Garin Farm Pilgrimage

My second time in Iloilo, I made sure not to miss a trip going to Garin Farm and Pilgrimage. This time, I went with my family and joining with us, was my brother-in-law's family, so, I could say that this trip was more fun! 

Fortunately, the hotel we stayed in offer a package tour which includes going to Garin. We left past 8 in the morning and arrived Garin at almost 10am. But the best I could give you is, try going to Garin at the earliest time possible, maybe around 6am so that you will not be under the scorching heat of the sun just like we do. My husband and daughter wanted to use the 480 steps to reach the top of the so-called 'Stairway to Heaven'. However, because it was really hot at that time, they decided to join us riding the golf cart. It was actually a short cut and we paid P60 going up, and another P90 going down. The cart is good for 4 persons so I guess our payment was just enough for the 4 of us. After Garin, we tour other places in Iloilo, had lunch at their famous Tatoy's Restaurant, visited old churches and historical places but that's for another blog to share :-)

My Daughter's Promenade 2019

My beautiful daughter on her Prom Day held at Xavier Estates Sports and Country Club, Cagayan de Oro City.

She's already a Senior Student at Corpus Christi School and this will be her last year to join the Promenade. Her gown was design by my good friend from Butuan City, Benjie S. Manuel. Hair and make up was done by Yen Bastareche of Bellemoda located at the 2nd floor of CTC (Cagayan Town
Center).

Davao Vacation 2018

When in Davao, make sure to visit Eden Nature Park and enjoy the rides. Sadly though, for us, we were quite late in getting into the place because of some unavoidable circumstances we met along the way. We thought we would arrived Eden after lunch but our car had some trouble that we went to see a car shop first and had the battery replaced.

Since we were not from Davao, we relied mostly on Gps or Waze. We arrived mostly to our destinations but on that day when we decided to go to Eden, that was when the problem came. We tried to use a shorter route as instructed by Ms. "Jane" of Waze. But halfway on our travel, we realized that the road ahead of us was very rocky. We only used our Toyota Vios and one passersby advised us not to use that route coz it will damage our car :-(

We went back our way. Better safe than sorry. We decided to use the longer but safer route but we arrived quite late. We were not able to catch up the tour bus so we had to explore the place by ourselves. We just made sure to visit the Flower Garden, the 'Rainbow' garden and also the Fish pond.

But before we explored the garden area, my husband and daughter checked out the rides first. They tried Skyriding and enjoyed the fun. It was my husband's birthday on that day that's why he was quite hesitant to go for another ride. He said he would try others in another visit. Hmmm...

I didn't try any rides coz we really lacked time. After snacks, I insisted that we go see the garden area before it gets dark. Everything was done in a rush. We took some pics of the areas nearby but we were not able to go further as it was raining also...sigh :-(

My 14 year old daughter enjoying the ride (Skyriding)

Despite that, I was happy to see the place. Everyone decided that should we go to Davao next time, our first stop should be Eden and spend the rest of the day enjoying all the rides. We were still glad to go there and did a little fun. I guess the only one who wasn't that happy was my little girl coz she was not able to take her much needed nap.

Art In Island: Where You Can Be Part of the Artwork

One of our most memorable family vacations happened in summer 2016. We went to Manila and right after my brother fetched us from the airport, he dropped us in Art in Island. We decided to eat our lunch there coz it was almost 1pm. But upon arrival, we couldn't resist taking and posing some pics of the stunning artworks.

We took a break when we couldn't hold on to our hunger and spent the whole afternoon til evening clicking our cellphones and cameras and striking poses to different paintings. Let our pictures below tell a story:

My daughters had a grand time appreciating art. I was even worried for my youngest because she might have tantrums if we stayed longer in one place. Fortunately, she didn't. She just took a nap when she felt sleepy so I let her rest in my lap and chest. And when she woke up, we continued to tour the place.

Hubby had fun himself, too, the mere fact that he was quite a party-pooper (blaah, haha), you could tell from the pictures he had fun.

