Summer Siren Festival Review

This was my first time to attend something like a “Coachella” type of event (http://www.coachella.com/), and what’s more enticing was the fact that it is a 3-day event on the beach! Wow! So me and my friend booked in February. After paying online, I thought maybe I would get the option to choose our accommodations, but I only received a receipt in my email. I quickly sent Travel Factor an email asking about the details of the event. They responded promptly, a good sign, saying the travel itinerary and accommodations will be sent 3 days before the festival. I figured, hey as long as nothing goes wrong, and I can get a hassle-free beach getaway, a 3-day notice is fine. I was wrong.

I will try to be as detailed as possible lest I be misinterpreted. But simply put, this is a review about how disgruntled I am about this event hahaha...

First of all, the promised communication came in late at night, for the itinerary only. The email about our accommodations came in 2 days before the event. We also found out we are having 2 other roommates and that we cannot change things. Now for our bus, we were the only ones with roommates, and true enough we cannot change things, it is only 2 days before we hit the beach! Okay okay, fine, let’s be considerate to the organizers.

Call time for the bus ride was 3AM and will leave at 4:30AM sharp. Good that the waiting time was a long one since we arrived at 3:45AM. We did leave at 4:30AM, no worries. We had one pit stop which was the NLEX gasoline station and after this, the ride went straight to Crystal Beach Resort.

We reached Crystal Beach in San Narciso, Zambales at around 9:30am. It took a while before we can hit the beach because the electric wires were in the way of the buses. I was thinking to myself: did they not know about vertical and horizontal clearances when they made their ocular inspection as well as video teaser?

So it was clearly stated in the itinerary that we will have a “free time” at the beach prior to check in. We were told by our bus leader that we are to meet at the front of Crystal Beach by 1:45pm so we can be transported to our accommodations for check in. We were quite unluckily booked by Travel Factor at San Antonio, a 30-minute ride away from San Narciso. Okay we were told to loiter from 10:30AM to 1:45PM, sounds agreeable since we really want to check out the concert grounds of Crystal Beach anyways. Hey what could go wrong?

1:30PM, we went to the meeting spot. I even called the assistant bus leader to check on the time. So I was told that the buses won’t fit on the road leading to Crystal Beach so we will be picked up by vans/shuttles to take us to San Antonio. 2PM still no sign of logistics. 2:30PM, nothing. I called the assistant bus leader (I was not able to save the number of the bus leader) to ask about the situation. I even told her they have no respect for our time, that being told to have this much free-time is bad enough (as if we were kids told to play on the sandbox while the adults setup their booths), why can’t they afford to be on time? So she apologized and I asked her if she can send me SMS when the shuttles are taking the Bus #8 team to San Antonio. The agreed (adjusted) time was 3:30PM but I had to make sure they do not leave us because we had to grab something cold to drink inside Crystal Beach so I asked her to send me SMS. Waiting while standing outside the resort can be dehydrating too, you know.

By 3:30 PM, even without receiving any SMS from the bus leaders, we went straight to the front. We were able to catch the last shuttle, and after our names were confirmed, we were able to hit the road on our way to San Antonio. We checked in around 4-4:30PM. We took turns showering, since there were 4 of us in the room. Then we all snoozed. So tired and sleepy. We got drained of the entire transport system.

My friend and I woke up at 8PM. By then, our roommates were already out. We were quite lucky that our accommodations (Megan’s Room) had a really nice caretaker and the place had a tricycle terminal outside. It was indicated in the primer that the tricycle can take us to Crystal Beach for 100PhP per head one way, so we thought it was fairly priced for a 30-minute ride. Whoah we were charged 400 PhP, for the 2 of us. We tried to negotiate and finally we paid the tricycle owner PhP350. I hate haggling for these things so I settled with that price, also I had a hunch that with the chaos of the day’s logistics, that maybe the communication on tricycle pricing might have been wrong all along. I reported this to Travel Factor on their booth at the entrance. The Asst. Bus Leader for Bus#8 was there, and she was dead sure the price should have been PhP100/head. Alright, next time we will be adamant about just giving PhP200 for the 2 of us. We asked to sign up for the jeepney ride on the way home which only charge Php40 going straight to each of the San Antonio accommodations reserved for Travel Factor. We were the first to sign up for the 12:30AM ride and we even had stubs.

Pardon my amateur video :-P

The concert on night #1 was awesome because of Franco and Up Dharma Down. The stage setup was really nicely done, and lights are great. Forget about the DJ’s mixes. Although I must say the DJ that was mixing the sounds after the Zombettes were a lot better than the ones mixing during our daytime “loiter” period along Crystal Beach. Forget about the Zombettes too. Our roommates told us that the Zombettes had a totally different mix for that night that they were also shocked to hear not-so-awesome sounds on night #1.

