It's a happy and memorable 12.12.12 for me!

It was early in October when I declared that "Christmas came early for me this year."  It started one early morning with a surprise email from Nescafe Philippines, informing me that my entry has been selected as one of the most serendipitous entry in the Nescafe 3in1 Serendipics Promo.  

I didn't know which camera I won until November, when they officially announced it on their fan page.  I went gaga -- stifling giggles, squeals, and screams of excitement -- because I read it while I was in the library! So I did all that online instead.  Haha! (I was using my personal USB internet dongle BTW, in case you're wondering why I was FB'ing in the library. And it was lunch break! *defensive lang*).

Anyways, I couldn't attend the awarding so I had to wait for them to ship my prize.

And lo and behold, I got THEM today!!! (Yes, plural form.)

They sent over that oh-so-pretty pink CoffeeCam too -- with packs of Nescafe 3in1  in Chocolatte and Creamylatte varieties plus a Nescafe mug inside! ^_^

And the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 came with a case too and 2-GB Transcend SD card!    

Remember how I adored and got smitten by that cute pink camera box that I half-mindlessly joined this contest?  Well, I got sooooo much more than that!

Thanks heaps Nescafe... and the entire Nescafe Team!!! ^___^

So yes. It was indeed a special, happy, and memorable 12.12.12 for me... definitely one for the blog! ;)

Now time for that creamy white coffee... Ciao! 

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How to Find Cheap Accommodation

Accommodation is perhaps one of the biggest costs travelers consider when planning a trip. Whether it's for a luxurious rest-and-relaxation staycation, a quick weekend getaway, or a mid- to long-term vacation, I'm pretty sure people would want to have the best value they can find.  

Center Suites, Cebu City | June 2012

Everyone has a different preference when it comes to accommodation types.  Some want luxury.  Others just want cheap hotels. Some can even sleep anywhere as long as there's a roof and a wi-fi connection!  However, no matter what your accommodation tastes may be, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to pay pay an arm and a leg for it.  

Dee/Timmy's Side, Boracay | October 2010

Here are some ways to find free or inexpensive lodging:

1.  Ask your network.  What better way to find recommendations than through people you personally (or virtually) know and trust.  Solicit advice from everyone in your network -- family, friends, colleagues, etc.  In this day and age, that is made a whole lot easier through social networking sites. Try asking on Facebook or Twitter, and you'll be surprised on the number of people who actually take the time to respond.

Moritz Hotel, Iloilo City | October 2010

2.  Try couch-surfing.  One of the best ways to get free accommodation is by staying with someone who lives where you’re going, sleeping in whatever spare space is available -- bed, couch, or maybe perhaps just floor. If you don't have friends in your planned destination, try checking out CouchSurfing.org. It's a "volunteer-based worldwide network connecting travelers with members of local communities, who offer free accommodation and/or advice."

Couch surfing in Cebu with friends | May 2011

3. Search Online.  In case 1 and 2 above unfortunately comes up with zero results, Google might be your savior.  There are tons of travel bloggers who document their itinerary  in complete details -- including of course where they stayed, what it looked like, and how much it costs.  They make our lives a whole lot easier.  There are also websites that specialize on finding great deals on accommodations.  Consider other options other than hotels.  Look for hostels, dorm-type accommodations, or possible homestays.  

Homestay, Palawan | December 2008

4.  Just Embrace the Adventure.  If you're feeling more adventurous, just go without booked accommodation. Ask the locals -- tourism officers, taxi and tricycle drivers, etc.  After all, who knows the place better than people who live there, right? Just keep an eye open for swindlers and scammers.  To be safe, make sure you have an idea on the usual rates. 

Ferionni, Baguio City | May 2010

So the next time you prepare for a getaway, consider these options to help you reduce your expenses and free up your travel budget for more fun activities and food trips.

What about you? How do you find cheap accommodations?

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Centrio (Ayala Mall) Sneak Peek Tour | Cagayan de Oro City

An Ayala-owned mall will open its doors to the public come Friday, November 9, 2012. Centrio, located in the heart of Cagayan de Oro City — along Capt. Vicente Roa St.-Corrales Avenue Cor. C.M. Recto Avenue —  is an integrated mixed-use complex composed of a shopping mall, a hotel, a BPO/office building and a condominium tower.  It envisions to be in the center of the lives of the people —  a place to work, live, and play.

In case you're wondering, Centrio's name is coined from the words "center" and "rio," referring to the Cagayan de Oro River in the center of the city.  

Taking advantage of the approved request from Northern Mindanao bloggers for a sneak peek of the soon-to-open mall, the group of excited bloggers — sporting hard hats and face masks — toured the building as it nears completion. 

Here are some photos I took during the tour:

Thanks Ms Mae for showing us around

The activity center with a 300-people seating capacity will be a venue for entertaining events which can be viewed from all mall levels. 

