Photo Diary: Experience Cam Sur with Havaianas

It's been ages since I last posted something so I'm apologizing to myself. This semester has been a mix of torture and relaxation. Torture since I'm doing my thesis alone and a certain subject has been really hard for me. Thanks to these kind of events, I get to relax. The Havaianas team invited a couple of bloggers to experience Naga City like how any other tourists should have. Plus, we saw the photoshoot by MangoRed which was part of the promotion of Havaianas. 

Before I end this and write another post, I want to thank the people who made this event a success.

Avenue Plaza Hotel

Bigg's Diner

Blue Water Day Spa

CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC)

Ellana Mineral Cosmetics

and of course, the Havaianas team

Bigger Better Summer by Bigg's Diner

I was invited at a product launch last April 12, I had no idea what we were going to do. All they said was be there at 3 in the afternoon in white. I was surprised when I saw the setup, it definitely marked my summer 2014. Apparently, Bigg's invited bloggers from Naga City and Legazpi City to witness something remarkable. They did not disappoint!

The anatomy of the Bigg's Tower Burger by the talented Pen Prestado.

(L-R): Sublime Lime, Psychedelic Cherry and Groovy Raspberry (P49 ea)

Tower Burger (P280). It's made up of 100% beef patty, golden hash brown, chunky slice of cheese, crispy bacon, egg, caramelized onion and fresh lettuce. The beef patty is grilled to perfection and isn't oily at all. Definitely a must-try when you visit any Bigg's store.

"You've never been to Bicol if you've never been to Bigg's."

The 1975

You’re alive, at least as far as I can tell you are.

I learned of the band after umpteen plays on 8tracks (an internet radio and social networking website revolving around the concept of streaming user-curated playlists consisting of at least 8 tracks). I would usually choose sad + indie and just drown myself with countless thoughts in my room. It’s funny though; how I’d choose sad but the songs actually make me happy inside.

The 1975 is an English indie rock band consisting of four members; Matthew Healy (vocals), Adam Hann (guitar), George Daniel (drums), and Ross MacDonald (bass guitar). The band has released 4 EPs in the past 2 years and has released a self-titled album just last year. It’s going to be another British invasion, I tell you.

According to them, their album is a mixture of everything. It’s the perfect soundtrack to your life – you may be happy, sad or angry and you can listen to them. That’s how diverse their music is. Until now, they’re amused whenever people would come up to them and say that their songs changed their lives. Even I can attest to that. I’ve been going through a lot when I first heard their music and they’ve helped me cope with the pain of reality; but that’s a different story.

Let’s just say that I’m really glad how I was in the right place when I listened to 8tracks that night. The level of rawness of Matty’s vocal chords is perfect. What’s even more amazing is how they are on-stage performing like it’s their last day. I’ve seen almost all their live performances on YouTube and I know I’ve completely fallen head over heels. Plus, their band has been together for ten years now so how they bond over music is astounding. I know I sound like a total fan girl now but I really am and I don’t think I can hide that anymore. You just have to go listen to it yourself so you know what I’m talking about.

And to top this all off? They’re coming to Manila to perform on the 28^th and 29^th plus a meet and greet on the 27^th! So whether you’re already a fan or haven’t heard of these guys (obviously you have now), you should go and sing your heart out to their famous ‘Chocolate,’ ‘Girls’ or to my favorite, 'Robbers.' I know I will.

Dresses - Painting Roses MV

Less than two weeks before the semester ends which means I do what I do best -- procrastinating and multitasking. At the beginning of the semester, I always tell myself that I'd do everything on time but it doesn't happen at all. Anyway, I'm so happy that I discovered this new band that I'm obsessed with now. I've listened to all their songs and I love every single one of them. They're that good. Here's their latest music video to prove it.

High Tea at Café Plazuela

We wanted to try this new set Café Plazuela offers. I'm not the biggest fan of hot tea but because of how the pastries looked like, I just had to. Nevertheless, we had Twining's apple cinnamon and raisin for our tea and had the Avenue Signature Set (P580).

Sadly the set didn’t deliver well as our expectations were up, it wasn't the best of the best; I must say I was a little disappointed. The presentation was really good but most of the serving was just bland. Nonetheless, we got to enjoy acting like we were English. A little trivia I learned is that you have to eat the savories first then the scones and finally, the sweets. So that's from the bottom plate to the topmost.

The bottom part included mini beef burgers which tasted divine and really familiar that I had eaten the whole deal just so I could remember where I tasted it from. It had this distinct cinnamon taste that made the burger interesting from all the burgers I had tasted. It may sound really weird but it was really good. Grilled Chicken Paninis were also served at the bottom tray. We were actually disappointed with its taste since we had them the last time we went there and really loved it. It lacked oomph – it was really boring.

The middle tray consists of Tomato and Cheese Scones, Apple Crumble, Nutella Eclairs and Fruit Tart. I’m a big fan of éclairs and nutella (well, who isn’t right?) so I was really excited when I saw it in the menu. 

Last and definitely not the least, the topmost tray consists of Truffle Chocolate Cheesecake, Pistachio Sansrival, Banana Cream Pie and Red Velvet Cake. Our favorite? The Pistachio and Red Velvet slice. They weren’t so sweet that you’ll enjoy up to the last bite. On the other hand, I’m a huge sucker for bananas so I think I finished the whole shot of it.

As I’ve mentioned earlier, we’re a big fan of their Grilled Chicken Panini (P345) that’s why we had a whole order of it but sadly, we didn’t finish it since it wasn’t the same Panini we had last time. I really hope it’ll be better the next time we visit!

The Avenue Club (P320) is the typical clubhouse sandwich served with french fries on the side and honey mustard dip.

My support group who has been there for me since I can't remember. One thing I've learned the past week is that, it's hard to find real friends but when you do, you have to exert extra effort in order to keep them. And they deserve the extra mile just 'cause. The whole experience was lovely as we were by the pool catching up and having tea. We’re not newbies which is more interesting for us since I realized that the overall presentation of the place and the friendliness of the staff have improved a lot over the years.

Losing One Best Friend is One Thing; Losing Two is Another

Perhaps I'm the type of person who gives more and expects to be treated the same way. Maybe it's comforting for me to claim a person is a best friend since most of my legit best friends live far from me now. One lives in sunny California (Grace) while the other in the busy streets of Manila (Stephanie). Yes, we get to talk almost every day via BBM or iMsg but it's different when you talk to them eye-to-eye.

Anyway, on with this post. I really liked this guy "best friend," he was just so charming or so I thought. I actually wrote a few pieces about him and almost all of my friends know how I am with him, it was a crazy 4-year thing. He was just so toxic for me that Steph made me choose between the guy or the girl best friend. Of course I chose the latter. Come to think of it now, everything would have been okay if he haven't said anything at all. I can't believe how I've grown to hate him since I really didn't want to.

The girl "best friend" is a different story I don't want to put emphasis on. Let me just say that we're all faced with choices and it's up to us to make wise decisions. I'm not saying that she didn't choose wisely 'cause I'm sure she thought about it a lot and chose the better option (if you know what I mean). If I had to express my feelings, it would be anger and disappointment. Angry because I don't know the person she's become. Disappointed because I mistakenly thought our friendship was real. It's just so hard, especially coming from her, and with the same reason she was sorry about roughly 2 months ago. I'm hurt so much that I blame myself for all these.

I don't regret anything though. In times like these, the silver lining would be finding out who would take a bullet for me. I'd love to think that everything happens for a reason. I may be faced with these impediments, but I know I'll rise up. And duh, someone out there has bigger problems than I have.