Madayaw, Davao!

HOLA! I'm so glad to be back to blogging! Oh my! You have no idea how long it's been since I last wrote something not in an e-mail. 

Anyway, I'm almost into my first month at work (who would have thought?!) and I'm loving it! Despite the stress and workload I'm starting to incur, there's just so much more about my job that cancels out all the cons in the book.

Just recently, I flew to Davao for the first time, for Kadayawan Festival. One of our brands sponsored and held special events there. Davao has always been on my to-visit list and I'm more than ecstatic to finally cross it off my seemingly blank travel slate. Needless to say, it was love at first sight.

The trip itself was quite intense. I flew in on the 17th, flew back to Manila on the 18th, and went back again to Davao on the 19th. Whew! Glad to be back home in one piece! If you're wondering why I treated Davao as if it's only two blocks away, I had to go back to Manila in time for our company's general assembly, wherein the new hires (including me) had a special participation. ;) The party that followed in Distillery was definitely an event to remember too. :)

Here's a photo diary of what went down in Davao:

**Please pardon the low quality of the shots. Took them with my phone's camera on a low-res setting.

Working while waiting for my flight to board.

The view outside my window. I could've easily jumped out and
skipped from one puffy cloud to another...
 but then there's gravity. So I scrapped the initial plan.

The push girls and boys are being briefed about what's going to happen next.

Kuya Alex is showing them how it's done...

Barrio Fiesta! < 3

With Ms. Phine and Rae. :)
Mga galing party last night, diretsong Kadayawan!

My response to "Life is here in Davao because..."

This response on the freedom wall really made my day. :)

Indeed! Davao is the best city in the country I've ever been to, no doubt!

Of course, the trip won't be complete without shopping! I strolled around Abreeza and was able to score a new dress from Terranova (P395), a L'Oreal Hydrafresh Anti-Shine Icy Gel (P100 off!), and a new batik wallet, as my old big-ass wallet is already ailing and is ready to burst. Anyway, I love Davao not only for its peaceful aura and very friendly citizens, but for the great bargains as well! Oh, and my super quick visit to Aldevinco was a lot of fun too!

I have so much to tell you guys about Davao, unfortunately, I have to rest for another jam-packed day tomorrow at work. (Yes, I can't seem to define holidays and long weekends anymore.) Maybe we can chat about my adventures in my upcoming posts. ;)

Here I am at the airport, squeezing in some last-minute purchases from Aldevinco. Rae captures this shot of me packing quite sporadically amid the mayhem in the background. :)

Right before we took off! We can't just not pose for one last photo! Oh, did I mention we were running late for our flight? Haha!

Aaaand here's my turista shot a few steps away from the plane that will take me back home to Manila. I even saw Bjorn Bedayo at the airport but I was too shy to say hi! :">

I'm looking forward to coming back to Davao. I love it there! The food, the fashion, the serenity of the place, the discipline of the citizens, the honesty of taxi drivers, the colorful culture, and most of all, its over-all allure. To this, I scream, "Madayaw, Davao! Daghang salamat!"

Love,

SGT :)

Go the Distance!

Why the title, you ask? Imagine driving for hours upon hours at the unholiest hours. Haha. Recently, we impulsively decided to take a trip to Zambales and Pangasinan over the weekend so we can finally break Macho, my car, to go past his 5000km mileage mark, and to make the most out of what's left of probably my last summer here in the Philippines. I drove about 5 to 6 hours to Zambales, then 2 more hours to Pangasinan. I ran on a bottle of energy drink, a grande cup of my favorite iced white chocolate mocha with double espresso shots from Starbucks, and lots of talk time with Carlo, Tita Lydia's son. 

When we got to Pangasinan, we rode a pump boat going to the Hundred Islands. We took shelter in Children's Island, but I eventually snoozed off for most of our day there at the beach. I read Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being while Thom Yorke and the smooth breeze lull me to sleep, making me surrender to exhaustion with no trace of apprehension. It was all too relaxing, so much so that I passed up on the chance to take a dip in the crystal clear water and let the sparkling white sand tickle my toes.

On our last day, we stopped by the mall-wide sale in SM Megamall with the sole intention of raiding the racks at Forever 21 (that's my reward for driving all weekend and for bringing them to the airport today).

Anyway, here's what went down. :)

Forgot where I got this dress, Vintage blazer, MSE wedges

I wish my legs can look this long and lean all the time! 

Carlo, Tita Lydia (Mom's good friend), Tita Dayan (my aunt), and me

The girlets of TEQ 287. :))

The entire cast and crew of Hundred Islands 2012!
That's the Elamparo clan. Even though we are technically strangers,
we feel far from estranged whenever we come by their house for a visit.

Just one of many magnificent "islands" in Hundred Islands, Pangasinan.

The sleepless beauty? Haha! Still all smiles!

Ultimate beach read of the month!

The view from our spot. Even through the foliage, the scenery is spectacular!

It's really more fun in the Philippines! And more magnificent too!

Tired feet, happy soul. Very much worth every step, especially if the view is
this beautiful.

Mom and Tita Dayan are taking in the view. 

Hands up for Pangasinan!

After numerous attempts, Mommy finally captured a jump shot!

Sparkling sea. Isn't it just breathtaking?

I super duper promise to get back to normal programming once I get rested and all set. I'm way behind my reviews and stories already! I apologize, truly. But I will try my best to make the next few posts very much worth the wait. 

Hope you're all enjoying your summer so far! :)

Love,

SGT <3