cebu

2010 Highlights: A Year-Ender Blog Post

2010 in general, has been a blast for me. Although there were times where I got lost figuratively, it’s always nice to look back at the positive things that happened. This has actually been my mantra every time the year ends.

I can’t remember everything but what I do to recall memories is browse through photos in my hard drive that are neatly arranged. Putting them all in this entry would just be too much. Hence I’ll just list a few points that made the whole year worthwhile.

Trips

soloflighted trips
some trips

Apo Island in Negros Oriental, Boljoon in Cebu, Adventure Café  in Balamban, Wordcamp in Manila, Nalusuan Island in Mactan, Alona Beach in Bohol, Shopping in Hong Kong, Bungy in Macau, Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Seair and Microtel Tour in Boracay, Blog Summit in Iloilo, Island Tour in Guimaras — I think this rounds up my trips this year.

I had my first trip outside the country! It took me a year to prepare it but I was really hyped up when it did happen! Considering that the prices for the round fare tickets were really cheap (1200 Php from Cebu to Hong Kong and 850 Php from Cebu to Kuala Lumpur), I was able to save a lot of money while getting my first stamps on my passport!

bungy jump

I also bungy jumped from the world’s highest platform during this trip which made the whole event really worthwhile. That alone is already an experience to remember.

Read more

JoEd’s Lutong Hapon: Affordable Japanese Food in Cebu

Craving for some CHEAP Japanese food here in Cebu? I suggest you try JoEd’s Lutong Hapon in Mabolo.

I first read about this small eatery on Carla’s blog which was also what an office colleague also mentioned in random. I was able to check a thread of this store in a local forum on how you can really find value for your money because of how affordable the prices are.

Japanese Cebu
JoEd’s Lutong Hapon in Cebu

I’m not a big fan of Japanese cuisine but I like to try out different food places when they’re new; most especially when they’re cheap. So during our lunch break, my officemates and I headed to Juan Luna Extension from Asiatown IT Park.

california maki
California Maki – 65 Php per plate

Read more

Random Updates

I realized I’ve been wrapped up in writing articles about my recent trips that I haven’t been able to provide updates about my life and the things that have been going on so far. This is still a personal blog and before I get caught up with writing a bunch of entries about my travels again, let me post a few random nothings – travel and non-travel related.

Money Play
money
Been playing with money the past couple of months – NO, I haven’t been wasting it. I’ve been looking for ways to  squeeze time in order to maximize the situation of funds and whatever’s left of it. This is not something I’d recommend to everyone because you’ll go crazy if you can’t keep up with your payables and receivables. Heck, I’m going nuts trying to figure out how I’m going to manage. But I still like to think I can.

Terra 60 Backpack

terra 60
Photo courtesy of Doi

As you might have noticed in some of my previous posts, I have a new back pack for travelling. It cost me an arm to get this despite the discounted rate. There was a sale on outdoor items and because I was so curious about the items being displayed, I had to drop by the place. I wondered why the hell I did. Now I’ve conformed to The North Face backpack. But I’m not complaining as I know this proves to be useful in my trips. Besides, the Deuter bag that I have cannot accommodate the things I bring during my long journeys. I still need to work on my packing skills though.

Read more

Picture on a Travel Magazine in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

On Travel – a free travel magazine in Malaysia.

We were headed back to Cebu from Malaysia. It was our last day and we were waiting for the Star Shuttle bus to take us to the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Kuala Lumpur.

At the bus station, we grabbed some free magazines to keep ourselves busy and to kill time.

on travel malaysia

on the lower-left corner…

Read more

Seair and Microtel Boracay Bloggers Tour

September 11-13, 2010

Two days after my birthday, I had the privilege of joining a group of bloggers to spend three days and two nights in Boracay. I was chosen as one of the winners of Seair and Microtel’s Boracay Blogger’s Tour. I published an entry on why I deserved to be part of the eight people who should go to this ultimate destination and I was very lucky enough to be chosen by Seair and Microtel judges.

Here’s my write-up about it: I’ve been to Different Places, but I’ve Never Been to Boracay

Seair and Microtel Bloggers Tour winners (Mica, Brenna, Gervic, Gael, Gracee, Van, Darwin) with the Seair and Microtel heads (thanks to mica for the pic)

sand blogger
soloflightEd finally lands in Boracay!

