My Pearl Farm Davao Getaway

<August 31, 2012 - September 2, 2012> I had no idea Pearl Farm in Davao can be reasonably priced. All you have to do is pack up your gang of at least 10 people and you are all set for an impressive accommodation.

Pearl Farm has a grand accommodation in Malipano Island worth PhP18,600. This can bring together 10 people comfortably. It can be reached via speedboat transfer, care of the resort itself. This means, once checked in at any of the large huts in Malipano Island, you can go to and from Samal Island (where the restaurant and infinity pool are), free of charge anytime you need to.

Samal Island

Malipano Island

The Hut in Malipano Island, and this is the view!

Hut in Malipano Island - dining area 

Samal Island Infinity Pool

A view of a small speed boat in Malipano Island dock

The beds are spacious and lovely! :)

This is how the receiving area looks like inside the Malipano Island huts

The food is better if you go for the buffet which is PhP850 tax inclusive. Breakfast buffet is open at 7am-10am, and Lunch buffet opens at 1130am. The ala carte is available, however, it is almost same in price as the buffet. I suggest choose the buffet and eat at your hungriest time :-P Brunch is a great idea. In any case, if you ever feel lazy, you can order room service at Malipano huts, very easy. Just call the reception and they will bring it via speedboat.

Samal Island Restaurant - where buffet is served

I went here for the wedding of a friend, so we rented 3 huts at Malipano Island for 3 nights. They further reduced the cost of each hut since it was also the venue of the wedding: both the ceremony and the reception (there’s a chapel and function hall a few steps away from the huts).

Chapel where the wedding ceremony was held

I'm the impromptu bridesmaid!

Inside the hut, everything you need is there: hair blower, lots of closets and drawers, towels, coffee, water heater, complimentary drinking water in the form of barrel type with faucet (not by the bottle). Oh my gosh the view! You should understand why the view can really be the best deal in this hut, as shown by the photos below.

The pool and the beach are the best! The infinity pool has warmer water, with consistent depth of 4 feet. The beach in Samal Island has a nice depth and smooth sand. In Malipano Island, the beach front has nice sunbathing areas and weaved hammocks where you can enjoy the view, however, I do not advise swimming without a footwear – the corals here are sharp.

Beach front of Malipano Island

Beach front of Malipano Island

Consider Pearl Farm as one of those resorts where you can just get lazy and comfy. It is truly an unforgettable getaway for me, and I am glad I spent 3 days and 2 nights in this place!




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This is the daily schedule for the ferry ride to and from Pearl Farm Resort. 
To Pearlfarm: 8am, 1:30pm, 4:00pm and 6:00pm
To Davao City: 6:45am, 10:00am, 1:00pm and 4:00pm
The boat ride will approximately take 45 minutes to 1 hour and costs PhP250 per ride. To get here, the taxi ride from the airport is only 15-20 minutes (depending on the traffic). 

These Online Deals: What not to buy from them

You wouldn't think Manila, of all places, would indulge in online deals! This is the land of those who love to haggle for a lower price after touching the item and fitting it first. You wouldn't think we are very trusting enough to deposit the payment first before getting the vouchers. And who knew that those lamps are just PhP300.00? I better get one! As if I never had a lamp before!

These online deals became my morning indulgence. I come in really early in the morning and they are right in my inbox waiting to be viewed. It is like the Japan Home stores where you find things you never really need but you just wanna buy cause it's on a good discount.

Well, that indulgence ended too: After I bought service vouchers and never had the best of appointments. You see, if you are purchasing items, go ahead. If it arrives broken at your doorstep, you can choose not to receive it at all. But for a service, you can't do that. You pay for the voucher and seek an appointment. Only to find out that the appointment will happen after 2 months.

Guys, seriously, I tried being keen the next time. There was this really really cheap service treatment I had been waiting for. Before I bought it, I made sure if the appointments are open. The branch said yes madam, our calendars are not full, so just go ahead and buy the voucher(s) first because we will need that (seemed like a wonderful assurance). My mistake. Just another hard battle for your time.

The next time those online deals enter your email as worse as spam does, make sure you stay away from the services - meaning treatments like massage, haircuts, facials, laser, dental, etc. These things are very subjective and it is always your word against theirs, unlike a bad product which you can return to sender if it dissatisfies you. What's worse is they do not keep an inventory of "treatments", only schedule them, so time is vital, and once you buy the vouchers, you are at the whim of their availability to render their services on you.

I even heard from a clinic that the sales managers of online vouchers do not match the capacity of their clinic to render the service. What is important is for the online company to sell as much vouchers as they can and then it is the clients who suffer. I tried many times to return my unused vouchers, even contacted the online company (Ensogo) to please pay attention to my delayed service and just return my money. But their phone lines are too busy, nobody picks up after the voice prompt, even if you try over and over, and the emails just don't get a response. I did get a nice response from Cash Cash Pinoy when I raised a concern about the delayed delivery of the LED Christmas lights I bought last year. They apologized profusely by email after I told them it is almost Christmas and I haven't put up any lights yet. But hey, again, those are products, not services.

