of the status quo socially/politically that she is resistant of.  She candidly, yet intelligently answers that she has always been passionate about education and starts talking about how everyone should have access to it. She continues to say that it is different when a person is educated and that is a fundamental right that everyone, regardless of who they are should be entitled to. She wraps up in coherence to the slogan saying, “I resist ignorance...”
The Globe Tattoo Commercial which started airing a few days ago has been earning a lot of positive reviews from viewers. When asked about how she felt about the first of the series of commercials which will air up to February, Georgina said she was pleased to have worked with such a great team and is very proud of how the commercials came out. 

See the first of the series below:


With the release of the Globe campaign, I asked her what is next for her and if we should expect more visibility from her in local showbiz. “Definitely for Globe,” says Georgina. She adds though that she wants shy away from the local artista stereotype and wants to give media a different but relevant approach. You can follow her in twitter @iloveGEORGINA and find out more about the new face of Globe Broadband. 

GLOBE-POWERED TATTOO UNLEASHES THE NEW FACES OF GLOBAL RESISTANCE

The resistance begins now. Globe-powered Tattoo starts a new revolution as it becomes faster, bolder and more powerful than ever. Armed with topnotch innovation, Tattoo revolts against uniformity, fights against mediocrity and breaks through limitations all with stronger bandwidth, better devices, wider reach and faster speeds at unbeatable value.

As the #1 most preferred broadband in the country, Tattoo breaks barriers and overcomes limits. Impossibilities are set aside as Tattoo gives every user an out-of-the-box experience – Resisting the tired and traditional broadband model.  With a new and empowered broadband that packs a punch in a super sleek and stylish package, Tattoo reveals the new and progressive face of internet technology.

Pushing the bounds of connectivity, Tattoo has taken on the challenge that continues to make Filipinos more mobile, powerful, global and consequentially, revolutionary. Get ready for a new domination in your broadband - with three reasons to resist the slow and unreliable broadband internet that plagues the market. With an empowered prepaid and postpaid portfolio Tattoo outdoes competition yet again in etching a permanent mark in the minds of the young, mobile, and techno-savvy. More to these, it is their new brand ambassadors, it seems, that causes the most buzz in the beeline.

Proof that Tattoo packs a punch in providing value for money for the best deals, the “Filipino Flash” Nonito Donaire raises his fist in resisting mediocrity with the tired old broadband we all have been accustomed to. The current World Bantamweight Champion has risen from jaggedness and aims for prominence. And putting up the same stance for the country’s #1 most preferred broadband, Tattoo promises internet service that is uninterrupted, with strong and powerful signals at unbeatable speeds.

With his perma-lined eyes, black swept hair, and his melodic howl, vocalist Miggy Chavez has raised a strong following for a religion he calls Chicosci. Armed with hypnotic guitar riffs, surreal lyrics, and, Chavez’s addicting vocal styling, Chicosci has reared a legion of head-banging cronies for their “Vampire Social Club”, a historic hit for Philippine rock. And with Tattoo on his side, Miggy Chavez can take his ‘vampiric’ social network following to virally fanatic proportions, with reliable bandwidths designed for instant updates, super-sonic uploads and downloads, and unlimited interaction. Backed up by Tattoo, Miggy breaks through limitations caused by slow, unreliable internet access, as he puts his rock-cult status in the burning spotlight and paves the way to musical innovations that would bring the Pinoy sound to the international arena.

Model marvel Georgina Wilson on the other hand, with her multi-faceted persona has invaded the international fashion consciousness and left an indelible mark all her own. From the face that launched a thousand billboards, to her display of Filipina beauty in the global stream of America’s Next Top Model, Georgina has proved, time and again, that the Pinay supermodel is more than just a pretty face. Above all, professionalism, personality, and panache transcend a model into an invading icon.