I also wondered if I could take part of the event since I’m from Cebu and the rest of the winners were from Manila. After a few emails, I was booked a ticket from Cebu to Caticlan. It’s great that Seair has more options now in offering a ride from the Queen City of the South to this island paradise.

Read more

After a 13-day Vacation…

I’m back to work. I want another vacation though, just to catch up on a lot of pending posts.

First, there was Bohol; then my first trip abroad in Hongkong-Macau. Lastly was the free trip to Boracay courtesy of Seair and Microtel Hotels Resort. I don’t even have enough time to update my sites one by one. I’m cramming myself up into making sure that I get to post at least one entry each but I don’t know where to start.

I should probably stay calm cause I might end up getting no productivity at all.

hongkong airportHongkong International Airport

Somehow, it seems that I’m just starting these trips and I have a lot more that are going to be available for me in the upcoming months. But I don’t want to jinx it. Will be talking more about my trips to these three places (two rural areas and one urban location).

For now, here are just a few pictures of the retreat from work.

Read more

Lago Del Rey at Camsur Watersports Complex

You can feel like a kid again at Lago Del Rey at the Camsur Watersports Complex in Camarines Sur. I was there last year and the memory of having a giant playground with inflatable structures, is still fresh in my mind. The lake served as an obstacle course of some sort wherein you can just have fun. It’s a milder version of the popular show ‘Wipe Out’ but still enjoyable.

P6150593 DSC_0316
Lago DelRey Camsur Watersports Complex in Camsur

How to Get to Lago Del Rey in CWC

Lago Del Rey is located at the Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC). It’s about  20 minutes away from the Naga City Bus Terminal and around 10 minutes from the airport. Public utility vehicles (jeeps and trykes0 are available and you can ask for directions from the people around as it’s a very known destination. They’ll usually direct you to their provincial capitol as CWC is situated there.

lago del rey camsur
flip

Read more

CoffeeCat in Cebu Asiatown IT Park

CoffeeCat
Ground Floor of EBloc Tower Building
Asiatown IT Park, Lahug, Cebu City

One weekend, Doi and I decided to visit Cebu’s newest coffee shop, Coffeecat in Asiatown IT Park, in order to check out their coffee and yogurt offerings. We wanted a place to hang out and finish our freelance jobs as we still had some pending tasks to work on. We were there a day after their grand opening and the cafe was packed but we were able to find a free spot inside to sit.

Coffeecat cafe is a lifestyle coffee shop idea which is owned and managed by Coffeecat Corporation. This place originated in my hometown which is in Davao City and it has now arrived in the shores of Cebu at the eBloc Tower Building.

coffee cat menu coffeecat logo coffee cat
Coffee Cat menu, Yogo Yogurt Menu, Coffee Cat is now open in Cebu IT Park

cebu coffee cat coffee cat cebu coffee cat ed
Coffee Cat at the JP Morgan Chase & Co. Building, checking out the menu

Read more

soloflightEd Meets Byahilo

Yesterday, Doi and I met up with Enrico Dee of Byahilo.com as he stayed in Cebu for 6 hours, waiting for a connecting flight back to Manila. After a few Facebook chats, we decided on joining him for a late lunch around the city. Doi brought her FX and we fetched the visitor at the … Read more

Boljoon Cebu collage

Just wanted to created a quick teaser of my time spent with colleagues in Boljoon, Cebu. It was a nice day for the beach and the fun was just cut short because of time-constraints. Nevertheless, I had a good bonding moment with my former teammates which made up for the whole event. Hope to have … Read more

Coffeecat Opens in Cebu

Coffeecat cafe will be opening in the eBloc Tower building in Asiatown IT Park, Cebu. The name sounds new to me and I plan on visiting the shop when I drop by over the weekend to see what the place offers. At least now I have another place to hang out while enjoying a cup … Read more

Swimming in Boljoon Waters

Spent the remaining half of my long weekend swimming in Boljoon waters in Cebu with former colleagues at work. It was nice to hang out with my previous workmates. I borrowed a pair of fins but had a hard time using them because of my joints not being used to the helpful swimming device. I … Read more