Hello, hello! In this post, I will be sharing my oh-so-yummy food experience in one of the cool resto bars in Cebu City, Philippines known as Alice Garden Cafe And Resto Bar.

Before digging into details, I just wanted to share that I started to totally fell inlove with Cebu City the moment I set foot in my current company two and a half years ago as to this writing. This beautiful place continuously offered me countless of opportunities, memorable experiences, friendship, shopping destinations and foods/drinks destinations. There are really lots of different establishments in this place! Since then, if ever I would hear news about new restaurants in my ears, I would usually not be surprised as to "why" or sometimes even question "really that exists?" because I know that every single day, a lot of small and big businesses is sprouting within the city.

Talking about foods/drinks destination, we heard that Alice Garden  Cafe And Resto Bar is a cool foods/drink stop located at Wilson St, Apas, Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines. My blogger/vlogger friends and I decided to visit this cafe one rainy evening and we enjoyed it a lot.
This cafe and resto bar serves Italian-Japanese fusion cuisine and of course Filipino dishes.  Food choices range from 200-300 pesos while coffee and cocktails range from 100-200 pesos.

When I first hear its name, I immediately think of "Alice in Wonderland" because of the word Alice. The owner, Shinjiro Takeishi, confirm that the motif of the restaurant is going to be same of Alice in Wonderland. So, there you have it! Additionally, foods here are not typical Japanese style. The owner wants to break the record and put some twists on the servings for better experience of the customers

Here are the foods that we tasted. I definitely recommend this to you especially the third one which is clearly my favorite.

1. Italian Salad with Caesar Dressing
This is the first dish served on our table. Green leafy vegie goodness topped with carrots, onions, cheese and ham on the plate make me love it 'cause I know it is healthy.  Our vegetarian friend love this too because he can just set aside the ham toppings and enjoy the greens!

Italian Salad with Caesar Dressing

2. Barbecue Set with Original Sauce
This is my second favorite because of its very delicious appearance and taste. On the plate are shrimp, squid, pork and chicken covered with the delicious barbecue sauce. Plus sweet corn and lettuce that just make me hungry upon writing this article. Just look at the picture!

Barbecue Set with Original Sauce

3. Tarako Pasta
This is my ultimate favorite during that evening. This is a seafood pasta with super yummy cream combined with salted cod roe known as fish eggs, squid rings and nori. It's rare to find this taste in the City so better check it out. I highly recommend this to you.

Tarako Pasta

4. Seafood in Olive Oil Pasta
I totally love the cheesy smell and aftertaste I have after eating this. The yummy squid rings and shrimps are total plus points to the delicious taste of the pasta.

Seafood in Olive Oil Pasta

For reservations and other information, please dial Alice Garden Cafe and Resto Bar's contact number at (032) 414 5316. You may also message them on Facebook.

Cheers and happy eating!

Empty plates, full tummies! :D (From left) Sean, Emelie, Glenn, Shinjiro, Carlo, Rome and Hanna

Something BIG is coming to Cebu! Yes, you read it right! The first ever Google Developers Group Code Camp in the Philippines to be participated by the Googlers (Google employees) will take place in Cebu, Philippines!

Cebu is one of the biggest cities of the Philippines that has the fastest rising economy. Are you searching for foods and restaurants, natural and scenic travel destinations, fashion locations, business sites? Anything really, name it and Cebu will definitely has it!

One of the booming sectors in this beautiful place is the field of Information Technology and Business. No wonder why most business owners and investors would choose Cebu than any other else. Most people here are also very competitive, dynamic and always hungry for improvement. I can attest to that because I am one of them including my friends/colleagues. And with that, we are very lucky and thankful to know that this something great, rare and one-of-a-kind big event, which is Google Developers Group Code, will take place in Cebu!

What is Google Developers Group (GDG) Cebu Code Camp?

Google Developers Group Cebu Code Camp is the first time special event ever in the Philippines that will be participated by the Googlers (Google employees) themselves, who will be flying in from South Korea, Japan, Singapore and the US. The main focus of this event is on essential technical topics for developers, along with updates on the current development trends. The topics will range from Machine Learning, Firebase, and the Cloud, to Material Design, Android, and 2017's Web Trends.

