"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.

Behold it is Valentine's Season!

There are so many things I can think of when I hear this V-Day word. Here, I will list down 14 sarcastic random whispers my brain gives that correlates with it. Watch out, these are perfectly tangled. Please don't get infected by it *wink*.

1. I am single and happy this Valentine's day because baby I am born this way.

2. Roses are red; violets are blue. It's Singles Awareness Day for me while Valentine's Day for you.

3. Give flowers to your mother; date your father; massage the back of your sister; double the allowance of your brother. Valentine's Day is solely for the family alone and nothing else!

4. Hey Cupid, will you please shoot brains and not hearts?

5. Please don't be sad this 14th. Just remember, nobody loves you on any of those other 364 days of the year.

6. I wonder if I should be happy or sad this 14th. I want to receive flowers and chocolates but for sure nobody will give me. Well, I will buy one for myself and really choose the best ones. Problem solved. On the other hand, I think it's okay to forget these fancy stuff. Afterall, I don't want a single dollar to jump out from my wallet.

7. I warn you not to wear red this Valentine's Day because I have an agreement with the president of the Republic. All bulls will have their rest day from work during the 14th. They will be roaming around in malls, streets, resorts and restaurants. Haha!

8. I am a zombie working my butt hard during night. I sleep 7:00 A.M. in the morning and wake up 3:00 P.M. in the afternoon. When I wake up, there's a notification on my phone and it's you! Thank you for secretly becoming my faraway Valentine by hearting one of my posts.

9. "Happy Valentine's Day!" May your status on Facebook will not change to 'complicated' after Valentines day.

10. How many frogs I need to kiss in order to find the one prince that's riding a horse?

11. Throw that away! Chocolates will give you diabetes and oh, it loves hiding in your belly. You don't want belly fats, do you?

12. Please accept the truth that if your X-ray is good looking compared to your photo, you may find it a little hard to have a date this Valentine's day.

13. It will be a really good idea if Valentine's day is a Second-Holloween-Day. Do you agree?

14. To all doctors and nurses, you will have an overtime this coming November. A lot of babies are coming to Earth.


Congratulations to those who have their special someone during this love month. Make sure to lock each other's hearts in a happy and safe place. Else, you don't want a broken heart at the end, do you? Man, I tell you it's not easy and you will look stupid. Healing process will take you months or even years.

And for those who are independent singles, well, let's continue living our lives each day as if it's the last day! Hopefully our phone and laptop batteries will last long enough as we expected them to be.

If you are like me who loves carnival, then I think you must visit Cebu City's Kasadya Sa SRP before it's too late!

Wait, what is it?

Kasadya Sa SRP is local amusement park located at South Road Properties of Cebu City. Thus, explained its name as to why it is called like so. It is composed of different carnival rides, food stalls, game booths and mini bazaars. This runs from the month of December up to February of each year. And the most pleasing reason as to why you must visit is the very affordable entrance fee and ride fees.

Welcome!

Itinerary, expenses and fun!

It's been a while since I last went out with my sister due to conflicting work schedules we both have. Luckily, our free time crossed one day in January 2017, just before the grandest Sinulog festival, and we finally got to try out the rides and fun at Kasadya sa SRP.

1. Dinner at Colon.
My treat because I am a generous elder sister haha! (200 pesos)


2. Rode 10F jeepney going to Mambaling.
Fare was ten pesos each. Her treat because I forced her, lol. (20 pesos)
We chose jeepney over taxi and Uber because we wanted to save money, hehe. Besides, we both had our free time for ourselves that night and not to mention we wanted to have some bonding moment, too. It was a joyful ride with her because we talked about anything we saw inside and outside the vehicle. What could I say? We are sisters so somehow we think a like at some point.

3. Rode motorcycle with not-so-fancy helmet.
My turn to treat her. Fare was 25 pesos for the each of us. (50 pesos)
We went there around 7:00 P.M. in the evening so we liked the cool breeze of air during our habal-habal trip.

4. Arrived at Kasadya sa SRP.
Entrance fee was 25 pesos for each individual. Clearly affordable on my sister's pocket so she treated me :) (50 pesos)
Rain showers welcomed us upon arrival. Yeah, it was raining but not that heavy.

5. Exciting rides.
When we enter the park, there were colorful lights that gave us chills and big smiles.
We didn't know where to start first so we just looked for those rides that has many people in it and then took on the challenge. Fee was 50 pesos per ticket per person for a 3-minute ride. (total of 600 pesos for both of us)

Galactic
Many people were lining up in the ticket booth. This made us curious so we lined up, too. In this ride, we stood  up until the end. No worries because there's huge metal bracket around our chest area for protection. We couldn't move our feet for they're heavy. It felt like we were like inside of a blender. After around 2 minutes, the machine would tilt for about 45 degrees. We saw the ground up side down. So cool! Thanks to Sir Isaac Newton's Centrifugal Force (a force directed away from the center) we didn't fall. This was our first ride and we loved it it!


Viking
This is absolutely 100% better and a very good upgraded version of our childhood swing! In this ride, we sat and went crazy every time it reached on each end.


Lantern Wheel
This was same as the typical Ferris Wheel we tried during fiesta in our place. We went crazy again with this ride. Whenever it fell from the top, it almost made me throw up really hard; good thing I didn't.

Spider
This was our favorite! In fact, we rode here twice. In this ride, we sat on a crazy rotating chair while the machine rotated it. Sounds insane I know!


Bumble Bee
This ride was for kids. It's safe and there's no breathtaking adventures here compared to the previous rides we tried.

Super Twister
This was the second favorite ride of my sister. In this ride, we sat on separate single swings while rotating around This one was very cool. I felt like a flying bird because I saw roofs all over and the people on the ground looked so tiny already. Clearly, I was meters away from the ground. Saddest and funniest part was I literally almost threw up after this ride!
My sister and I almost lost our lungs and spirits during this adventure but we wanted more of it soon.



6. Tricky game booths.

Ball game - you bet on cards which you think the ball will land.

Throw your coin and if it lands perfectly to the squares, you win the prize that the square associates.

Shoot one toy and if it falls, you win a prize!

Firing yeah. Bullseye? No problem, one awesome prize for you!

7. Food stall.
We ate at pungko-pungko but was not able to take a picture. So here's an ice cream instead.

Cheers!

We arrived at Kasadya Sa SRP around 8:30 PM in the evening and we went home at 2:00 AM. Our total expenses for this adventure was around 1000 pesos.


Tips:
1. Better be prepared. Bring umbrella and handkerchief with you.
2. You will enjoy best if you have companion whom you can talk to about anything under the sun.
3. If you are going to follow our road trip, it will take almost an hour of your time. You may ride taxi, Uber or even Mybus from SM City Mabolo going to SM Seaside, then ride a taxi or motorcycle going to Kasadya sa SRP.
4. Kasadya Sa SRP's floor is soil and not concrete cement. If it rains, expect chocolates on your feet :)
5. Don't eat first before the rides. You will throw up!
6. If you want to play games, expect to lose.
7. The operators inside are so friendly. Please wear a smile whenever possible. :)

Invitation email

Yay, early bird us

Rigney Hall - the venue :)

She is DJ (EMCEE). She welcomed and introduced me to the audience as if I won the lottery!

• 1. What is a blog?
• 2. Why do it?
• 3. How to start?
• 4. What are the keypoints to consider?
• 5. The 5H characteristics to successful blogging. (credits to Mr. Lai for allowing me to include this.)
• 6. When to start?

 Link of my powerpoint presentation here.

Giving of certificate. Oops, where am I looking?

The wonderful students and my sweet friends :*

Yay, groufie! :D