And this resistance against Uniformity of modeling stereotypes has transformed Wilson into a global household name, her tweets instantly becoming the first words on anything from fashion, social graces, to the elusive pursuits of the finer things in life. Her @iloveGeorgina Twitter account has caused quite a social network traffic this holiday season when Georgina asked her followers “What will you RESIST this 2012?” And judging from the amount of replies she received, her words fronted by a pretty picture will always be irresistible. With Grace, Glamour, intelligible Grasp, and a Gorgeous face, Georgina Wilson displays the 4G that could launch a thousand hits, likes, and followings, and that is exactly what Tattoo does with its new generation Superstick, that outfits 4G in a super sleek and stylish package.        

Tattoo challenges you to RESIST all your old notions of what your broadband can be. It is time to RESIST the undependable, and start living your connected lives without limits, as it takes you to the new generation of global broadband domination.

Join the resistance and choose your weapon, visit www.tattoo.globe.com.ph

Friday, January 13, 2012

Butanding / Whale Interaction in Oslob...

Sharing with you pictures taken from my trip to Oslob last week to experience the much publicized Whale Interaction Attraction in the town. 
This is about how close anyone can get to the sharks, right next to it. 

This is me about to dive to the water as one of the sharks swim beside our banca. 


Feeding them with "uyap" (Shrimp Paste). Not only is this practice being debated about because of its "domestication" impact on the whales, I have seen how the whales mouths are actually wounded from what must have been incidents on bumping on the bancas when attempting to eat what is being fed to them.
See related article on domestication from Cebu Daily News:
http://www.cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=12207

Swimming with the shark. Side by Side.

The shark right next to me. I actually got to swim with it side by side and at some point it was underneath me. That was quite an experience. 


This is how the actual feeding looks like. 

This is how the actual interaction in the waters look like. Bancas swarming around the sharks which are being feed by running bancas. 

A gentle giant up close.


While the whole experience was breathtaking and memorable, I cannot help but feel for  the sharks. Yes, legislation has been created on the fees involved to view the sharks, but I am wondering if the have made any resolution to strictly enforce protection on these gentle giants. On the same day, I can see people actually touching the sharks. Some fisherman, rowing too close to a point bumping the different parts of the sharks. It looks like we are more interested in making money out of these sharks, instead of ensuring their safety. Or at least that's what it seems....


 See related article from Cebu Daily News about the wounded sharks: http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=12197

Note: All photos from this post are from Kent Subong. 

The year in review....

Less the drama, which I am sparing you all from;  this was how 2011 looked like for me... 



January – Sinulog with friends.
February – my birthday month. Took some time out of Cebu and met up with my bestfriend who is a designer  in Zamboanga for a much needed reunion and vacation. I love this guy like family.


March – this was the month I started biking... I must say that it was fun while it lasted... I have a love affair with a lot of things and in most cases, they are whirlwind and brief.

April – went home to Dumsville for Lent. Explored Balamban towards the end of the month.

May – brainstorming for ITS UR DAY EVENTS. One of the best things about 2012 for me.

June – my first styling gig for ITS UR DAY EVENTS. The shoot was for our promo and site pictures.

July – was fun... Kate’s wedding. Planned for Oli and Carly’s birthdays.
August – first destination wedding of ITS UR DAY Events in Boljoon. It was challenging but we did it. Kind of made the rest of the weddings in the year easier in comparison. Went firing for the first time during the last part of the month.
September – ITS UR DAY in full swing. Signed up and met with several clients. And yes, my personal time was spent cheering for Ms. Philippines during the Ms Universe. Lol.

October – took a much needed break and went to Bicol for some fun. Planned for Trina’s birthday towards the end of the month.

November – my first solo out of the country backpacking trip. And yes, I am saving up to do it again soon.
December – After being away from home most of the year, this month was with Mama for the most part. She visited me for a week and we went to Manila for a vacation together. I was also home for a week during the holiday break. 

Thank you Lord for 2011. May all of us have a better 2012.