To be held at the IC3 (formerly known IEC) Convention Center Cebu, Pope John Paul II Ave., Cebu City on February 25, 2017 (8:00 AM – 5:00 PM), an estimated 1,000+ attendees that ranges from developers, tech enthusiasts, and students are expected to join.

The great thing about this is that attendees will have a great opportunity to learn about the latest technologies straight from Google’s experts. Yes! Additionally, developers from Cebu and around the Visayas will also get to meet and interact with one another, leading to sharing, possible collaboration and the enlivening of Cebu’s tech scene.

Who are eligible to Join?

The following are encouraged to join and participate. Don’t miss this very rare opportunity!
1. Senior Developers – Senior Working Developers with 3+ years experience in the industry
2. Experience Developers – Working Developers + Professionals
3. Beginner Developers – Student Developers – Entry-level Developers

The experience is not necessarily related to Google-related technology. What matters most is that you are a working developer or professional.

It is important for attendees to be in the right category to ensure that the activities that they will be participating in will be relevant and appropriate to the level of experience. The organizers have the right to deny entry if the rules and regulations are not properly followed.

Who are the speakers?

1. Erica Hanson – Developer Relations Ecosystem Program Manager, Google
She will talk abour learning Android.
Erica Hanson has been at Google for over 10 years and worked across different areas of the business and now works on the Developer Relations team based in the Google Singapore office. She is the Developer Relations country lead for Indonesia and is focused on helping startups and developers be more succussful. She is also managing the Google Business Groups (GBGs) global program, which is focused on helping entrepreneurs be more successful using Google technologies through communites.

2. Takuo Suzuki – Developer Relations Program Manager, Google
He will talk about Material Design.
Takuo is the lead of the Developer Relations team in Japan, Taiwan and ANZ. He has a keen focus on Android's Material Design. He further engages in UX reviews of apps and further facilitates various design sprints.

3. Manikanta Krishnamurthy – Developer Relations Community Manager, Google
He will share the power of firebase.
Mani comes with a strong background of Mobile Development in Apps & games, across a broad range of mobile platforms starting from the earliest Symbian phones. Mani joined Google Developer Relations team roughly a year back to strengthen the local Tech Ecosystem in Singapore.

4. Soonson Kwon  - Developer Relation Ecosystem Lead, Google
He will talk about Machine Learning and Tensorflow.
Soonson Kwon is the head of Developer Relations at APAC Ecosystem and is the Korea Regional Lead working on building strong ecosystem for developers. Back in 1996, he founded KLDP-- Korea's largest/oldest open source community.

5. Junho Choi  - Chief Architect/Co-founder, Neumob
He will talk about Designing Scalable Architecture with Cloud.
Junho is a Chief Architect/Co-founder of Neumob at Sunnyvale, CA. Worked on developing, deploying and performance optimization of mobile app acceleration, application/web acceleration and content delivery network more than 15 years. Previous committer (ports) of FreeBSD project and maintainer of kr.freebsd.org local mirror and user community.

6. Sami Kizilbash – Developer Relations Program Manager, Google
He will talk about Tango ang Daydream.
Sami oversees Google’s Developer Relations activities in South & Southeast Asia. He has led tech and media ventures at small startups and software giants alike.
7. Bok Thye Yeow – Developer Relations Ecosystem Program Manager, Google
He will talk about PWA and AMP.
Bok Thye Yeow is a Google Developer Relations Program Manager and has more than a decade of experience developing full stack software solutions across various industries including telco, banking, digital and creative advertising, retail, etc. During his free time, he likes to experiment with new technology or take his road bike out for a spin. He strongly believes we are only starting to scratch the surface of what's possible with technology in this era and is looking forward to the "next big thing" to come!

Event Program

The Organizers \ Committee Heads

Proudly achnowledging the ever hardworking team behind this event, the Google Developers Group (GDG) Cebu team:


Google Developers Group (GDG) Cebu is an informal group of amateurs and professionals (technology users, specialists, and developers) who are independent from Google but are enthusiasts and daily users of Google technologies. Members meet and socialize on a regular basis.

