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September 12, 2015

Fluffy Days with Lala Fely at Pillows Hotel in Cebu


Two years without visiting the Philippines ever since our escapade at Manila with the whole family and suddenly, she's here without much fuss. 

Who am I talking about? My Mommy Fely. Or Lala Fely for my kiddo.

Mom scheduled an impromptu visit to the Philippines. It was so impromptu that her relatives in Siquijor didn't know about it. Only me and my brother did. It was completely amazing to know that she was visiting. Well, she was on her way to a LOT of errands and paper work to do but still lovely to have her hang out with us.
We met with mom and my brother Bob at the airport. It was funny coz we were late. Instead of being the ones to wait for her, she was the one waiting for us. Unfortunately, we are late sleepers so that was meant to happen.
When we arrived, these two loves of mine saw each other again. Notice the huge smile on her face. And she still opt to carry Dabby despite the weight!


We got a van, packed up her things and went directly to Pillows Hotel Cebu where she will be staying for two days. 


Pillows Hotel is a newly established hotel located at  208 Gov. M. Roa Street (previously Kamuning Street) near Fuente Osmena. It is quite near Hi-Precision and I figured it's a better landmark to mention if you're hailing a cab. 

They have rooms that accommodate your relaxation needs and it's quite accessible to the heart of Cebu City.  That is also the reason why we chose Pillows since my mom has an errand to run near the area.


"Pillows Hotel bedrooms are designed to help you sleep. Leave your normal life and worries behind and let us cocoon you in the highest-quality materials and props needed for a good rest, including:

- The Best Orthopedic beds
- Blackout curtains
- Heavenly vanilla scented room
- Inverter type airconditioner 
- Microfibre duvets 
- 250-thread-count 100 percent bedsheet cotton linens
- Specially made down alternative microfibre pillows made by Canadian Linens"

These above are the things I want to see and feel firsthand at Pillows Hotel. I am looking forward to a wonderful stay with my mom here.



We were greeted by their very accommodating staff where within just a few minutes we were checked in and ready to rest. In my mom's case though, we had to load a lot of her bags and balikbayan boxes! Glad they were patient enough to load her stuff to her room. :)

Here's a photo of my mom with the general manager of Pillows Hotel, Ms. Joan Zanoria. 

I've met Ms. Joan about a year ago and all I could say is that she is quite the leader to her wonderful and well-trained team of hotel staff at Pillows Hotel. Fierce and headstrong, she knows what she needs for Pillows Hotel to get the brand recognition it deserves despite the competition among accommodations in Cebu. Good thing to know is that her hard work is definitely paying off as the hotel is soaring with great TripAdvisor ratings and competing with the big names in Cebu.



My photo of the whole room and beds turned out blurry but I was able to get a view of mom and her boxes galore! She was able to fit them all in the rooms and from then on, started unpacking to give away some of her clothes to me. Wooopeee!


Their restroom and shower is really clean and supplied with the basic things you need during your stay - clean towels, soap, glasses, and toothbrushes.

Here's another note - My husband and I have this thing about the hose near toilet bowls at hotels. We reckon that if a hotel has that, it's up to date. If not, it's quite old. Well, Pillows Hotel has those things and we're just glad to know because it makes it very convenient. 


And now, the pillows. My gosh, you'll never have anything so fluffy! It's like you're laying your head on cotton candy without the sticky sugar. Who wouldn't have a good night's sleep without this luxury?

They leave a note on them saying that if they are not good enough for you, you can request for different ones from the hotel. I would have requested the memory foam ones but these were already good enough indeed. :)


My little boy got to bond with Lala Fely since we had him stay with her overnight at Pillows Hotel. I would melt into the pillows and beds too if we didn't have much work to do at home.


With that, I am thinking of having to stay there soon for Sinulog 2016. It's really near Fuente Osmena for the parade. That might be our next adventure and Pillows Hotel will be on the wishlist.

Call them for reservations at 032 268 8000.


August 31, 2015

Our Home in Boracay the 2nd Time Around: Agos Boracay Rooms + Beds

The first visit to Boracay was immaculate. And I blogged about it two years ago just to keep the memories alive.

The rough edges when we think about our first trip to Boracay were the following: muddy streets and the crowded beach. But all those were eased by the fact that we stayed at the most tranquil place to stay Boracay and that's at Agos.

Why? It's all because of their sincere, personalized service to the guests. It is much, much like you're at home. 