We tried to reach the schedule of the jeepney and shocked to see that it was so full! No one was at the Travel Factor booth so no one took our stubs. We were 2 girls who sat at the steps of the jeepney. Yes, right there even before you get inside. We ate a lotta space dust! :-P Especially on the dusty dusty road leading to Punta de Uian, one of the accommodations for Travel Factor. The following day we learned that there was only one jeepney and driver that transported everyone back to San Antonio. No wonder the 12:30AM batch was so full until the roof! Yes, the guys were riding on top of the jeepney.

Day 2: we went to Crystal Beach with our roommates at 2:30PM. They saved the mobile number of the tricycle driver who brought them to Crystal Beach the night before, so we were fetched by two tricycles. Well after much discussion, as expected they were supposed to charge us additional PhP 50 for each of us. But we were in defensive mode so they finally agreed to just PhP200 per tricycle one way. You see it is no longer about the amount you pay, but the fact that they had the habit of catching you off guard with the price. It just feels like being ripped off and certainly on Day 2, you kinda get annoyed already that you do not let things slide anymore.

That afternoon at Crystal Beach was awesome, alcohol was being served at the beach front. The sounds and the activities (Acro Yoga and fire dances) were nice, the kind of beach lounging that I imagined in my head when I booked to pay for Summer Siren Festival. The DJ who was mixing on day 2 around 3:30-4:30PM was awesome. But then it was followed by 2 girl-DJ’s who seemed like what they were playing were mixed and recorded the day before, with so-so mixes that were not fancy, not engaging, and I was even thinking how hard is it really to make a nice beach-type mix? Travel Factor should make a good screening of DJ’s if they plan to have a next time.

Yoga

So here we go with concert night #2. Honestly we only stayed outside the concert grounds, using the bean bags as our beds and staring at a few stars and the clouds. Oh by the way, the concert area is a fenced portion along the beach front. You cannot bring in food or alcoholic drinks.

That far out place after the quicksilver booths is the fenced concert area.

But on Night#2, they also disapproved bringing water and juices in the fenced concert area since they started selling those inside too.

The beer was sold at PhP50 per plastic cup. This is barely a bottle of San Miguel Light, mind you. The first night I was served with a plastic cup with more bubbles than beer. The following night, there’s this one barista girl who has perfected transferring the beer on the plastic cup with less bubbles, but still there would be about 3 gulps of beer left on the bottle. During Concert night #2, I was surprised to be asked by the barista that I can finish whatever was left in the bottle before taking my cup to watch the concert. Hah, if only they did the same thing on concert night #1 and our afternoon beach lounging on Day #2! I mean I felt ripped off. The vodka and jaeger mixes were also sold expensively at PhP 150 for 1/3 of the plastic cup. And oh, need I say that Travel Factor had the time to print the Summer Siren logo on the plastic cups??? Yes they had the time to do such things on plastic. They could have invested a portion of the event budget on seamless transportation for the guests rather than worry about that logo on the plastic cup, which were by the way thrown away for every use! I would be impressed if they encouraged using the cups again in exchange for a little discount on beer!

The jeepney ride back home made us meet some of those in Bus #8. We were sharing the same sentiments on delayed and poor transportation arrangements by Travel Factor. We told them we met someone from Bus#2 and she told us they were doing fine, no delays, and they were booked at a walking distance accommodation near Crystal Beach. Why should it be any different with us? I honestly believe that despite the First-Come-First-Served basis of the event, we paid in full with what we reserved for, so we should not be shortchanged in terms of handling. There was not even an assurance of safety! The roads leading to our accommodations are not well lit, with no houses visible, so you would really be mindful about taking a tricycle after the concert at midnight or so.

Our Day 3 was decided: we bumped off visiting Crystal Beach and we rather resorted to island hopping with our roommates. The island hopping was arranged by Megan’s Room. We were able to visit 3 islands including Capones and Anawangin. We quickly came back by 10AM since the agreed schedule of pick up by Travel Factor was 11:30AM. You would think they would have stepped up a little on Day 3? After all promises that they would make up for it on day 3 by arranging that our group will go first in being transported back to the buses, you would think they could at least have the decency to arrive on time. 12:30PM, still no Travel Factor. I think we were able to check out around 12:45-1PM. So much for 11:30AM call time and all apologies…hehehe

There was no festive mood at all in Bus #8. Forget it. Everybody just wanted to go home. We even thought the bus had a malfunction somehow, somewhere along the way back to Manila. Luckily, we arrived back at the Podium area around 6:30PM if I am not mistaken. I really do not care anymore as long as I am out of hands of Travel Factor. Everything that can go wrong or be miscommunicated seems possible with them.