Just my experience.

Cute photo finds at Google+

I have been maintaining google plus because the photo sharing I find there is just so awesome. There are thousands of really cool photos and I'd like to share them with you.

Disclaimer: these are not my photos. Just sharing those I found too cute or interesting.

View of Milky Way from Mars

I will try adding more photos as they come along :)

New phone case concept: Introducing the Micro Satchel by Cuzo

I have been raving about the release of this Micro Satchel by Cuzo! A satchel is a messenger bag that has become really popular in Manila since a year ago and the designs can vary but it looks like this:

External: Adjustable body strap, 1 front pocket;
Internal: 1 flat pocket fully lined
Size: 7”H x 10.5”W x 3.5”D

This micro satchel that I am talking about is really micro! Because the intention is only to fit the phones, not your entire day's personal effects. At 8cm L x 13cm W x 3cm D, it can fit 2 phones! I tested it with 2 Blackberry phones, both fit. iPhones fit too. It also has a small sleeve inside that where you may slide sim cards. 

A strap can be used on on side or as a full strap like you would use it on a bag. What's more, this itsy bitsy satchel is full leather!

I'll show you what it looks like below:

(Update: Sorry but this product has been discontinued  since 2014)

Frontera: Affordable Chilean Wine

I have been buying red wine for the past 6 months and the choices are only the affordable ones. By affordable I mean those less than PhP 600 a bottle.

For 2 months now, I have been addicted to the brand Frontera. This is a Chilean wine for which I have tried all three variants: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay. The photo you will see here is the Chardonnay bottle.

Try it because not only does it taste great sans the awful aftertaste, it is also ridiculously affordable: Less then 300 PhP a bottle! Isn't that a great deal? Get ready with your cork screw guys! :)

Kellogg's Run for the Healthy Filipina - my come back 16km run

Coming back to running after a long long time, I registered for the Kellogg's Run for the Healthy Filipina. The gun start was at 5am. Me and my friend were late for about 5 minutes. No problem because almost all runs these days will carry a barcode or a timing chip. The problem is me using the actual run as the training.

I geared for my come back run, and prepared to get a bad time for this. I am not cut out for a good finish in this condition anyway. Now for a runner with zero training, hills can mean death. And yes, the first 6 km was all hills, and hills again by the 11th and 13th kilometers. Was it tiring. But then again, I shouldn't be surprised, the venue was in Mckinley Hill.

Luckily, it rained for the most part of the event. You just got to love the rain. As a runner in this tropical country, the rain is a huge blessing, not a deterrent. I love running in the rain. I wouldn't know how I could have finished my full marathon last December 2011 without the rain. I don't know how I could have finished 16km today without the rain.

Most of all, my prayers were answered. I had asked for an injury-free run. My Asics Gel 1150, though ever-reliable, is not as well-cushioned as it used to be, but hey, I finished unscathed. Haha

Celebrity couple Troy Montero and Aubrey miles hosted the program. The raffle prizes were just awesome! My friend and I stayed until the end because the prizes were either Gift certificates from brooks worth  PhP1000 or PhP2000, yogurt pack from kellogg's, reebok gift packs (could be bags), reebok shoes gift certificates (!!), and puma watches (!!!).. now who wouldn't stay and stand soaking wet just to  have the chance to win those. By the way, I did not win anything. hahaha

The loot bag:
2 solo boxes of Kellogg's cereal in "special K" variant
2 pieces Carb block supplements
3 sachets of C-Lium Fiber supplement
1 ready to drink coffee from Pokka

The event also gave out a bottle of Vitamin Water for each finisher.

Overall: I enjoyed the route, it was not a boring view. I liked the even spacing of the water stations, and never felt like I was ever out of hydration. The Marshalls are attentive to which turn you should take depending on  your distance.

Way to go Kellogg's!

The finisher's medal, only for 16km runners

The Reliability and Allure of Starbucks Philippines

As a coffee drinker, I go to Starbucks mainly for their hot coffee, not for the frapuccino. It has gotten to a point that my favorite drink is the brew of the day because I love all their flavorful bagged coffee variants.

On a rainy night, stuck in a place with all coffee shops open and seats available, I would still choose Starbucks. Why? Simply because they have been around the Philippines for some years now and they have developed a keen knowledge on how best to serve the clients. Here are the things I love:

1. Baristas will try their best to remember your name and the coffee you normally order.

2. Baristas take the time to understand your order no matter how complicated or unique you want it to be. I would add flavored shots to almost anything and they don't give me that weird look. I would ask them to remove the whipped cream and make it a non-fat milk and nobody puts on an attitude that I am not enjoying Frapuccino as how it is naturally served.

3. I like the wrapped sandwiches, the bagel, and the corned beef pan de sal. Corned beef pan de sal seems to have a full serving of a solo can of corned beef inside the pan!