I still have lots of pictures in my folder but I guess I will just post a few as not to bore my readers. If you have not visited Art in Island yet, I suggest you should. Just make sure to bring socks with you (although they sell at the entrance in case you forgot) or you could just go barefoot, which I will not recommend since the floor's cold. Also, bring some jacket with you if you don't want to feel cold inside.

Another tips to the family with kids: make sure to bring your children's school IDs to avail their discounted rate. Have Fun!!!

Zoobic Safari

One of the places we visited during our Summer Vacation was the Zoobic Safari in Subic. Each one of us had a blast, oh, except for the little one who was quite cranky before we started the safari. Our little girl later enjoyed watching the animals even the big tigers. It was very hot that time and quite dusty and we were really thirsty during the tour. But after we were done, the fun was all worth it. However, my little Zoe fell asleep before we even reached our final destination. Big sister Chloe had the best time of her life as she loves animals, too.

If you go to Subic, don't miss the fun in Zoobic Safari. You will see tigers, different kinds of birds, tigers and many, many more!

(originally posted in my old blog sometime in 2013)

Celebrating My Birthday at Seda Hotel 2018

This was taken during my birthday January 2018. We had a family dinner at Seda Hotel, Cagayan de Oro City. My birthday falls on a Friday and Seda Hotel had a Barbecue Grilled buffet that night. We really enjoyed their food and their desserts were superb. I think this is the 2nd or 3rd time that I celebrated my birthday in their restaurant because, obviously, we loved this place! It was not crowded and we certainly liked the ambiance, perfect for celebrating birthdays with my love ones ♥ We went home fully-sated.

Cousins Reunited

These are my cousins on my paternal side and the teenagers and little ones are our kiddos. Every 25th of December, we usually have a family reunion at our late grandmother's place in Iligan City. That was when my father was still alive and most of us were not married yet. But some of us, cousins, lived in different places and having a reunion was a bit impossible. Oh, fyi, we came from a big family. My grandma and grandpa had 13 children and my late dad was the eldest son. So in this picture, we only consisted about 1/16th of the family. And this was not even in Iligan City but here in Cagayan de Oro where some of us resided.

We had a mini-reunion at Centrio Ayala Mall sometime in January 2018 and it was fun seeing the my cousins with their respective families. I wish there will be more reunions next time but I think it's quite impossible to do this year coz some lived faraway and in another continent.

Still, I am thankful for this mini-reunion. It was nice to reconnect with my cousins and to just update each other's lives :-)

Spending the New Year at Dahilayan 2018

My family and I suddenly made a hasty decision to spend New Year's Day in Dahilayan. Actually, we went there on the morning of December 31, 2018 and stayed until late afternoon. We had our lunch in there and took some exploring the place. Our first time here was I guess 4 years ago, also on December 30, but we only had a short time to explore the place that time as it was raining. We decided to go home early. But this time, since the weather was good, we all had a good time appreciating the view. My little one had a time of her life playing. We arrived home at 7 pm, just enough for us to prepare for dinner at my mom's home and celebrate in welcoming the New Year with her. May all of you have a fun and meaningful 2019!

Dahilayan December 2013

One of the nice places to visit when you are in Cagayan de Oro is Dahilayan Forest and Adventure Park located in Barangay Dahilayan, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon. It is nestled at the foot of Mount Kitanglad and it is just an hour drive from Cagayan de Oro.

My family and I last went there December 20, 2013 but decided not to stay overnight because it was crowded since it was a holiday in the Philippines. We didn't even had a chance to do their famous Zipline (...to my eldest daughter's disappointment) because it was already fully-booked hence the long line. We promised to go back in there to really experience the adventure and hope we can do that by next month.

To those who did not yet see Dahilayan but wanted to know what's in Forest Park, it offers ATV and Buggy Trail Adventure, Barrel Train, Tree Top Adventure, Zorb. There's also Forest Park Cafe if want to eat your lunch or snacks and if you want to stay there for a night, they have nice accommodations to offer but better book ahead to make sure you have a room to stay. Dahilayan Adventure Park is just beside the Forest Park but it is in here where you get to experience their famous Longest Zipline. And if you plan to stay in one of their cottages, you get to get a discount in all their rides.