Overall, the event was a mess. Poor planning and poor handling. Travel Factor, this one was a mess on your part really. And all your apologies on SMS could not save your faces at all. The least you can do was be on time on Day 3, or at least buy all of us a bottle of buko juice each, hey whatever token you can give! Sheesh.

Overall, not much fun except that we had nice lucky pick roommates who also knew how to party despite the circumstances :) Of course the beach itself saved Travel Factor. Crystal Beach lends a natural appeal and had a wide enough space to accommodate all delegates. I would however recommend that if they ever plan to have another Summer Siren Festival, pick a spot with ample accommodations nearby for everyone, beef up the logistics, and ensure that everyone’s time is treated with respect.  Because after all the hoolabaloo that has happened, I really stopped caring about how the accommodations looked as long as the sheets are clean and the shower and toilet are working fine, and that we can be safe wherever we are checked in. Oh I forgot to add that maybe the DJ choices can do better. Hey, I am not asking for Avicci or David Guetta, I am sure Travel Factor cannot arrange for that seamlessly. There are many great DJ’s in the Philippines, and a little screening and orientation on how the sounds should be engaging can really help. Seriously.

We were adults who expected to have a hassle-free vacation.  Travel Factor obviously overlooked that portion.

And here’s to Bus #8: A toast to all of us who managed to have fun. I am sure I will hear and read similar reviews from you too J

My Paleo Whole30 Experience

I started with Paleo in May 2013. Yes, I did the whole30 version, the entire month. I had a few mistakes and I did cheat once with a cake icing but overall, I did manage the ups and downs of my very first whole30. Overall, I did 4 rounds of whole30. The second one was very strict for 30 days (my best whole30 ever), and the third one ran for only 24 days because I lost my kitchen to scheduled renovations –tough decision right there but I did not want to get stressed. Now I just finished another round.

What made me go into this whole Paleo thing? I became very sickly in 2012, having tonsillitis more frequently. In 2013, 2 doctors already told me I need to have my tonsils removed immediately. Now for a person like me who used to be an active runner and a very health-conscious person, this made me go crazy. I mean surely there are lots of other people who have far worse habits yet they never had to undergo surgery. So a friend told me that there were a lot of successes in fighting off tonsillitis with the Paleo eating habits. There you go, anything to keep me away from surgery.

Turns out, this is the best eating lifestyle I can ever have! Not only does it allow me to drink coffee and red wine (disclaimer: As of my 5th&6th Paleo whole 30 in June and August 2014 respectively, I have taken out wine completely. This was a mistake. Wine and any form of alcohol were never ever allowed on Whole30. But if you are following a lighter shade of Paleo, I believe wine in moderation is Paleo), it also allows me to eat   lot of meat. To top it all off, there’s no portion control. I can have a pile of meat and veggies and there’s no judgment. Hell yeah!

I did notice these challenges during my first whole30:

1.       Insomnia on days 3 to 5

2.       Dizziness due to low sodium –I tried adding a bit more sea salt to my recipes

3.       I lost weight because I stayed completely away from nuts in order to avoid confusing myself between legumes and nuts (hey first timers always get confused!)

4.       I started craving sweets like crazy (rich chocolate cake in particular)  when I am not even a person who loved sweets to begin with

Towards the end of the whole 30:

1.       My waistline reduced by 2 inches

2.       I lost my chubby cheeks

3.       I lost my cravings

Like any strict follower, I introduced grains and carbs one by one, one day at a time. Pasta made me sick the first time I tried it, and made me suffer a bit of tummy ache and discomfort. I never had any milk since then as I am not really a fan of milk, but I did try on cheese (of course, I love cheese!) without any problems. Funny thing is suddenly, as you do the re-introduction, you realize that pizza doesn’t taste as good as you thought it did, or even that pasta recipe I was dying to try. I did start to love chocolate like I never used to. I would particularly pick rich chocolate cakes now over my ever-favorite mocha cakes. For some reason, chocolate appeals to me more now. And oh, coffee? I no longer need sugar and cream. Paleo or off-paleo, I drink my coffee black now.