4. Baristas make small talk without sounding nosy.

5. The coffee cup's sleeve is good enough to protect you from burning your hands and just recently, I realized that their coffee cup lid top is the most reliable. I have never spilled a Starbucks on my white shirt or on my pants ever! The small opening of the Starbucks coffee cup, as long as it is securely placed, will not spill the coffee or produce any unnecessary droplets on your clothing.

6. Who cares about the City Tumblers? I do! I do! I Do! Everywhere I go, I visit a Starbucks branch (and this goes for other countries as well), and buy the city tumbler. The country tumblers will all have a brown lid while the city tumblers will come in different colors.

Macau- Blue

Chicago- Navy Blue

Hong Kong - Orange

Manila - Brick Red

Beijing - Sunshine Yellow

Kuala Lumpur - Blue Green

Singapore & Boracay - Violet

New York - Apple Green

7. You can stay in the coffee shop all day and no barista will ever give you hints to leave the place to make room for others.

8. The music is just lovely.

9. Trying to promote a non-smoking coffee shop, even for a just a few months, was a very brave thing to try.

10. I always get their very attractive Starbucks Planner every holidays, even if I don't really use it until the middle of the year! It is a perfect excuse to buy those really awesome holiday coffee flavors...and get to donate too!

11. The holiday flavors are just awesome especially Peppermint Mocha. Every December, I always order mine with extra Peppermint sprinkles for that additional mint!

12. The tumblers, even if they do not claim it, are spill proof. The double-walled stainless steel tumblers keep your beverage hot for more than 2 hours! I really recommend you to buy these double-walled versions as you can enjoy a hot coffee for a longer time.

13. The tumbler designs are elegant and fun.

14. Who did not go crazy with the tumblers copying the exact look of their plastic to-go glass with green drinking straw?

15. Have you ever been one of those lucky ones to get a longer receipt? This only means one thing: Free coffee! well of course after visiting their website and answering the customer survey.It has a code at the bottom which you will key in and then print your free coffee voucher!

I guess the best thing about Starbucks in the Philippines is the concept of choice. You can choose to have your food any which way you want: warmed, toasted, or as slightly chilled. Do you want a bag for your sandwich or are you having it now while you wait for your coffee to brew? Do you want a space for yourself or are you meeting friends over? Do you need a power source for your laptop? Do you want a natural flavor sprinkle (cinnamon, nutmeg, chocolate, vanilla) for your coffee or would you rather have the flavored syrups?

Needs improvement:

1. The cinnamon rolls are not their specialty

2. Not all stores serve the same type of pastry or bread

3. Wifi is not for free

Suggestion:

Starbucks should make their "statement tumblers" and "statement mugs" to make it personalized.

Even with tea shops being set up on every corner of the city, I still love my coffee. Sure, I do love those flavored teas, but I still would go back to my freshly brewed coffee... Morning, noon, and night.

Long-Lasting Eye Shadow: Shu Uemura

With the intent of breaking in the expensive eye shadow scene, I entered Rustan's Department store and decided to try Shu Uemura. All I had from this brand is my very dependable 5 year-old lash curler so I told myself, hey, why not test their eye shadows?

Two colors struck me:
1. G white gold 311 - has a large-sized glittery brilliance with a very light gold shade
2. G pink 135 - don't get intimidated by hot pink with shimmer because it actually comes on like baby pink fairy type with medium-sized glitter

There are other shades of course with pearlized glitter and matte ones.

white gold on top and pink as the bottom shade

Don't even worry about coverage. This is the longest running eye shadow I have ever tried! It stays on and stays glittery for as long as 12 hours (could be more).

How much : PhP 695 per color
Size : Approximately 1 inch x 0.8 inch x 0.2 millimeter

If you want a hard case with free double-ended applicator and a mirror on the inside top cover, it can encase 4 shades for an additional PhP1200. Yes, kinda pricey so I held myself from getting too engrossed.

Do I recommend it? If you do have the budget for it and looking for a one-sweep type of application with 12 hour stay put color, go ahead and splurge! The cost in use could be worth it as you only need a little and don't really need to retouch it after 4 hours or so.

It's fun trying new things! :)

Affordable Eye Shadow Alert: The Face Shop's Face It Styling Triple Eyes

As you can see, I've had more time to break in this eye shadow hahaha! It obviously has been used many times. Well, I just love it! It is very affordable at PhP595 for 3 colors, an applicator, and a mirror. It comes in 4 shade combinations to choose from! As for me, I started with the basic palette: The Brown Nuance.

I love the combination of this mini palette! It just holds the right light to dark shades. At Php595, I already got 3 shades. What's more, I actually bought this during a sale, for which I got the palette for less than PhP500.

As for the coverage, it stays on for at least 4 hours but the darker shade stays on longer. For my usual office make up, I can say I've heard nothing but praises for wearing these shades. I am planning to buy the other combinations since I just love the coverage and the color tones. What I do not make use of though are the applicators. I use my ring finger to apply it or a brush. In certain cases, I use a thick gold eyeliner to serve as my eye shadow primer and it pops up the color of the medium brown. Next, I apply the lightest shade on the inner corners of my eye. The darkest shade goes up towards the brow bone and under my lower lash line.

Try it! :)