So when we learned about our second trip to Boracay for another round of Geeks on a Beach, we only thought about one accommodation. And that's at the place we called home on our first visit.

Looking for a "home" in Boracay for when the itch to visit the gorgeous island was made easy with our first travel experience there. And this time, we were welcomed and accommodated by the friendly boss lady of Agos, Ms. Valerie Geraldez. I promised that we will talk about our experience staying with them so I will do so on this post.

BOOKING

Booking at Agos is as easy as visiting their website at http://www.agosboracay.com/.

I was accommodated not by a booking bot but by their agent named Divine. Again, it's all about personalized service at Agos and I was super impressed. I was able to upgrade our room to family since I was traveling with dear husband and dear son of 8 years old.

TRAVEL AND TRANSFERS

The agent was also able to arrange for transfer and pickup for us. This saves A LOT of headache especially if you prefer less hassle on your visit which we badly need especially when traveling with a kiddo.



On our travel day, as promised we were picked up by their partner Southwest Tour which is one name you should look out for if you want efficient transfer services in Boracay. We were dropped off at Agos for our check in. Very convenient.

CHECK IN

Upon our arrival and check in, we were greeted with this. And there are a couple of things I remember from this very act which they also have when we first visited - a) eating in Africa b) my childhood.



Whenever you eat in a resto in Nairobi, Kenya, they give you hand towels. So this simple act is quite nostalgic for me. Quite the same with the chocnuts given because THAT is pure childhood bliss.

THE ROOM

During our first visit, it was a bit challenging since we were assigned the first room on the first floor. It also means that the noise could be a challenge as a guest. BUT the good thing about being near the lobby was being near to fast internet connection. That was the benefit of such. Plus the added benefit of not having to go up and down the stairs to have your breakfast.



We were assigned at the third floor during our second stay and everything was wonderful. It was so tranquil at the 3rd floor that we wonder if we even have next door neighbours in which case, there really is since I saw slippers outside the door.

They would tell you there's wifi at the first and second floor only but you can actually still use the internet at the 3rd floor. This is quite vital for us since I had to work and coordinate with my team back here in Cebu.


Our room was well-kept, well-stocked, and everything was working well. What I loved about our room most are the following:

1. Airconditioning is working well

This is quite important after a whole day of walking around the island and being all sweaty or wet or both!

2. Hot and cold shower

Same as #1. 

3. The internet

It actually has access even if they mentioned you can only access it at the lobby.

4. The serenity

No pesky, noisy neighbors! Everyone seems to respect the tranquility of the place that you can actually get a good night's sleep. :)

5. The breakfast

During our first visit, Agos partnered with a nearby resto for breakfast. This time, they have a partner at the beach front but since it was renovating, they had our breakfast ready at the lobby at the time you specified.

6. The extra water

Not all accommodations will offer you this but Agos actually keeps you hydrated. They constantly refill your water so you can have something to drink after the salty after taste of a day swimming in Boracay.

THE EXTRA MILE

This is where Agos is a winner for - going the extra mile to make their guests happy and satisfied. Some instances:

1. Beach towel and bag

They give you beach towels to use and a bag to pack it in. Just ask!

2. More water when you leave

This came in handy when we transferred and found our new accommodation does not even have water or coffee or anything else for us!

3. Help with transfers

They're a winner at this. They make sure you arrive in time and have an idea where to go next.

4. Tips on where to go

They give you tips on how much to pay and the best places to go in the island. 

5. Smiles everywhere!

You cannot find a grumpy employee. They were all smiles whenever they see. Much different from other accommodations.

With that, I went ahead and gave them five stars at TripAdvisor. Awesome right?

If you need to contact them or know where they are located, see below:

Agos Boracay Rooms + Beds

Experience the casual and homey feel of family-operated Agos Boracay Rooms+Beds located in the beautiful island of Boracay.
Room Rates: 


Address: Main Road Station 2, Boracay, Malay, 5608 Aklan
Contact Number: (036) 288 2663














May 19, 2015

Summer Team Outing: The Road to Deciding Danasan Eco Adventure Park


Thank you to the heavens and forces who made this event possible.

What event? Our Third Team Media summer outing.

It has been a challenging event to organize and put together. 

1. We initially hoped we could do CansoX for the weekend and then our request was not approved for reasons beyond our control. 

2. The team mates have cancelled their outings with family and with other engagements to join the team outing. It had to happen.

3. There was also this challenge about funds. We have initially budgeted only PHP 6,000 for the whole event plus PHP 1,000 for materials to bring for some team activities. So we had to work around this set budget.