I take it that Paleo has made me appreciate flavors, rich ones, probably due to the herbs and spices I would add to my paleo recipes. And in case you are wondering, I do cook. So if you cook too, then Paleo wouldn’t be a hassle for you. It actually gave me a lot of excitement making my own recipe every week. So far, here are the ones I love making in paleo-approved versions:

-          Pancakes (however, the whole30 approach advises against making these treats because having these will not cure your sugar cravings)

-          Fruit and Nut Ice cream (also not approved by the whole30)

-          Pumpkin soup

-          Guacamole

-          Sweet Potato Roshti (Hash)

-          Marinated tomatoes

-          Lamb steak

-          Salmon sashimi in coconut vinegar and mustard wasabi

-          Fruit juice mixed with all the greens I can think of

-          Fluffy omelets

-          Trail mix (nuts and raisins)

I am a believer of this eating habit because it has improved my health. I have never had tonsillitis since I started observing the whole 30 once a quarter. I completely lost both my hyperacidity and allergies to chicken and eggs. It also does not allow processed food which is really impressive and sensible. So I really do not try those Paleo-approved recipes that use processed ingredients. I make them as fresh and as natural as possible.

I have learned to disqualify the weighing scale as a way to gauge my fitness, and rather opt for the tape measure to examine myself.

During my very strict second try of whole30, I had a blood chemistry test on the 31st day, and indeed, I got really great results! My bad cholesterol levels were below the normal range, and my good cholesterol levels were above normal range. Every other factor was in the middle part of the healthy range. Even the doctor envied my results.

A tip on cook days or cook nights: I make 2 standard recipes that would be good enough to last for 3-4 days. I need two because I cannot eat the same food every day. I call it rotation food. Then I cook on the 3rd day again for another batch that will be enough to last 2-3 days until my next weekend trip to the grocery store.

I tried doing the 80-20 or 90-10 or 70-30 Paleo shades but they do not work for me. So I went on a strict Paleo eating lifestyle unless I need to celebrate something: A family dinner, a send-off for a friend, meeting people after a loooong time, or  corporate events. These things do not happen every day or every night with me, so I thought it is applicable for me. Wrong. I just cannot handle the gray areas. Hey, for you, whatever works! All I am saying is, the other shades never worked with me. Except for this militant Paleo, everything else make me go a little dingding on the cravings! And it tends to get harder to go back to the 80% once I crossed the 20% line.

There is not a lot in Manila who offer Paleo-approved menu (I did hear Hatch 22 by Rob Pengson and Erwan Heusaff at Rockwell offers some Paleo meals), so when in doubt, I go for Filipino restaurants which serve pork or beef without the soy and order some blanched greens, usually kangkong. I also pick restaurants who serve white (steamed) chicken, Singapore-style. Quite recently, I was delighted to be able to find Paleo Manila on facebook. Paleo food delivered to you? In Manila? Really? Paleo food? Hurrahhhhh!!!!! Beginning mid-March 2014, you may check them out:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaleoManila

(0917) 841-0825 or email paleomnl@gmail.com.

What are my pains? I had to eat the Filipino adobo with soy sauce only once or twice a year now as I have vowed to stay away from soy as much as I can. Here are the things I really try to enjoy when I am off-paleo:

1.       Cheese

2.       Barbecue

3.       Kare Kare (Beef stew in Peanut Sauce )

4.       Freshly baked bread

And here are the things I make a conscious effort not to purchase anymore:

1.       Milk – never been a fan anyways

2.       Taho – I have to admit letting this go was a tough decision

3.       Tofu – pretty much anything related to soy

4.       Legumes – all because my family is predisposed to old-age sicknesses connected with legume intake
5.       Pasta - no indigestion but really makes my tummy ache

Here are the things I surprisingly do not miss:

1.       Rice

2.       Sugar and cream on my coffee

3.       Mocha cake – this used to be my one and only sweet monster craving

4.       Ice Cream – who doesn’t love ice cream? Especially Ben and Jerry’s

5.       Peanut Butter – because there are other safer, non-legume alternatives

So there, I hope I gave you some pointers on Paleo eating habits. If you have questions, please feel free to post a comment. I would be delighted to share my personal experience.

Credits to the whole30 website which helped me a lot: http://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/

Here are some of the food I prepare while on Whole30:

I can never have enough of salmon sashimi! I soak it in Coco Vinegar before digging in!

My fruit juice plus eggs, tomatoes, and fresh basil with left over ground beef sirloin

Saba bananas fried in EVCO, with cinnamon powder, nuts, and raisins

My sunday mornings have these!