I included some of our pics in here but if you want to know more about Dahilayan, visit their sites at Dahilayan Forest Park and Dahilayan Adventure Park.

 
 
 

 
 
 

Last Christmas at 1A Express Hotel

CDO Bloggers celebrated Christmas party at 1A Express Hotel (or 1 Avenue Express Hotel) last December 2017. This hotel was quite new, and it located at the center of the city. It was very near the malls (walking distance actually) like SM Downtown Premier, Ayala Centrio Mall, Limketkai Mall and Gaisano Mall. It is just along the high way so transportation is very accessible.

Anyways, CDO Bloggers' party was fun, chill and relaxing. Even my kids who were with me enjoyed it. Oh, my eldest daughter, by the way, is also a blogger so it was only my little one who tagged along :-)

So if you are not from CDO and wish to stay in a hotel where you can relax but at the same time, go to exciting and nearby places, you can always stay at 1A Hotel. Better book a room now especially when they are still offering discounts ;-)

Uniqlo CDO

Located at SM CDO Downtown Premier, the store will be the 40th UNIQLO location in the Philippines. It is also the third store in Mindanao following the recent openings in SM Lanang Premier and SM City Davao. The new store will add over 1,018 sqm of new shopping space, bringing the UNIQLO LifeWear shopping experience to even more customers in Mindanao.

UNIQLO is known around the world for its LifeWear - innovative, high-quality clothing that is universal in design and comfort and made for everyone, everywhere. Through LifeWear, UNIQLO constantly develops technologies and fabrics to bring more warmth, more lightness, better design and better comfort to people’s lives.

Bloggers were invited to an Exclusive Media and VIP Event last June 28, 2017, so we had the chance to see what's inside the store first. The event was well-attended and a successful one.

And on the day of the opening, Ms. Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, the ambassadress of Uniqlo, graced the Grand opening of Uniqlo.

Camiguin Island

We went to Camiguin 2 years ago and my daughter enjoyed it so much that she had fun. Now that she's already 7 years old and in grade one, she wanted to go to Camiguin again because she said it was discussed in their class. I told her that we might go there again if her baby sister is old enough to enjoy the place. Take a tour below of our Camiguin trip:
(*P.S.: This blog was originally posted on January 18, 2012 in my old blog. Reposting here) 


Enjoying the hammock

Lobbying around.... and - Enjoying the sunset

Striking a pose with mommy and daddy

"The Island of your imagination"

I Won A Sony Bravia Led TV from Honda (Reposting)

I wish to be this lucky like I was in 2015 😝😜
(Reposting my lucky day)

  

Awarding of my prize - The 40" Sony Bravia Led TV

In my previous entry, I posted about Fun Test Drive Experience at Honda Cars and getting the chance to win Sony Bravia Led TV. Being one of the members of CDO Bloggers, I actually had the privilege of being invited by Honda Cars CDO. On Saturday morning of August 23, 2014, my husband and I went to Honda to do the test drive. My husband had been scouting vehicles in the past recent months and it so happened that Honda CR-V has been his dream car, so I managed to drag him along with me.

Clement Dampal, a fellow CDO Blogger who also works at Honda, accommodated us while waiting for other test drivers to arrive. When there were enough of us present, the Honda Staff took turns in briefing us about the brand new car models they were offering. In particular, they introduced the new features of the Honda Jazz, Honda Civic, the all-new CR-V, and their soon to be released car, Brio. After a short but thorough discussion between the staff and us guests, we were shown three available cars for test driving that day: The Honda CR-V, Honda Civic and Honda Jazz, all of which had automatic transmission. Three of the staff from Honda would accompany us if it was our turn to drive a vehicle.

My hubby was the first one to try and he picked out a black Honda CR-V right away. After a 15-minute drive, he was so dazzled by its smooth handling that he promised to buy one for himself once the budget permits. Finally, it was my turn to try their canary yellow Honda Jazz car and how I loved it! But since I was so used to driving manual transmission, it took me some time to adjust to the automatic shifting (I often found my clutch foot stomping an invisible pedal). But overall, I thought it was a real cool driving experience, and I was also glad that I survived the entire test drive without putting a scratch on their fabulous car, haha.

