Katkat Rocks!

OPPO F1s: Summer Destination

Journey 10:00:00 AM

My dream summer vacation is backpacking in Southeast Asia. A former business venture partner, who now lives the dream in Singapore, introduced me to backpacking across Asia and I've been wanting to do it since. Alone. In nothing but tank tops, shorts and some suntan lotion. Former-business-venture-partner did it alone too. I tend to like following my mentors' steps - to a tee.

Mui Ne is a sight to behold, no?

Backpacking across Asia, riding trains if it can be helped and taking amazing, panoramic pictures of myself in Lara Croft outfit in these famous sites give me a boner. They really do.

It's too beautiful. Boner.

On top of that, I've been dreaming of exclusively having just tank tops, v-neck shirts, jean (shorts and pants) in my wardrobe for a long time now. I think this multi-city summer vacay would be the best way to initiate me into the minimalist world.

The tour I have in mind involves lots of temples and impressive architectural structures - modern and ancient; major tourist spots; exotic food and animals; Vietnamese coffee and craft beer.

Ca phe sua da, oh la la!

Now, I don't pretend to be the planner, I rather just wing it. But with just 7 days and a limited fund, I need someone to take care of the details for me. Thankfully, I've LJ-Sky for that. I simply gave them a list of my musts: 7 days, 4 cities (Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam - Thailand too if it's possible), lots of train rides, and as budget-friendly as possible. They're the only agency I know that customizes tours and travels to my fancy at reasonable rates, and that I trust with every last penny I'll have saved.

The only other thing I need now is the assurance that I'll be taking the best pictures - for myself, for business, and for plenty of social media approval. I live by the statement "proof or it didn't happen".

This except better outfit and camera. Parang Mui ne na.

This is why I really think OPPO F1s would fit perfectly in my grand summer plan. Not only do I badly need a phone upgrade, but also that I really think my selfie situation could be better. I also expect to do more selfie-ing with this trip, it being a solo trip and all.

OPPO F1s powerful camera features make it the Selfie Expert: 16mp camera, panoramic options and a beauty cam which captures Instagram-ready selfies each time (even in low-light). This is thanks to its 1/3.1-inch sensor and F/2.0 aperture.

Just imagining this sitting beside my iced Vietnamese coffee. For IG.

I'm excited about the panorama option for the front cam - since I'm not too keen with having to ask random strangers to take photos of me. I also like how it's smaller than my current phone, so a one-hand hold isn't impossible.

I guess that wraps up my dream summer destination. The only thing left now is to turn it into a reality.

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Sarah G Live and Unplugged in Davao!

Davao Events and Lifestyle 12:50:00 PM

She dances, she sings, she acts and she does all three superbly (a real triple threat or treat!) So much so that if she chose to just be one of these three (actress, songstress, dancer), she'd do immensely well all the same. She'll be kicking off my summer this March with her The Great Unknown Concert Live here in Davao.

Sarah Geronimo has certainly become the gold standard for how a popstar should be. As I've always been one to admire people with too many talents, I'm all too excited to finally have the opportunity to blissfully birit with no less the popstar royalty herself at her The Great Unknown Concert this 3rd March - even if it's just in my seat and not in a studio (ha!).

If you're just as ecstatic as I am to see her live, here are the concert details:

The Great Unknown will be held at at the SMX Convention Center, SM Lanang Premier.

Show starts at 8:00pm and ticket prices are as follows:

VIP - Php3,600 (reserved seating)

VIP - Php2,750 (free seating)

Gold - Php1,690 (free seating)

Silver - Php 998 (free seating)

GA - Php630 (as of time of writing, these seats are sold out)

You can purchase your tickets at the Ground Floor of SM Lanang Premier (below the escalator beside Marks and Spencer or via SM Tickets Online (you can see seating chart on the site too). You may also contact 0916 749 5883 for more inquiries about the concert.

If you're interested in sponsoring the event, send an email to ekg.productions@yahoo.com.

EKG Productions are the executive producers of the show. Massive props to them for bringing Sarah G here in Davao! *hearts* You can find out more about the entertainment production here.

The Great Unknown Unplugged LIVE IN DAVAO is the replace of the postponed Sarah G. From The Top last June 2016. So if you've tickets from that one, you can use it for this one without additional cost.