The first backup plan was to go to Terra Mana and go glamping. We voted against it as it was 4 hours per way and that would mean we'd be exhausted from the trip alone. 

The second plan was to plan it with Gene's biking team and complete the weekend at Leyson's Peak. Unfortunately, three of us don't know how to bike at all so that was scraped. 

The third was to go island hopping but it was frowned upon since it was deemed to be a "boring" activity by the team mates.

The last and only plan left was to go Danasan Eco Adventure Park for wakeboarding.  I was fortunately introduced a couple of years ago to the son of the owner and got discounts for the event. The event came out with PHP6770 and within the budget that we set. 

For activities, we did wakeboarding, pool, lunch, dirt biking, horseback riding -- a mix of which were done by different groups of team mates.

Me and my ride. No hatin'.



We came out famished and full of body pains.  But delighted. Super. And I am happy to finally say I survived Danasan. Well, the wakeboarding part at least. It was the farthest I've been north of Cebu. I hope to bring Mark and Dabby there someday.



April 2, 2015

This Your Home Now by Mark Doty

It has been my New Year's resolution 2015 to read one poem a day. And it has been easy when the daily poems are served to me on my email when I subscribed.  If you want to subscribe too, you can do so at poets.org.


When this poem found its way on my inbox, I skimmed through the first few lines and found myself drawn. It's a rare occurrence for me as most of those I have read have been very hard to digest, too filled with American slang and idioms that I could not understand.

Yet this poem - This Your Home Now - seems to pull my heartstrings and remind me of my wonderful childhood in Iligan City. And I felt like reading this, it reminds me of the things that I left behind and the memories that come summoned on a Holy Thursday.

Like for instance, I sent this photo to my mom on Facebook. I told her this reminded me of our childhood in Suarez where at the veranda we had loads of these plans hanging in the place. I'm sure my siblings would agree how much these plants were a symbol of discovery and summer and how the bees go back to and fro the flowers of these plants and that would send us running to avoid getting stung (which never really happened). Fun times.

And the feelings -- I felt that Mark Doty said the exact things I wanted to feel again about my memories and that's this part --

and today I sit in your good chair, in the sixth decadeof my life, and if your back door is a thresholdof the kingdom of the lost, yours is a steady hand
How wonderful it would be to feel this way again. Thank you Mark Doty.


This Your Home Now

Mark Doty
For years I went to the Peruvian barbers on 18th Street
—comforting, welcome: the full coatrack,
three chairs held by three barbers,

oldest by the window, the middle one
a slight fellow who spoke an oddly feminine Spanish,
the youngest last, red-haired, self-consciously masculine,

and in each of the mirrors their children’s photos,
smutty cartoons, postcards from Machu Picchu.
I was happy in any chair, though I liked best

the touch of the eldest, who’d rest his hand
against my neck in a thoughtless, confident way.
Ten years maybe. One day the powdery blue

steel shutters pulled down over the window and door,
not to be raised again. They’d lost their lease.
I didn’t know how at a loss I’d feel;

this haze around what I’d like to think
the sculptural presence of my skull
requires neither art nor science,

but two haircuts on Seventh, one in Dublin,
nothing right.
                                 Then (I hear my friend Marie
laughing over my shoulder, saying In your poems

there’s always a then, and I think,  Is it a poem
without a then?
) dull early winter, back on 18th,
upspiraling red in a cylinder of glass, just below the line

of sidewalk, a new sign, WILLIE’S BARBERSHOP.
Dark hallway, glass door, and there’s (presumably) Willie.
When I tell him I used to go down the street

he says in an inscrutable accent, This your home now,
puts me in a chair, asks me what I want and soon he’s clipping
and singing with the radio’s Latin dance tune.

That’s when I notice Willie’s walls,
though he’s been here all of a week, spangled with images
hung in barber shops since the beginning of time:

lounge singers, near-celebrities, random boxers
—Italian boys, Puerto Rican, caught in the hour
of their beauty, though they’d scowl at the word.