Nuts mixed with Salt, Pepper, and Onion Powder

Eggs mixed with my home-made marinated tomatoes and fresh basil

Shrimp with salted duck eggs and fresh basil, broccoli on the side

Snack

Sweet potatoes fried in EVOO

Cream of mushroom with coco milk, onion powder, sea salt, and nutmeg

Beef shanks + greens

Oranges, prunes, bacon bits (home-made), greens

Broiled chicken wings with flaxseed and egg

Broccoli with flax seed served with salted duck egg

Broccoli stir-fried in EVOO with flax seed, and sprinkled with home-made bacon

Bell Pepper halves stuffed with squash hash and home-made bacon. Yes, I make my own bacon!

Squash with rosemary and flax seed fried in EVOO

Semi-ripe mango, cucumber, prune juice, pineapple juice, and lotsa water!

squash, broccolio, bacon bits

My usual grocery

Chicken breasts with lemon and ginger

I make it an effort to squeeze in carrots in my fruit juice

Coco shreds with raisins and nuts

The chicken thigh fillets were cooked with blended ginger, basil, lemon

Need I say more?

Review: Lumene Liquid Eyeliner

I was really thrilled to try out the Lumene Liquid Eyeliner (Finnish brand) which I was able to buy for only 6.25 Euros at the Tallink ferry during my trip in June 2013 from Helsinki to Stockholm. Outside the ferry, the tube retails for 12 Euros a piece. Now guys, Lumene is not available in Asia so I am really using it minimally but stylishly :-P

Here are my positive reviews:

1. It is very easy to blend. It goes on wet but does not dry into a flake.
2. The tip is very pointed and firm that you can really make a nice wing-tip on your eyes. It can also line your eyes very thinly as you wish.

3. It doesn't dry from within the tube, considering I've had this for 5 months, and been using it everyday, alternating from brown and black. I love both colors. The brown has a little brick red tint which still runs dark on the eyes. The black one does not look scary black at all even in the morning when I use it.
4. This formula does not flake even after 12 hours. It is an all-nighter liquid eyeliner in my experience, yet easy to remove with facial wash and water.


Calling Lumene brand, please make this available in Asia!!!! I have yet to try your other products :)

Review: Urban Decay's Big Fatty Mascara (Reformulated)

I was raving about my first Big Fatty Mascara from Urban Decay. Before you read on, you can check out my review on the original formulation by clicking on this link:
http://kenoshasays.blogspot.com/2012/10/i-have-found-my-favorite-mascara-urban.html

This post is about my review on the reformulated version which I have been using from July-December 2013.

I have only one issue with the original formula: Its oil-based consistency is not suited for tropical weather as it barely dries up. It might take a while before you are smudge-proof. And a hot humid weather is not helping on that part. This new formula has addressed that indeed, and what joy it was to try! You can really notice the difference that formula #2 does not really dry up to a clump BUT it is not oily/wet at all. I was really sold the first few days I tried it, thinking wow, Urban Decay really does it this time.

However, here are a some of the stuff I have realized that makes me still use my very old tube (formula #1) right after using mascara formula #2 (kind of like combining it):
1. Biggest problem: it flakes. Seriously it does. It can't be an all nighter mascara because between its 9th-12th hour, it is guaranteed to drop off...whether in powder form or worse, in flakes. The worst was when I felt it go inside my eyes and I was really trying to take it out and wondering where the irritant came from. My only bet was the mascara because my Urban Decay eyeshadow palettes (at least the ones I usually use) rarely ever fall out after blending. I was also using a Lumene (Good reviews on Lumene here: http://kenoshasays.blogspot.com/2013/12/review-lumene-liquid-eyeliner.html) liquid eyeliner then, plus I do not use eyeliners to tight line my lids. It is just something I cannot do because the pores of my lids are quite sensitive.

2. The brush is not as good as the first version. It does not separate the lashes. They are not as bad as the other mascara brushes BUT they are not at par with the brush of the first version of Big Fatty. That was "Holy Grail mascara brush".

3. My lashes are pretty thick and long, so I need a good formula that wont clump. Formula#1 does not at all, even after so many applications. Formula #2 clumps on the 3rd application.

4. It does thicken and lengthen as it claims, but you need a few strokes to achieve this, which MAY lead you to clumping, so be careful.

I think this mascara works best with thinner lashes to create volume and length, and for those who have thicker lashes, you may want to limit to a maximum of 3 strokes. I noticed that when I put it on my lower lash line, it really works my eyes into a baby doll look. My lower lash lines are longer than average but not as thick us my upper lash line so I really like putting this formula #2 underneath the eyes.

I don't know if Urban Decay will still launch another Big Fatty mascara version but I'd pick the first one still, that is if it will ever be available.