If you're interested in happily linking arms with me and get all chummies together for a night, singing Sara G hits loudly to each other's faces, you may hop on over to my personal Facebook page to find out how you can score free tickets. See you after the jump!

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Jose Mari L. Yupangco of Yamaha to promote the Philippines at Asia Leaders Forum in Real Estate this March 2017

Davao Events and Lifestyle 10:11:00 PM

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Better Sobber! This Valentines Day, Say it With May

Davao Events and Lifestyle 8:40:00 PM

I didn't think he'd gobble down two bottles in less than 24 hours. He did.

I introduce you to my favorite person, Pedro (That's his hand in the photo below). My constant companion slash therapist slash motivational coach slash arm candy slash boyfriend for the past 48 weeks and I'm surprised we haven't gotten past the hands-all-over-you, clinger-stage-5, uh, phase yet. So much so that we ended up working on my MAY Non-alcoholic 100% Sparkling Grape Juice review together.

I'm an alcohol-lovin' person. I enjoy the buzz, the reckless abandonment towards life without inhibitions that alcohol grants can be pretty intoxicating and addicting. Peter, on the other hand, wantonly abandons to life without inhibitions regardless of the presence of alcohol. I envy him.

Despite this difference in our drinking habits, which often is a source of dispute as he thinks alcohol would be the end of me, we both agree on how satisfyingly good May Sparkler is. We found our favorite go-to drink.

May Sparkling Grape Juice tastes like red wine (we had the red grape variant) except it doesn't make you fuzzy. The grape flavor is distinct and evident with each sip and the texture, noticeably rich compared to the other brands we tried. (We had a couple of sips of two other brands when we opened our first May bottle.)

May is sweet but not bitingly so - just enough to tease your taste buds. It's refreshing, a real thirst quencher - no dry mouth feels like the ones you get after an alcoholic drink. I was informed that it's made of freshly pressed grapes and is a product of Belgium. Fancy!

If you haven't decided on your drinks for tomorrow's Valentine's Day celebration, I say go for May. The significant levels of carbon dioxide gives it its fizz and sparkle which is how you get this surprising burst of flavor in your mouth. Shake it off to pop the cork too, if you want to take it up a notch. Turly a perfect way to celebrate if you want to have fun but not too much fun.

MAY is also fairly affordable at Php180. So go on ahead to your favorite Winery or Juices section and splurge on a bottle or two for a date with yourself (Netflix and May chill), your boylet or your barkada. I'm already reserving one bottle for a date with my girls at the beach tomorrow.

If you do want to have a bit more fun, May Sparkling Grape Juice can be mixed to create your favorite cocktail or mocktail. In my case, I simply added my May Sparkler glass with about a shot of red wine which instantly made me tipsy - I'd say it took less than 3 minutes. They say carbon makes your body absorb alcohol faster. Wink, wink.

Or you can try this Sangria mocktail.

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Mysterescape Davao

Davao Events and Lifestyle 12:30:00 PM

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Try the Mushroom Pepper STEAKation Experience at a McDonald's Near You

Events 8:30:00 AM

I was off to a good start this new year. I finally got the job I've been wanting for a year - or at least had the guts to just go ahead and just apply for it. But as to really "getting the job" is yet to be seen. I'm still under evaluation and the adjustment period is only going to get worse before it gets better so I'm holding on for dear life trying to make sense of it all. I've so much to prove and even more fears to conquer just to get all my ideas out and, more so to have them up and running.

So it's a good thing that I signed up to McDonald's New Years Party and Product Launch last week. It was a good reminder of the things that I'm really aiming for which is anything that makes me feel more alive each day: meeting new people, experiencing life and all its pitfalls and triumphs and writing the heck out of all these things that I get myself into.

The party started off with some games and eventually got into the meat of the event which is their New Mushroom Pepper Steak. I tried the meal days before the launch, and I thought it was going to be one of my McDo options in the days to come. (I'm ordinarily a Chicken Sandwich and Iced Vanilla Coffee girl.) The Mushroom Pepper Steak was creamy and juicy and the 1-piece meal at Php55 gives me more than my fill at a price that fits the budget just right.