Cheering victors over a trophy won for what?
Frames already dusty, at slight angles,
here, it is clear, forever. Are barbershops

like aspens, each sprung from a common root
ten thousand years old, sons of one father,
holding up fighters and starlets to shield the tenderness

at their hearts? Our guardian Willie defies time,
his chair our ferryboat, and we go down into the trance
of touch and the skull-buzz drone

singing cranial nerves in the direction of peace,
and so I understand that in the back
of this nothing building on 18th Street
                                                                            —I’ve found that door

ajar before, in daylight, when it shouldn’t be,
some forgotten bulb left burning in a fathomless shaft
of my uncharted nights—
                                                          the men I have outlived

await their turns, the fevered and wasted, whose mothers
and lovers scattered their ashes and gave away their clothes.
Twenty years and their names tumble into a numb well

—though in truth I have not forgotten one of you,
may I never forget one of you—these layers of men,
arrayed in their no-longer-breathing ranks.

Willie, I have not lived well in my grief for them;
I have lugged this weight from place to place
as though it were mine to account for,

and today I sit in your good chair, in the sixth decade
of my life, and if your back door is a threshold
of the kingdom of the lost, yours is a steady hand

on my shoulder. Go down into the still waters
of this chair and come up refreshed, ready to face the avenue.
Maybe I do believe we will not be left comfortless.

After everything comes tumbling down or you tear it down
and stumble in the shadow-valley trenches of the moon,
there’s a still a decent chance at—a barber shop,

salsa on the radio, the instruments of renewal wielded,
effortlessly, and, who’d have thought, for you.
Willie if he is Willie fusses much longer over my head

than my head merits, which allows me to be grateful
without qualification. Could I be a little satisfied?
There’s a man who loves me. Our dogs. Fifteen,

twenty more good years, if I’m a bit careful.
There’s what I haven’t written. It’s sunny out,
though cold.  After I tip Willie

I’m going down to Jane Street, to a coffee shop I like,
and then I’m going to write this poem. Then

February 21, 2015

Darth Vader and Jayne Cobb at Otaku Fest 8 at UP Cebu

Hello.

It's Dabby and Fleire.

Today, we cosplayed together.

He was Darth Vader. I was Jayne Cobb of Firefly (genderbend).

But in reality, he was the star. I was the assistant.

Here's the story backwards.


We had a super wonderful time with the lightsaber.

It was real.

Trust us.



Everyone wanted a piece of the saber.


Luffy was amazed.


Player two had to take a selfie.


These ladies even had to sacrifice the dragon eggs to stay alive from the Force.



The Dark Knight thought he was a darker.


His blade was no match.


But what they didn't know was that it's this sweet boy behind the mask.


Who can pose with wonderwoman and stay harmless.


And was the son of ... wait, I mean, my son. My little Dabby.

February 12, 2015

Beloved Cebu Bloggers Society Celebrates 7th Anniversary at Marriott Hotel Cebu

This photo below.

This was our first ever meeting with this guy named Mark Monta. 

This was back in 2010. And Dabby was still 4 years old.

After hanging out with him at an event of Ms. Janette Toral called Palamantasan, I learned that he was the founder of the Cebu Bloggers Society, Inc.

Such was the start of my encounter with this wonderful society called Cebu Bloggers Society, Inc. - a group where I met great people to work with in my journey as a startup social media agency founder and business owner.






Fast forward to 2015, 5 years after and I am still a proud member of CBSI. 

We may not join much of the events due to being caught up with life and work but we know that being with these guys, it's like having brothers and sisters in the online blogging world who you can rely on.

With our incoming anniversary this Feb 15, I am looking forward to see Mark and the other bloggers again along with the fresh faces. 

Kudos CBSI! And happy anniversary! :)




Special mention: All thanks to Marriott Hotel Cebu, the anniversary sponsor, who will make this event possible.

Side note:

If you are a CBSI blogger reading this, I've saved you all the trouble for trivia night. ;)

Trivia and Fun Facts about CBSI (as lifted from the CBSI Facebook Page)