The group was organized to provide an avenue for:
- Learning about up-to-date Google tools for personal and professional use (for free!)
- Networking opportunities
- Growing local and international connections
- Professionals to help others and share insights on cutting-edge technology
- Sharing success stories of individuals who have benefited from being a part of the group

GDG Cebu Awesome Core Team!

GDG Cebu Awesome Volunteers!

FAQs – please visit this link.

Code of Conduct - please visit this link.

Official website of the event here.

Special Thanks
See you at the event! Awesome!

"What time is it? It's wine o'clock! Red or white? We go both ways!"

"Wine is life.", GM Anders Hallden qouted.
To all wine lovers and non-wine lovers, in this post, I will share my experience drinking great wines for free during the Wine Fest.

Last February 15, 2017, I was one of the lucky individuals that got invited to participate the Wine Fest Media Event at the Gourmet Walk, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, Cebu.

Wine Fest is an event that showcases free wine tasting of variety of great wines from famous wine suppliers namely Philippine Wine Merchants, Ralph’s Wine, Masterchef Republic, Emperador Distillers and Titania Wine Cellars. They prepare reds and whites for you and me. Free wine tasting is open to anyone who visits the venue.
The fest is open daily from 2:00 PM up to 10:00 PM and continues until February 19, 2017 only.

They said, wines are enjoyed best when paired with good foods. What’s more exciting during this event was I got to pair my red and white with rare meats. Yes, I have eaten Crocodile Fingers, this tasted like chicken nuggets. Another food was Ostrich Salpicao, this tasted like pork, beef, chicken combined. Absolutely and deliciously amazing!

Crocodile Fingers

Ostrich Salpicao

Note: White wines are best paired with white meat while red wines are best paired with red meat. But during this event, I paired my wines with any meat I saw, haha.

Wines I've Tasted

1. Morande Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 
This was the first wine I tasted. This was good and gentle in my mouth. Goodness of fermented grapes made me ask for 1 more try.



2. Zorzal Terroir Unico Sauvignon Blanc 2013
Wine of Argentina. This tasted good, too. Closely same to the previous one but the taste of soury grapes was alittle bit noticeable.



3. Morande Edicion Limitada Syrah / Cabernet Sauvignon
Wine of Chile. Wow, this was strong! I liked! This tasted like the vino of my grandfather when I was still a kid, lol. Strong flavors of grapes and apples combined.



4. Barefoot Merlot
This was my second favorite. For me, this tasted similar to the red wines I'd already tried  out there before.




5. Barefoot Moscato
This was my ultimate favorite because of its fruity taste that made me refill my glass thrice. Yes, thrice!



6. Montes Merlot 
Owh! the aftertaste was so strong.



7. Glenn Ellen and Montes Chardonnay
These tasted strong as well and I liked!


For an occasional wine drinker like me, this was a really good experience! It's FREE as well so I was happy!
Plus, together with me were my good blogger\vlogger friends. It was a fun-filled and fancy night for all of us.

Cebu Blogging Community together with the General Manager, Anders Hallden (center wearing black), Assistant F&B Manager, Mr. Raffy Chiquillo Babula (right wearing black), and E-Marketing Specialist Jeane Louise Mainit (left wearing black).

Now, who’s up for some free wines? If you are, then you should head now to the Wine Fest and take life one sip at a time!

Summer is very near, yes it is! If you plan a vacation with friends or family, you might as well consider this magical place in the Philippines as one of your destinations  - the Siquijor Island.

Siquijor is one of the places I've always wanted to visit. Afterall, I got curious about it due to the great stories and beautiful  tourist attractions I've heard from friends and the internet.
Thankfully, my friends invited me to join them conquer this wonderful place.

Before the invitation, it was few months already since I last had our getaway. Everybody was caught up busy with work schedules and personal activities. I missed them and the experiences we shared together. So, during that one night, right after I saw the invitation message in my Messenger app, I immediately answered YES, I would join! I was thankful that they never forgotten me.

We planned our itinerary and expenses days before our trip. It really helped us a lot. We were 7 individuals during this adventure. This experience with them is one of my favorites.

