#ThriveCDO's October 2017 Activities

Before the turn of the calendar, I was fortunate enough to attend the opening celebration of our local breast cancer support and advocacy community in Cagayan de Oro, ThriveCDO. Since it's officially #Pinktober, they launched a great lineup of activities that our locals can attend. (Note: you don't need to have cancer ib order to help promote this advocacy 😂)

Nailaholics Nail Salon and Spa Celebrates the 2nd Year of National Pampering Day

When it comes to pampering on a national scale, Nailaholics Nail Salon and Spa holds the only spot. After introducing the celebration of the National Pampering Day last year, Nailaholics is back at it again this 2017 with an amplified nationwide celebration of relaxation that everyone is looking forward to this October 17.

SkinStation Grand Opening at SM CDO Downtown Premier

SkinStation officially opened its doors to the downtown masses last September 16, 2017. This marks their 48th branch in the country, a testament to their growing number of avid fans. The brand of cosmetic clinics and skincare products is no longer new in the local Cagayan de Oro scene but their new location is definitely worth a visit.

Nic's Pizza Baguettes Home Delivery

The pizza game has really started to blossom in Cagayan de Oro and what's even better is that locals are starting to innovate ways to dish out even more unique pizza concepts. Take Nic's Pizza Baguettes, for example. This boring french bread turns to an interesting snack when topped with meaty, cheesy goodness. And now they're offering door to door delivery anywhere in metro Cagayan de Oro! The kind owner of Nic's Pizza Baguettes sat us down to sample the delivery menu; read on to know which ones are my favorites!

Review: Ripples Diner and Cafe CDO

July 25, 2015, Ripples by Delecta opened on the ground floor of the new Consortium building along Corrales St. (just right in front of Lifestyle District). They invited a bunch of bloggers for lunch and although it's been a while, I thought I'd share my experience with them.

Commit To Be Fit!

Limketkai Mall launched a Sports, Wellness and Beauty exhibit last July 24, 2015 that ran for three days. It featured a meet and greet with Daniel Matsunaga, cooking demo with Chef Nadine Tengco, belly dancing, yoga and zumba sessions. The goal, no doubt, to encourage each Kagayanon to gear up for a fitter, healthier and more beautiful lifestyle!Kagayanon

Uratex Cagayan de Oro

Uratex Philippines recently opened a new plant here in Cagayan de Oro city and some bloggers were invited for a media launch and a plant tour. I was able to attend and participate (om nom nom) in the event and live to tell the tale.

ExploreRaceON in Cagayan de Oro

January 21, 2015, As part of Globe's #WonderfulMindaNOW campaign, Globe launched a campaign that allowed more locals to discover the beauty of their city. ExploreRaceON is what it's called (also the hashtag). Cagayan de Oro City, my awesome city, was one of Wonderful cities Globe launched the event in and I went to the winner-crowning ceremony (because my classes prohibited me from joining the race--OUTRAGEOUS! NO TO SCHOOL) so, here we are.

Globe GEN3 in Cagayan de Oro

Globe Telecom sets a new global standard in retail experience with their new Generation 3 flagship stores in Quezon City, Manila and Cagayan de Oro City. I was one of the few invited by Globe to witness the unveiling of the new store designed by Tim Kobe (whose repertoire include the iconic Apple Store in New York).  As I've previously mentioned last November, Globe has been hosting lifestyle events in preparation to the simultaneous opening of the Manila and CDO branches.

Bobson Pure Japanese Denim

If you've read any of my style related posts (which comprises 0.001% of this blog--so really, far cry) you'd know that I put comfort over fashion. I'm a pretty modern girl in terms of fashion: minimalist and functional. In this time and age where people wear all sorts of crazy costumes (thanks alot, Lady Gaga) all the more I appreciate simple designs, topped with premium quality. I've found all of that in Bobson, a pure Japanese denim brand.

#FlashbackFridayAtBigbys!

Flashback Friday @ Bigby's from Michael Sy on Vimeo.

Bigby's is a travel-inspired restaurant based in Cagayan de Oro city but with branches scattered around the Philippines. Its first store along Dvsoria featured 30 items, but now, through the years and with more travels, the present inventory lists 68 items. Last September 19, I was among the 130 people invited to celebrate Bigby's 16th birthday. It was a lot of fun! I got to see friends I haven't seen in a long time (lol, this semester's schoolwork has been sucking all my socializing time) and we had great hor d'ouevres to chew while we talked, met new friends and had a great time.

