Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Chibog :Sizzling Hot in Dumaguete!

I was recently  in Dumaguete City towitness the Buglasan festival.   Coincidentally I was also invited by Malu and Lynette  drop  by at Chibog one of the newer fastfood centers that opened its d doors in the City of Gentle People.


I arrived in Dumaguete City just a few minutes past two in he afternoon  i was greeted by Marc at the Ceres Terminal.   From the bus terminsl we headed towards Santa Catalina street  to get a quick glimpse of chibog and some refreshments.

A few minutes later we're headed to the streets to ctch the Buglasan  streetdancing competition.

The parade has already started when we arrived at the ciyy street.  We got to see snippets of performsnces from Dumaguete  Tanjay,  Bais, San Jose and Santa Catalina  not bad at all.


By nighttime we went back to chibog for dinner and some chitchat.  
Chibog is barely new to the city.  It only opened last June 2014 and since then has continuoulsy served hot off the grill value for your money meals

I love the artsy orsnge colored high ceiling.   It gives you na impression of a relaxed and comfotable dining experience.  Upon checking the menu I noticed that everything comes at a very reasonable price.   Since this is going to be my first time to sample the dishes  I did 't have much any expectation.  For dinner I ordered baby baxk ribs.  My companion got a plate of sisig marc also got boneless lechon for us!




Surpruse surprise!   The back ribs is so tender and oozing with yummy flavors.  The meat is so soft  you can just easily remove it off its bone with a fork. It's so heavenly I am reminded of a popular restaurant in Cebu  that also offers back ribs.  Amd at P170  with unli it's the biggest hit in town!    Their lechon is kinda weird too.   Instead of thr liver sauce or soysauce  one has to dipped small chunks of lechon in sweet spicy bagoong to more kick.   Since i do not eat bagoong and spicy foods i opted not to dip it in the sauce.

But their lechon has its distinct characteristics .  Its fat is so tender it easily melts in your mouth.  And has a subtle flavor too.   Thats thats why the bagoong complements well wiht the lechon.

We capped our dinner with na authentic Budbod kabog from Tanjay served with rich hot chocolste on the side.


Budbod  kabog is millet cooked on coconut leaves best when eaten with chocolate.  I also learned that their super rich hot chocolate is sourced locally.   You can actuslly taste the distinct bitter taste of cacao and the rough texture of the beans.  Definitely a must try!

Other dishes I got to sample during my 3day2night stay in Dumaguete are their version of grilled liempo leche flan and halo halo. their version of halo halo is not too sweet with lots of milk on it.  The grilled liempo is very well marinted it was cooked tender and juicy.   The fats melts in your mouth too!



Chibog is definitely a big hit among the discriminting taste of DumagueteƱos. Their affordable  and great tasting meals are their rcip to success.  Little by little Chibog is going to rule Dumaguete  and soon enough its nearby province of Negros Occidental!

Like their FB Page https://facebook.com/chibog.menu

Monday, October 27, 2014

Radisson Blu: Your home in Cebu

I was recently in Cebu and one of my prefered hotels in the Queen City of the South is Radison Blu Cebu Hotel.

One of the things that you would instantly notice is the high ceiling,  spacious hotel lobby.



Upon check in I was met by Miss Princes Anderle  the Director for Marketing and Communications.

I was booked at the 12th floor with rooms overlooking the busy Cebu pier.







Upon arrival I just took a break and slept at the psuper comfy  and luxurious bed.   My room  Has one big bed with an office desk perfect for office work.    It lso has a wide flat screen TV telephone  hot and cold shower  and high speed Internet.    Pillows are so soft and comfy   giving you more reasons to just cuddle up andn stay in your room a little but more.



Later that night I Was supposed to have meeting wih Miss Princess  but due to her hectic schedule I just had buffet dinner at Feria,  known to be one of the most expansive buffet spreads in  Cebu.

Buffet at Feria has always been one of the highlihhts of my stay here.  Theast time i stayed at Radisson was during the launch of the Korean section of the buffet.





Today,  i am pleasantly surprised to see that they have also included the Indian  section with dishes like chicken tikka masala  chicken tandoori and samosa are vailable.  

And as always,  one of the highlights of my dining experience  is the wide selection of sushi sashimi and maki from the Japanese section.

I always love thr fresh tuna and salmon being used in their sashimi ot is always of the highest quality.  

But si ce I was a bit full from my fternoon merienda i just enjoyed the various cheeses available  European cheeses are always thr best.   And their ice cream, it is always something thst i always look forward no to!

 Reakfast at Feria is an entirely different experience!  And i am always excited to see the sun rise  because I know breakfast will be served shortly!







For breakfast i had my usual starters like corn flakes with fresh milk and dried apricots  o  top.