AK, Ems, Sipin, ate Nova, April, Minang, kuya Ricky

1. Booked a resort at Siquijor.  
This was done online then followed up with phone calls/text messages. We chose Diamond de Siquijor resort. I liked the place and accommodation (not to mention the name itself was quite similar to my middle name, haha). Definitely recommended to anyone who wanted to check in.
Contact number: +639975831152
Price: Php 2,380.00 for the seven of us. Php 1380.00 per room good for 2 people (with free breakfast). Php 200 per excess person.

Diamond de Siquijor

2. Booked a tour guide with a jeepney vehicle.  
We choose jeepney because we wanna feel Siquijor's fresh air and the summer breeze of the place. Plus, it's way cheaper than VHires.
Contact number: +639361107863
Price: Php 1,800.00


How did we get there and what were our activities?

A) 3:00 AM (dawn)
- Meetup at Cebu City's South Bus Terminal.
- Rode non-aircon Ceres bus going to Liloan Port of Santander, Cebu City (Php 162.00 per person)


B) 6:00 AM (morning)
- Rode pumb boat from Liloan port going to Sibulan Port of Dumaguete City (Php 62.00 per person)
- Breakfast at Sibulan port. I loved fish tinola! (Php 60.00 - 100.00 per person)
- Rented tricycle going to Dumaguete port. This was the starting point of the fastcraft that we needed to ride going to Siquijor port. (Php 25.00 per person)

My many loves!

C) 7:00 AM (morning)
- Bought ticket at Dumaguete port for our trip to Siquijor. When we arrived here, the first trip was already full so we got to wait for the next trip which was 12:30 in the afternoon. Since it was 5 1/2 hours away still, we had sufficient amount of time for a stroll at the place. (Php 224.00 per person for OceanJet fastcrat including port entrance fee)
- Bought foods in one of Dumaguete's convenience stores; good for 2 days consumption. The reason was we just wanted to make sure not to consume potioned foods in Siquijor. Sounded silly, yes, but we just wanted to make sure hehe!

Wait, the plastic full of our snacks is a bit of a loner! Haha

D) 12:30 PM (afternoon)
- Rode fast craft going to our destination. At last!

E) 2:00 PM (afternoon)
- Welcome to Siquijor!
- Checked in at Diamond de Siquijor resort. Left our baggages and got ready for the tour!
- Our rented jeepney fetched us and the tour began!


F) 10:00 PM (evening)
- Back at the resort . Ate dinner in the resort's restaurant. (Php 100.00 - 135. 00 per person)
- Freshened up ourselves.
- Story telling and lots of chika-chika with my friends. We also played cards.
- Slept. Good night. :*

Sikit-sikiti ug sibug-sibugi :D

G) 6:00 AM (morning)
- The ladies woke up early to watch the sunrise. It was so wonderful!
- Walked and pictorials by the lowtide beach. Everything was perfect and fantastic!

I heart you!

H) 8:00 AM (morning)
- Breakfast, yehey! It's not obvious that we were hungry, lol. (Php 100.00 - 135. 00 per person)
- Lots of story telling with my squad.
- Tour and fun around the beach.
- Had our lunch. (Php 100.00 - 135. 00 per person)


I) 12:00 Noon
- Time to leave.
- Room checkout.
- Left the resort and went straight to Siquijor port.
- Bought ticket for Dumaguete trip. Since the boat would left at 1:30 PM, we still had time to enjoy and relax the cheap but beautiful beach resort nearby. (Php 15.00 entrance fee per person)
- Played voleyball.
- Fantastic and epic pictorials combined.


J) 1:30 PM (afternoon)
- Goodbye Siquijor. Thank you for letting us experience the beautiful you. Though we only stayed for a very short time, we enjoyed so much and it's definitely worth it!


K) 3:30 PM (afternoon) onwards
- Arrived at Dumaguete port.
- Relaxed and bought pasalubong at Sans Rival
- Travelled back to Sibulan port, then Liloan port, then back to Cebu City. (Php 200.00 per person)

1. Toured at Siliman University.
2. Tried the famous fried and fresh fruit ice cream at Panda Fresh Fruit Ice Cream store. (Php 65.00 100. 00 per person)
3. Relaxed in one of the cafeterias present in the place and played cards. Some of my friends recharged their phone and camera batteries (because pictures yes!). We had our lunch as well.(Php 65.00 - 100. 00 per person)

1. Capilay's Spring Park 
A natural, spring-fed swimming pool situated at the heart of the town plaza where people converge leisurely for a swim in the cool waters or simply sit under the shade of the trees.


