Blogs

I was back after 12 years. The port looked really different and I couldn’t find any familiar edifice. There were no foreign traces nevertheless, still I felt ‘twas my first. Though a ride along the hilly terrain caused me deja vu. It was 2003 when I first stepped Bohol for a Regional Schools’ Press Conference and I didn’t have any follow up visit after that. So after more than a decade, I felt I wasn’t been there before. Boat for Island Hopping My purpose wasn’t an island tour but a staycation in Alona Beach, the province’s priced beachfront. Situated in ... Read more

Around a thousand students aspiring to continue their studies overseas gathered at IDP Education Philippines’ Study Abroad Expo 2015, held at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel Lahug on October 11. The event was a great success, graced by a number of key speakers that included education experts, as well as representatives of some of the top universities abroad. IDP, the leading provider of global education services and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exams in the country put together the expo which was open to everyone, to provide free counseling and seminar, and help students have access to great opportunities that studying abroad offers. The seminars covered ... Read more

A sudden stop woke me up. My legs twinged and my elbow pained. I probably pressed them unconsciously against hard surfaces when I was asleep. My neck also hurt a bit. Having it tilted for hours might had strained the tissues. After few stretches and twists, I was back to my inured self. Traveling with Stangers: Not a new thing I peeked outside and immediately recognized that we were close [to our destination]. I did a quick fix; wiped facial oil traces and checked if my stuff were intact. I looked around the bus to inspect if the team is doing ... Read more

I could hardly choose the best deal. Barbecue vendors were rushing to swank about their freebies and discounts. After carefully scrutinizing their offers, we had selected a spot for our chomp. The promise of unlimited free soup and great bill discount influenced our decision to side Eliza’s, a barbecue shop within Larsian. The crew lead us to our seats. The chitchats of the other group beside us were apparent. The normal office rants and the random day-to-day perturbation were the usual topics. The other side, on the hand, talked about relationship and stuff. Larsian BBQ options The Experience The illumination ... Read more

I could see your eyes from the sparking lights

Cebu is unarguably one of the Philippines’ major gastronomic destination. People experiment on spices and try whatever is ostensible in the kitchen. And when it clicked, expect it soon in the eateries and eventually in restaurants. Local cooking includes larang, tuslob-bua, balbacua, dugo-dugo, paklay, lansiao, and many more. Some of these dishes were local version of Luzon’s famous staples with a slight deviation in terms of the preparation. Larang, for instance, is pretty close to sinigang sa kamias. The way it is cooked, however, is different. Larang includes sauteing contrary to that of sinigang. Cebuanos are discriminatory when it comes to taste but conscious when ... Read more

Crowdsource the BLISS of a #LiveFreePH How do you feel about the future? Is your family doing okay? Are the people around you hopeful or gloomy? With the Brighter Life Index: Social Sentiment or BLISS, Sun Life will show how optimism, prosperity, and the bayanihan spirit can produce a positive ripple from ourselves to our loved ones and to the community where we live. BLISS is a Facebook application that aims to get the pulse of Filipinos about their current financial situation as well as their outlook for the future. “BLISS gives us the canvas to paint our #LiveFreePH campaign. Through crowdsourcing, we seek the ... Read more

A college friend, Mico, and his girlfriend, Jessica, visited Cebu for a job-related event. It wasn’t really his trip but Jessica’s and he just tagged along, with explicit permission, I guess. Anyway, being based in Cebu, I was tasked to show them around and have them try a Cebuano feast. That time, I was fairly new in Cebu, so I asked my current officemates for recommendations. “STK ta Bay! Paolito’s Seafood House” was among the list. We decided to try it on our day 2 dinner. STK ta Bay! sa Paolito’s Seafood House What greeted us was a gallery of distinguished ... Read more

Being reachable only with private cars and taxis, Lantaw SRP isn’t really for everybody. Though perched within a not-so-inviting location, people frequent the place to experience their al fresco dining and taste the sumptuous dishes on their list. The restaurant made quite a buzz to the city’s working class, and our curious palates told us to try. When we got a chance, we dashed to the restaurant, tagging along our guest. Open Air Dining Area adorned with hanging paddle boats The location isn’t really noticeable, most especially if it’s your first time. In fact, we passed over the place without ... Read more