McDonald's Mushroom Pepper Steak is a welcome addition to their range of filling and affordable rice meals. it features a juicy burger patty, smothered in a mushroom cream sauce with a hint of pepper, and topped off with sliced button mushrooms.

You can enjoy this STEAKation in many ways: Taste the 1-pc Mushroom Pepper Steak with a regular drink for only Php55; as a 2-pc meal with a regular drink for only Php89; or with a McFreeze starting at Php69 for a 1-pc meal and Php 99 for a 2-pc meal.

The STEAKation experience is available at any McDonald’s restaurant nationwide. You can also have the STEAKation experience via Drive-Thru or McDelivery (86-2-36, www.mcdelivery.com.ph, or the McDo PH app).

In the meantime, here's the whole DDIBarkada, doing a photo op after our own STEAKation experience.

More event photos on my Facebook account.

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IVF Davao and Merck PH Give Life to Dreams

Events 10:15:00 PM

I never thought it'd ever come to this...worrying about fertility and ever being able to have a family of my own. Going through life YOLO-ing may have its perks, but it certainly has its downsides and one of which is the inevitability of having to question your ability to have a home to go to after all is said and done. After all the partying, the dream-chasing, will you be content going home to an empty couch, a peaceful space, yes, but far too quiet for an aging you? These were questions I feel that I eventually have to face and continually bugs me a boring day in and out.

So when Merck Philippines held a seminar on fertility awareness last October 2016, I knew I couldn't let that opportunity pass. Merck Philippines, the local arm of the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company, joined forces with IVF Davao, Inc, Mindanao's first IVF facility, for this event. This project also coincides with IVF Davao's first year anniversary.

Infertility plagues many couples and its often a painful topic to talk about to outsiders, let alone publicly. One in eight hearts aches for a child worldwide. An infertile woman said of the issue, "I felt like I was grieving so many things. This loss felt so different because there was no body, no funeral, just the death of our dreams." Infertility is the inability to conceive after 12 months or more of unprotected intercourse. In particular, one out of ten Filipinos suffers from infertility. According to Dr. Ma. Lourdes Cablin, President of IVF Davao, this is a sizeable number of the population.

In Vitro Fertilization Davao Clients

As someone whose priority is finding my place under this sun and cementing a legacy for myself, having kids is definitely something I'd put on the back burner at the moment. But just because I don't want that now, doesn't mean I don't want it sometime in the future. I've only heard of artificial means of getting pregnant through Hollywood tales. Hearing about these pregnancy methods (ART or Assisted Reproductive Technology/In Vitro Fertilization) from local doctors certainly puts my mind at ease that: one, the technology does exist; two, it's here in the Philippines; three, it's safe; and four, it doesn't cost a million.

ART or In Vitro Fertilization involves removing eggs from a woman's ovaries and fertilizing them outside her body. It's straight out of a movie or a commercial; only it's real. During the event at Marco Polo, couples who've successfully conceived through this method through IVF Davao shared their experience. Their stories were wrought with emotion and the doctors who've attended to them also provided detailed information on the whole process.

This isn't a one-stop deal and definitely not for the faint of heart. So it helps to have a team who has you and your partner's back and your utmost made sure they were cared for every step of the way. Which made me all the more excited about getting checked for options on possible infertility prevention. I found out about egg freezing which costs Php15,000 a year with a maintenance fee that gets cheaper each year. That's certainly a viable option for ladies like me who, if I may say it again, dreams of having kids with a big "but not yet."

Answering the audience's questions were the IVF Davao Team of Doctors and their clients

IVF Davao is the first clinic of its kind in Mindanao. Their mission is to deliver competitive service with compassion, respect and utmost accountability, quality care to clients, and providing a venue for continuing education through training and research. They're located at BWC Building, Brokenshire Hospital, Madapo Hills Davao City and may be reached through these numbers: 63 82 305-1163 / 305-3521 local 4507 and this email: ivfdavaoinc@gmail.com. IVF Davao is also on Facebook, like their page and leave a message for your queries.

Besh, if I'd ever need a sperm donor some time in the very distant future, would you volunteer?

Lastly, you may be just as relieved as I am to find out that the price for In Vitro is close to only a quarter of a million - that's about a down payment for a really nice car, which isn't so bad. With lab maintenance and continuing education of doctors, that's a really great bargain for couples who long to become parents.