2. Enchanted Century Balete Tree and Fish Spa
Because of its eerie outline created by hundred of roots and vines hanging down, this century old tree was believed to be enchanted. This enchanting tree was not only a site to behold but also provides water to its residents. The fish spa in the balete tree was also a must-try as the fishes nibble the dead skin and cleanse the visitor's feet. I realized my feet was not that delicious because there were no fishes, even a single one, that ate its dead skin, lol!


3. San Isidro Labrador Church
This is one of the most outstanding churches in the Philippines. This was constructed by the Spaniards in 1884, using indigenous coral stones and local hardwood. The church has preserved its original wooden flooring.


4. San Isidro Labrador Convent
This was reputed to be the biggest among the oldest convents in the Philippines. It is believed to have been the vacation house for the Diocese's priests during the time of Spaniards.


5. Cambugahay Falls 
You may choose either a river or a forest trek to get to the waterfalls. We chose the latter. I loved diving here. Plus, the cold water was so relaxing! I wouldn't want to leave.

Hail the queen! Bwahahaha!

6. Salagdoong Beach 
The water in this beach was literally crystal clear! Fine white sand covered the shoreline, too. There was also a little cliff that you can jump into the ocean.  It was terrifying and fantastic! I could die out of happiness if I jumped. Unfortunately, I was tired diving at Cambugahay falls and I ran out of energy so I was not able to jump here. I just took pictures, sat in the seashore while enjoying this beautiful beach. We took lots of pictures too.


7. Man-made forest

The trees were not that good in this picture because the focus was on our very funny faces. :D

8. Kagusuan Beach 
Noted for its picturesque seascape and rock formation, it was situated below a cliff and accessible by a concrete staircase. We were not able to swam here because it was nighttime already when we arrived here.

9. Centennial House 
This is a century old house made of bamboo, nipa and molave hardwood.

Photo from Google.

10. St. Francis of Assisi Church 
Made up of stone and cruciform.

11. Pasalubong Center 
Variety of souvenirs ranges from hats, keychains, fashion jewelries, t-shirts to semi-possesed dolls and different kind of potions, including love potion. I don't know if this is working though.





1. Wear light clothes. Sleeveless tank paired with shorts are preferable especially during summer :D
2. Put on thick sunblock. You don't want to burn your burnt skin, do you? :D :P
3. Bring cash during your tour. There's little amount of entrance fees in some of the tourist spots. There's also cheap but nice souvenirs you will surely want to buy . You may also donate any amount you want.
4. Bring foods/snacks during the tour.
5. The locals especially the tour guides are very friendly. So, you got to be friendly, too. Plus, they are willing to take countless of pictures of you and your squad - may it be dramatic, jumpshots or videos. Just approach in a polite way. :)


Located in the Central Visayas region, Siquijor is the third smallest province in the Philippines and a small midway between Visayas and Mindanao islands. Legend tells of a "King Kihod" as the source of the island's name. Old residents also called the island "Katugasan" from the Molave ("tugas") trees that cover the hill.
During Spanish expedition, Siquijor was known as Isla de Fuego  or the "Island of Fire" because it was literally lit by fireflies at night swarming the branches of its molave trees.
Since the olden times, people believe the island to be mysterious because of the presence of folk healers and their practices of spiritualism and up to these days people still come to witness the preparation of the brews and really try the medicinal powers of herbs, from health problems to the potions for love and favor.
Above all, it's the local's welcoming smile and warmth that make every visitor's stay delightful and unforgettable.

1. Siquijor island is mostly made up of limestone rock material and fringed by mangroves, white sandy beaches and coral reefs.
2. Majority speaks the native dialect which is Cebuano. Tagalog and English are widely spoken and understood.
3. In most parts of the province, it is dry from January to May and wet for the rest of the year. The southern part is dry from November to April and wet for the rest of the year.
4. The most common means of transportation are jeepneys and tricycles. Tricycles are available for hire to desired destinations, while jeepneys travel on franchised routes between municipalities.