Activity Center

The Centrio Garden will be one of my fave spots in the mall. They preserved the two acacia trees, as depicted in their logo, to emphasize the Ayala Malls' stand on sustainability.  

Centrio Garden

Here are some of the shops that will open soon:

 

What I'm really excited about is Iligan City's very own Delecta will be there too! Yeay!

And of course, the cinemas! Centrio has 4 cinemas -- three 200-seater and one 300-seater. They have the cutest carpet!

So if you want to see Centrio for yourself, roughly 70% of the shops will open on Friday, November 9, 2012 at 11:00 AM.

ASAP of ABS-CBN will be there at 5:00 PM, featuring ASAP Sessionistas Richard Poon, Sitti, Princess Velasco, with ASAP Supahdancer Gab Valenciano, ASAP Boyfriendz's Khalil Ramos, and many more.

Other shows to look forward to:
November 10, 6PM:  Anne Curtis
November 11, 6PM:  El Gamma Penumbra (of Pilipinas Got Talent)

And I'm pretty sure there's gonna be more...

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Thanks heaps to Vic M of CDO Bloggers and Irene A of Bukidnon Bloggers for extending the invitation to Iligan Bloggers Society, Inc.  Big thanks to the entire team of Centrio, Cagayan de Oro for welcoming the Northern Mindanao Bloggers. 

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Iligan City | Waterfalling Adventure Tour 1.0

September has always been special for my hometown, Iligan City.  As soon as August arrives, Iliganons start to buzz about plans for the month-long celebration of Diyandi Festival in honor of its patron saint, St. Michael.  

This year's grand celebration of Diyandi is themed at "Like Iligan!" to showcase Iligan City and invite people to Discover and Experience Iligan.

In celebration of the city's official Tourism Month, Iligan Bloggers Society, Inc. invited fifteen bloggers from all over the country to visit, discover, and experience Iligan with us through a five-day event intended to showcase what Iligan is known for -- as a City of Majestic Waterfalls. 

After the long and crazy busy months of careful planning, it all comes down to this. The Waterfalling Adventure Tour 1.0 officially starts tomorrow! And we're all giddy with excitement! Imagine six waterfalls in five days, inserting festival activities and events in between, topped with gastronomic feasts from all over the city... This experience will surely be fun and one for the books! ;)

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Waterfalling Adventure Tour 1.0 will not be possible without the support from the event sponsors: 
Tita Fannies, Red Planet / Calda Pizza, El Canto / Macki's, Iligan City Government, UNILAB, NPC Natures Park, 
Third Team Media, TravelJams, PurpleSlipperz, and Pinay Travelista.

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PAGANA, A Taste of Iligan: Food and Drink Festival

I slept with a very happy tummy last night!  

We checked out PAGANA, A Taste of Iligan and had an enjoyable sumptuous dinner.  Pagana, the official food and drink festival for Diyandi,  is hosted by the IHARRA (Iligan Hotel And Resorts Restaurant Association). It's a three-day affair at Big Fish, Pala-o (beside The Strip) featuring a collection of food establishments in the city. They are open at 6PM until 12 midnight from September 14 until September 16, 2012. 

Participating establishments are Chino's Deli, Chef Rod’s Gourmet, Aruma Café and Lounge, Flamoo, El Canto Grill and Seafood House / Macki’s, Sweet HoneymanC, Zoey’s Café, and Fontina. And we just had to try them all. We just had to! (Chos! As if labag sa kalooban at napilitan lang. :p)

Chino's Deli's Smoked and Spicy Sausage  

Chef Rod's Baby Back Ribs @ Php 80.00 (without rice)

Flamoo's Pagana Burger @ Php 95.00

Flamoo's Double Cheeseburger @ Php 70.00

El Canto's Chicken Barbecue meal @ Php 69.00

Zoey Cafe's Potato Twister 

Aruma's Cafe Mocha 

It was indeed a fun-filled evening! Aside from good food, there are games, activities, and live band entertainment too.

Still deciding what to do for the rest of weekend? Go to Pagana! 

More photos HERE.

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PAGANA A Taste of Iligan is an event organized by IHARRA 

for Diyandi Festival, a month-long celebration of the 

Iligan City Fiesta 2012

Click here for updates about the Diyandi Events 

Discover and Experience Iligan!

Like Iligan!

Viva Señor San Miguel!

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Sunrise and Sunset | Dipolog City

There are two brief moments in the 24 hours of each day that give us a sneak peek of the bigger story of our lives. It's the time of day when we experience calm, peace, and serenity; when we reflect on and be grateful for what had been and be hopeful and ready for what lies ahead.