  1. CBSi stands for Cebu Bloggers Society Inc. and we are commonly known as CBS.
  2. Cebu Bloggers Society Inc. is founded by Mark M. Monta and later joined by co-founders Kevin Ray Chua and Sir Gervacio who helped in encouraging more members to join the online organization.
  3. CBS main goal is to promote Cebu through Blogs. This gives us our vision, " A continuously improving world-class institution which will help promote and bring pride to Cebu and help develop the Cebu blogging community which will eventually become not only a value-driven and responsible group but also proactive and productive citizens of our community, country, and world."
  4. On October 22, 2008, the very first Digital Filipino Club and Bloggers Conference in Cebu was held at PAGCOR in Waterfront Hotel. This was headed by Ms. Janette Toral, the president of the club. It was in that event that the group was publicly recognized. Also during that day, the new Cebu Bloggers Society website was launched
  5. On October 2008, CBSi Member McBilly Wilford Sy joined Mr. Cebu 2008 and with the help of the organization and it's members and his friends in Blogosphere, McBilly won People’ Choice Award garnering the most votes online. Aside from this pride in Pageantry, CBSi has current members who are professionals ( IT Expert, Doctor, Lawyer, Nurse, among others) and who are dedicated to be passionate in Blogging with CBSi.
  6. On November 2, 2008, the group was invited for a 30-minute live air and webcast interview with Jun Tariman of DYAB Cebu (this was during his High-Tech Ko Bai segment program). The group discussed about the importance of blogging in SEO (Search Engine Optimization), how to make money through blogging, basics in blogging, importance of blogging in creating our history. The group was also given the chance to promote the organization through air waves.
  7. A few days after the radio interview, November 9, 2008 to be exact, selected group members were featured in ABS-CBN’s MagTV Na morning program. This served as another opportunity of the group to promote their organization through television.
  8. On November 10, 2008, the group covered the US Election Watch 2008 held at the Atrium hall of SM Cebu’s Northwing. This event was organized by the US Embassy in the Philippines. It was in that event that the group was first officially tagged as a Media.
  9. On February 21, 2009, the Cebu Bloggers Society was formally organized after the election of pioneering officers and board of trustees. This was with the help of Atty. Ethelbert Ouano, the legal adviser of the organization.
  10. On October 18, 2009, the Cebu Bloggers Society received the Visayas Bloggers’ Choice Award at the 2009 Philippines Blog Awards (Visayas).
  11. The Cebu Bloggers Society has also organized some activities that brought the members closer to each other. Some of the activities are the camp-out, Christmas party, and the 2nd anniversary celebration. The group also started an activity which allowed CBS members to meet other Cebuano bloggers, and that was the World Bloggers’ Day; CBS also initiated outreach programs like the giving of donations/bundles of joy to the Umapad (Mandaue) fire victims and the Computer Literacy Program at Pinamungajan, Cebu.


February 6, 2015

Ding Dong Dell: Pastels and Milktea

 Yesterday afternoon, I went on a date. With the boys.

Mark, Dabby, and I decided to finally go out together on a family date. We went for our usual rounds of milktea.

I had to follow though since I had a meeting with a client. Walking on high heels with my two bags, I made my way to Ayala knowing that my two boys will be waiting for me there.

When I arrived, I had the usual - Dakasi Bubble Milktea in large size, no ice.  It was my happy moment. I miss milktea so much.

Since I wanted to go around and take Dabby around the mall, we bolted out Mark's way and started our malling.

We dropped by Watsons to buy Dabby his blue hairbrush. Finally won't need to remind him to get my own brush and use for himself.

After that, I brought him to National Bookstore. I grabbed some envelopes I need for the office and also grabbed some oil pastels.

Oil pastels bring memories of elementary when my classmates had this wonderful tool while I'm stuck with the waxy crayons in my grip. Thinking Dabby should experience this, I grab a 12-color box for him for P56.

After eating bread at La Parisienne, we made our way back to Dakasi and set our new coloring tool in motion.

Dabby decided to draw Ding Dong Dell, one of the buildings from the game Ni no Kuni (The Wrath of the White Witch) which his dad is currently playing on the borrowed PS3.

Here's his final work on a GBG notebook (impromptu desires call for creative means).


Hopefully Dabby will get to learn how to make his art better soon. I think he definitely has the passion and creativity.

January 8, 2015

My Son's Idea of Technology to Not Make Life a Let Down

Dabby: Mom, I want to create new technologies.
Me: Yes, Dab, me too!
Dabby: I want to create things that don't make life such a let down.
Me: 

And here I though that he meant things that are beneficial for all. While I think jetpacks would be really awesome and would put a smile to all our faces hovering around like the Jetsons, our tech is still far from that.

Well I asked him what sort of things would this be and Dabby thinks that the existence of these things will make life better. This kid should be born in the future. :\


  • Slides instead of cars
  • Slide pipes to go to a building
  • Jetpacks with wings
  • Jetpacks with missiles for war
  • Hovering laser tanks
  • Hover vehicles
  • Rocket powered boots
  • Force shield
  • Rival Rebels Dragon ADS
  • Water proof, portable, fireproof computer based map
  • Holograms
  • CTC CTS (Cottons the Cat's own Cybertronic Spaceship)
  • Lava storage
  • Lava powered car
  • and that's not all. More to follow.