Honda Jazz Test Drive August 23, 2014

After our Fun Test Drive, we were given 5 raffle tickets for a chance to win a Sony TV. Hubby signed 3 and I signed the 2 tickets. They also gave us an umbrella as a token--so generous, huh?

On the eve of August 31, Honda Cars tagged me on Facebook when they posted the results of the raffle draw for Sony Bravia TV. Imagine the shocked surprise I felt upon reading MY NAME as the winner! Hesitant, I called my husband and daughter to read it for me to make sure I read correctly. And indeed, it was! Alleluia-- I could not contain my happiness! Up until now, I still thank the Lord for His wonderful blessing! To God be the Glory!

L-R: Honda Cars Branch Manager & Executive, Me, husband Glenn & Clement Dampal (Photo Credits to: Honda Cars/ Clement Dampal)

I claimed the prize on September 2 and finally the 40" Led TV Sony Bravia was formally awarded to me. I thank Honda Cars PH for giving us the opportunity to try out their new vehicles and experiencing how it feels like to drive their superb and high-end cars. But most of all, I thank Honda for their generosity in giving away such a fantastic prize. I was just very glad I did not refuse their invitation. And I praise God for letting me win this raffle. I will never ever forget this wonderful experience for the rest of my life.

My winning ticket and acknowledgement receipt

I love Shopping at S&R CDO!

My mommy friends and I at S&R on a rainy Friday morning. We were so delighted to see these Buy 1 Take 1 Cakes. I bought Oreo cake and it was worth it! It tasted sooooo good. The other mommies bought more goodies, foodies and other stuff they that could use at home 💓

Here's me, enjoying the company of my furry friends, hehe.

In Cagayan de Oro, S&R is located at Zone 5, Kauswagan Highway (across the RTMI garage, right before you take that right going towards Bulua Bus Terminal). Enjoy your shopping!

One Fine Sunday at Ateneo de Cagayan's Lucas Hall

(Reposting these pics taken sometime in 2012 from my old blog.) 

These pictures were taken inside Ateneo de Cagayan - Xavier University Campus. This school was hubby and my college Alma Mater. It's also where we attend mass every Sunday. Behind us is the statue of St. Ignatius de Loyola. The building here is called Lucas Hall. I used to make 'tambay' here during my college days. Oh, that's me and my daughter Chloe. We were both wearing the same style of clothes :)

Obviously, this picture was taken on a palm Sunday coz Chloe was holding what we call "Lukay". Baby Zoe was clinging so hard on me here. Unfortunately, there was no available size for her dress so I just let her wear her baby gap dress. Chloe told me that she will get my clothes soon and hers will be given to Zoe, hmmm... I also took a photo of Baby Zoe and Daddy to be fair. Far behind them is the Immaculate Concepcion chapel.

Whitewater Rafting in CDO

I posted some of these pictures long time ago in my other blog but I want to post it here again for I had a blast on this day. These pictures were taken sometime in 2009 when my aunt and cousin from Manila spent their vacation in Cagayan de Oro City. They wanted to experience Whitewater Rafting because this is one of the popular destinations in our place. It was my first time but I had fun on this 3-hour adventure together with my 2 older brothers and sister in law and I think we passed by 14 rapids. If you're in CDO, don't miss trying this out!

Jump to the max; shooting the rapids that made us all WET! (Ahoo-ahoo!!)

Do I really have to jump?!.... yeah, i did jump...

The water's kinda cold!; Just ended the 3-hr adventure with my 2 brods, Aunt, SIL & cousin

More pictures for you to see below:

Jump for joy!

Full battle gear

Readying ourselves
Hot and Dry...

Whoa!

Go brothers!

Waiting for the next rapid

Water was very still near the cave
River that separates CDO & Bukidnon
Ba-bath time

At the top of the rock

Other group joined us

Look! we're standing up..hehe
Our last stop

Showing off our Wet Money..want some? ;)