Here are some captured moments of dusk and dawn in Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte:

Greeting the Morning with a Gorgeous Sunrise
What better way to welcome a brand new day than bask in the glorious sunrise?

These shots are taken a few weeks back in Baybay Galas, Dipolog City. I'm so happy that I was in the company of bloggers with common travel fetish -- capturing the moments of sunrise and sunset. Yes, it requires a little bit of sacrifice by having to wake up earlier than usual, but it is soooo worth it.  It didn't matter that we slept pretty late the night before and that we had to wake up at 4am and travel 20 minutes in a cramped tricycle because sunrise never fails to paint a smile on our faces and leave a spoonful of inspiration and a dose of hope in our hearts. :)




Ending the Day with a Breathtaking Sunset
As a famous quote goes, "The sunrise is God's greeting... Sunset, His signature."  True.  Here are a couple of photos taken at the boulevard.

There's just something about sunsets that makes me want to pause and just stare into the sun in admiration; to look back and be grateful for all the blessings; and to look forward excitedly to whatever lies ahead. ^_^

Whether it is the gorgeous hues of orange and red or the smooth transition from dark to light or light to dark, there's just something enchanting about sunrises and sunsets. Perhaps the beauty of the skies at this glorious hour is somehow like the beauty of our lives -- sometimes gloomy, sometimes clear, sometimes somewhere in between; most of the time unpredictable, but all the time wonderful. After all, A Sunset is the Promise of a New Day -- A Sunrise is a Promise Fulfilled.

;)

More photos HERE.

NOTE
This post is part of a series on the entire Dipolog-Dapitan trip.   Check out the rest of the series.

• How to Get to Dipolog City (from Iligan City)
• Hudyaka ZaNorte Experience
• Hudyaka ZaNorte Street Dancing Competition
• Sunrise and Sunset of Dipolog City

How to Get There:

Baybay Galas

• Restreto Inn (Minaog) to City Proper: Tricycle: Ask the driver to drop you off at the terminal at the back of the market. (fare: Php 10/person) 
• City Proper to Galas: Tricycle: Ask the driver to drop you off at the port or pier of Galas. You'll find fishermen and the freshest seafood there. (fare: Php 10/person) 

Boulevard

• Accessible by tricycle. Minimum fare: Php 7/person (within city proper). Fare from Restreto Inn to boulevard: Php 10/person.

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Travel Essentials: Firmoo Prescription Sunglasses (A Product Review)

What’s one thing you can't leave home without?

Me? My prescription eyeglasses! I can't leave home without it. I can no longer see objects far away, and I get terrible headaches and nausea if I don't have my eyeglasses.  I seldom use contact lenses too because my eyes get extraordinarily teary that the contact lenses got washed out on more than one occasion! 

As you may have figured out, prescription sunglasses is on top of my list of travel essentials -- not for fashion purposes, but more importantly for protection of my eyes. Because of my vision problems, I can't use over-the-counter sunglasses. Good thing I found Firmoo, a global online optical store.  They have eyeglasses frames featuring different fashion styles -- from retro eyeglasses frames to fashion ones, from rimless ones to full-rimmed ones and so forth. They have incredibly chic designs, yet surprisingly inexpensive!

When I read that Firmoo launched a program offering free eyewear to first-time buyers, I immediately signed up to get my FREE pair.

So here's what I love about the product:

1.  It gives me a clear vision.  Naturally, for a person with impaired vision like me, this is of utmost importance.  Firmoo sent in the eyeglasses with accurate prescription.   

2.  It fits perfectly.  The frame doesn't fall off or slide down, and it isn't too tight either.

3.  It has a cutting-edge modern style. Just because it is a prescription sunglasses does not mean it has to be boring.  I chose a wraparound glasses with an ultra cool design. I also like that the tint isn't too dark -- just enough to protect my eyes. 

4.  The package comes with a repair and maintenance kit.  The package I received also had a plastic case, a cleaning cloth, a soft storage bag and a glass repair kit with extra screws and a screwdriver. Taking care of the glasses is as important as taking care of the eyes, right? I'm glad the sunglasses from Firmoo comes with these accessories.  If there's one thing I would like to change in the contents though, that would be the cleaning cloth.  I prefer microfiber cloth and this cloth in the image below (sorry, I don't know the type of this cloth).

Note: Cleaning cloth used as background NOT from Firmoo.

5.  It's easy to order on their website, and the customer service is superb. No wonder Firmoo is the world's most popular online eyeglasses store. They have a large variety of high-quality and fashionable eyewear at the most affordable prices -- too large in fact that it actually took me two days to finally decide on a frame because there were several pairs that I liked. Customer service was also prompt, and they respond to emailed queries and concerns on a timely manner.

If you want to give it a try, just go to http://www.firmoo.com/free-glasses.html and get your FREE eyewear! 

Disclosure: I received this product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

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