Thne I had pasta linguine  in cream sauce.  Toast butter and jam and some more fresh milk.  I opted not to take any coffee for thst day since ill be tsking an 8hr land travel going west.

By 8am i got to meet Miss Princes again where we got to talk about the newest happenings at the hotel.

After our brief meeting it's time for me to check out of the hotel and trsvel bsck to Bacolod,  bringing eiht me some good memories of my short byt memorsble stay in the city.


It may only be na overnight stya but I still got to experience the Cebuano brand of hospitality the hotel has always been known for.

Many thanks to Radisson Blu Hotel my home in Cebu.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

MassKara 2014 diary

Every month of October Bacolod City celebrates the festival of epic proportions known as the MassKara Festival

Since 2010  i have been supporting a contingent by providing them costume materials in any way that i can.

This 2014 i joined the team from Brgy Villamonte  headed by their choreographer  Sir Panoy Cabalcar.


Preparations were done early  just like in any masskara editions.


Last September 3  auditions were held.  The gymnasium of villamonte  is dilled with aspiring dancers.


Second week of September we went to Divisoria to buy fabrics rhinestones trimmings and trinkets for the costume materials.


Anyone who has an experience i  festival productio  would know how costly it is to dress up 60 dancers.


By october 2 i aarived in Bacolod from a butt-numbing 8hr trip from Cebu.


During this time nightly rehearsals were already in  full swing   they were already polish ing the dsnce routine.

October 14 we went to Robinson's Place Bacolod  to set up the mannequins for the annual mask and costume  exhibit.  This is also the first time the public will be able to see what the 20 contingents from different barangays and 11 schools will wear during the streetdsncing competition.



October 16- we had our scheduled dress rehearsal.   This is the first time that we opened oyr rehearsals to the public in full view ans in full costume.  The gymnasium is full the the brim with eager supporters and fans.

October 17 it was a Friday.  And tourists are starting to arrive in Bacolod City.  Its was the first day of the MassKara highlights: the schools category of the streetdancing competition.  As expected thlysands of locals and toursists alike showed up along the parade route  from Paglaum Sports complex to the city Plaza passing through Araneta street.





Just like in the past the city is bombarded once again with the burst of colors.  The costumes were elaborately designed  and the masks too!

Thi is just he schools category.   Wait till you get to see the 20 barangays compete for the ultimte showdown.

In the end the school representing  the Pahanocoy Baybay won the top prize.   My alma mater ETCS1 won the Best in Costume and the Best in Mask citatio s.  They also fi ished as first runner up.

In the high school category sum-ag nationla high school  emerged victorious while Generoso villanueva jr.  National high school finished first runner up, also bagging the bet in costume and best in mask awards.

Ocotber 18  D-Day.   It's competition time.   I had mixed emotio s t thst time.   I am excited but kinda worried at the same time will i make it in thr streetdancing? Will i just collapse under the heat of the sun?  Or will i simply just enjoy the rowdy crowd at the street.










We arrived at  the paglaum sports complex just in time for the competition.   We were then greeted by eager photographers taking our photos and selie shots  it was fun!

Then one by one each contingent we called on stage to present their routine we were contingent number two representing barangay villamonte.   When our group entered the rena there was a deafening sou d of cheer from the  bleachers.

Everyone was excited to see our dance  and then finally the music started...


Photos by Aeson Baldevia

It was the most exciting 6 minute of my life... Ever.

It was a good performance i must say.

By 330pm we were already out in the street  dancing to the medley of Samba de Janeiro and Harry Belfonte's Caribbean Disco show much to the delight of the cheering crowd.

At the end of the day we emerged as first runner up winner.  We also got the Best in Mask and the Best in costume special awards.   The dancers fro.  Barangay Granada emerged as rhis year's Grand Champion  they also won the Best in Concept and the Best in Choreography award.



We may not have won the highest honors we have lways dreamed of but personally,  i am still satisfied with the results.  We have worked so hard and we have done our very best and that's the more importsnt thing for me.

I would also like to say thnk you to Unilab for supporting our dancers by providi g multivitami sa daily for 100dsncers for the whole. Onth of October.  This has greatly helped our dancers in sustining their energy up until the competition dy yan ang Galing at Husay ng Unilab!  And also to Smart for providing us finncial support which has helped us in so many ways.   Thank you!

And after having been involved ed in MassKara productio s since 2010 i am finally taking a bow and will. Be lesving masskara Festival.  Next year  i will just return to thr city to experience the fun snd colors of the festivities simPly as a spectator  taking photographs and enjoying the  the beat of htr Masskara music.


I am looking ing forward to a sress-free nd a more relaxed Masskara festival 2015!