Islands Souvenirs Rocks CDO with Centrio Fashion Show

Fashion. Music. Fun. Kagayan-ons were in for a treat as Islands Souvenirs brought the house down on Centrio Mall with the launch of the ‘I Heart Cagayan De Oro’ campaign. The ‘I Heart CDO’ line, which includes a wide variety of personalised shirts and other products, focuses on love and pride of place. The campaign also highlights the things that make CDO a great tourist destination - whether it’s the food, the adventures, the sights, the people, the vibe, the views and everything under the sun. Through the ‘I Heart’ concept, locals are empowered and encouraged to “Show your love, Show your pride” for the city that they call home.

Bon Appetea CDO

It's been ages since I've blogged, and everything I'm going to blog about you must already know but it's always been my personal philosophy (and yes, the people who know me in real life can confirm this) that late is almost all the time better than absent.

Two weeks ago, a new tea place opened at my favorite homegrown mall here in the lovely city of Cagayan de Oro, Lim Ketkai Center. A franchise of Bon Appetea has FINALLY graced our city. Bon Appetea specializes in mixing together familiar and foreign flavors to their milk and fruit teas. They also serve waffles to compliment their beverage.

Let's Do #Brunch At Missy Bon Bon!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day but as a student making the most out of her summer, waking up early to lavish healthy aliment is nearly impossible (and highly improbable, no matter how devourable the devourables might be). Glen Cook couldn't have said it any better, "Morning is wonderful. Its only drawback is that it comes at such an inconvenient time of day". For those of you who, like me, are convinced that gravity is stronger in the morning, it seems that Missy Bon Bon really thought our predicament through when they debuted Brunch at Missy Bon Bon. Who needs to compromise sleep and scrumptious food?

This April 16, Missy Bon Bon will be celebrating their 4th birthday and my, do they have a treat for all of us! Every weekend (Saturday & Sunday) for the whole month of April, the famous CDO breadshop will be dishing out a delectable brunch buffet for only Php350. Don't forget to tell your friends that brunch begins 10am - 1pm (so they better be out of their jammies then!)

Monster Kitchen Academy Graduation 2014

Monster Kitchen Academy is a Cagayan de Oro-based baking and culinary school that caters to people from different walks of life who desire to master cooking / baking fundamentals. There is no pre-requisite degree and age limit, no one is going to stop you if you want to enroll just after your high school graduation or after you've become a retired war veteran slash doctor slash principal. So long as you have the passion for it, you can enroll and experience life as chef-in-training (just like Masterchef, only less intense because your chefs don't go Hell's Kitchen on you).

Let's Get #CGYFit!

Let's face it, food bloggers aren't fittest bunch. Especially those whose food conquests are on par with Barney Stinson's womanizing (pre-Robin) and those who think 'fitness exercise' means a walk DOWN the stairs. Growing up physically fat, I've often wondered what it's like to say "Let's go to the gym!" And today, after 20 years of idling by, I have finally decided to pay the gym a little visit.

A #Jollybreak with Jollibee's Kit Kat Mix-ins

It's only a few days shy of summer and Jollibee, the Philippines' most beloved fast food chain, has launched a new limited edition variation to their awesomerific dessert, Kit Kat Mix-ins!

Pepper Lunch Dinner

I know how funny that sounds, but let me tell you why it's Pepper Lunch and not Pepper Dinner. Turns out, for most people in the world, ESPECIALLY the Japanese, mornings and afternoons are the busiest time of the day where you dedicate a big chunk of your day to hard work. So Pepper Lunch usually serves those people who are really active in daylight (but they still try to cater to you, vamps and insomniacs, no worries). The founder, Kuniho Ichinose-san, started Pepper Lunch in Tokyo, Japan in the year I was born, 1994. Since then, it's come a long way, both geographically and achievement-wise. They have restaurants and hawkers all over Asia, even  reaching as far as Australia and the mighty US of A.

Who do I know all these things? Am I a crazed Pepper Lunch fan? I'd love to say so but actually, these are the kinds of things you pick up when you meet the marketing people of an establishment. It's that and free food.

Bigby's 15th Birthday Bash

Around two weeks ago, I was invited to Bigby's Cafe and Restaurant to celebrate their 15th birthday. The celebration endured the whole year, but on the December 8, they had an affordable All-You-Can-Eat buffet ready for their guests. The buffet, priced at Php395 for adults and Php295 for children aged 12 and below, was fairly reasonable, considering the things they put on they table. My favorite, and everybody else's, Baby Back Ribs, graced the buffet table as well.

EATalian: Angelo's Ristorante CDO

I read somewhere that the three most popular foreign cuisines in the Philippines are Italian, Japanese and Chinese, and surprisingly, Italian tops that list. I found it hard to believe at first but think about it though: Spaghetti, Lasagna and Pizza. What place have I visited in this country that doesn't know these words? Anyway, I'm not a very big fan of Italian but the place I was invited to last weekend certainly made me a fan!